If you’re like most car owners, you want your car to stay as clean and comfortable as possible, which is what makes an ant infestation so aggravating. While most people imagine ants as a threat to their home, these small insects can easily make their way into your car. In some cases, they can be difficult to get out.
Are you wondering how to remove ants from your car? If you notice ants crawling around your car, there are a few simple steps that you can take to remove these pests from your vehicle for good. Here are some easy, quick, and effective tips to help.
Understand Different Types of Infestations
Before we get into the best way to remove ants from your car, it’s a good idea to learn a few facts about vehicle infestations. Namely, you need to learn how ants make their way into your vehicle in the first place.
The majority of ant infestations in cars are accidental infestations, which means the ants are simply searching your vehicle to see if it’s a viable source of food. If there is no food in your car, the ants will usually leave without you having to do anything. Accidental infestations can occur when you’ve parked your vehicle near an anthill or have taken it to a woodsy area.
The second type of infestation is much more serious and will require you to take action if you want to keep your car pest-free. In these circumstances, ants have identified your car as a good source of food and are attempting to set up permanent residence. Once ants take root in your vehicle by setting up a nest, it can be difficult to get rid of them, so it’s important for you to act as quickly as possible once you see ants in your automobile.
Identify the Ant
The first thing that you will need to do when getting rid of ants in your car is to identify exactly which type of ant is affecting your vehicle. Not all treatments work on every ants, so knowing the species that you’re working with can make dealing with these pests a lot easier.
Generally, the types of ants you will find in your car can include carpenter ants and crazy ants. These species are extremely common, particularly in the United States, and are always on the hunt for a source of food. Once you know what type of ant is in your car, you can develop a plan of action for taking out this pest.
Clean Up the Food
Image via Flickr by fuzzcat
The main reason ants set up residence in your car is that they’ve found food in your vehicle. To eliminate the ants, one of the most important thing that you can do is completely rid your automobile of food. You need to comb through your vehicle and find any food that might be attractive to ants. In addition to food crumbs that are on the floor or seats, look for old drink bottles, candy bar wrappers, and fast food containers. Removing every piece of food from your car can help you prevent future infestations and may cause some of the ants that are already in your vehicle to leave. While you can still eat in your vehicle, you need to be certain that you’re fully cleaning up after yourself when you are done. Any crumbs that are left behind can easily result in another infestation.
Use a Car Vacuum
After you’ve removed the large, easily noticeable food sources from your car, you’ll need to put in a little extra work to get rid of the smallest food particles. Even small crumbs can attract ants to your car, meaning you need to clear out the nooks and crannies of your vehicle to make sure that there is nothing that would draw ants. The easiest way to get rid of the crumbs in your car is to use a handheld car vacuum cleaner. First, you should go over the floor mats and seats of your vehicle with the vacuum to make sure you’ve picked up any small food particles you may have missed in your initial cleaning. Second, you should vacuum your dashboard, paying special attention to the crevices where small ants love to hide. Once your car has been thoroughly vacuumed, you shouldn’t have to worry about ants seeing it as a food source.
Treat Your Tires
Ants can access your car by climbing your tires, which is the only part of your car touching the ground. If you take away this point of access, then it will be impossible for ants to get inside your vehicle. By treating your tires with a pesticide, you’ll be removing the only way ants could possibly get into your vehicle. While this won’t help you with your current infestation, it will reduce the chance of future problems. If you prefer not to use pesticides, you can start parking your vehicle in a location that is less likely to result in an infestation.
Treat Your Cabin
The final step that you need to take to remove ants from your car is to treat the interior of your vehicle. Several tools can be used to stop a future infestation in its tracks, saving you a lot of hassle in the future. After getting rid of an infestation, many car owners choose to add ant traps to their automobile. Placing these small traps under the seats of your vehicle can help you eliminate future infestations very effectively. Because of their strong odor and chemical content, you don’t want to spray a pesticide inside of your automobile. Having ants in your vehicle can be a very frustrating situation, especially if you’re not quite sure how to remove these tiny pests. Fortunately, getting rid of ants in your automobile isn’t all that difficult. Keeping food out of your car and making sure your tires are treated should keep your vehicle ant free. If you’re having trouble getting rid of ants in your car, you may need to consult with a professional.
