Ants are probably the earth’s greatest explorers, since there is not a single place where you don’t find them. Whether it’s your kitchen, your sofa, or even your car, nothing is sacred for these tiny creatures. If you are wondering how to get ants out of your car, you are not alone as ant-infestation is a problem faced by a lot of people.
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Ants in car should be taken seriously
Most people don’t take ants present in their cars as seriously as they should. Though they seem harmless prima facie, ants can cause harms ranging from plain irritation to even fatality in some cases. For example, the bite of a red ant is quite stinging and may distract the driver resulting in an accident.
Besides, an army of ants can gnaw on your electrical parts like wire insulation and relays that can cost you several dollars to replace.
Thus it’s important that you learn how to get rid of ants in car or take timely professional help for the same. Also, simply using ant bait for cars is not enough. Instead, you must also implement the preventive steps to keep the ants at bay.
Reasons of ants in your car
1. Food in your car
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This is not a rocket science fact that ants follow food. If you have a habit of munching while you drive or slurping coffee on the move, you need to change it.
You can be as careful as you wish but there will definitely be some food crumbs or spills in your car and they are like beacons that attract swarms of ants inside your vehicle.
This is a reason that can easily be avoided by simply not eating or drinking in the car. Well, it’s not possible at all times and there might be instances when your co-passengers indulge in some food cravings. And it is definitely the case when you have kids in your car!
2. Car parked in their territory
Ants may decide to visit your car even though it is free from any food crumbs or particles. The reason is simple, you are in their territory. It happens a lot of times that you have parked your car in a garden or near a tree or in the park and the next day when you are driving, these pests are crawling on your hands and legs.
Also Read: Top 10 Pros and Cons of Electric Cars
7 Steps for Removing Ants from Car
Even after taking precautions your car can get infested with these annoying little creatures. Take these steps to get rid of ants in car and avoid any such instances in the future.
1. Track the ant colony
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This should always be the first step if you face this problem on a regular basis and want a permanent solution to get rid of ants in car. The key to eliminate the ants is understanding how their society works.
They have a queen ant which lays the eggs and never gets out of the nest. The ants in your car or kitchen are the soldier ants that bring in food for the queen and other ants in the nest.
Your aim should be to track the trail of ants from your car to their nest and destroy the queen ant so that the whole nest is eliminated.
2. Destroy the ant colony
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Once you track down the ant colony, you should now prepare to eradicate the root cause of the problem, the ant colony itself. For this purpose, you have to use an insecticide of some or the other kind.
There are several herbal insecticides in the market that are odorless and don’t pose a threat to the environment. You should prefer using them. Besides, take all necessary precautions while doing it.
In most cases, the ant colony is below the ground and you should use adequate amount of insecticide to thoroughly penetrate and eliminate the colony. You’ll never ask “How to get ants out of your car” again after this!
3. Clean your car interiors
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This is a no-brainer actually. Ants are super-attracted to food and if they find it in your car, they’ll be there to claim their right on it.
Ensure that you keep your car clean from any kind of food leftovers, crumbs, wrappers, containers, soda cans, coffee cups and other such items. Pick up all the coarse grains and items with your hand and show them the way to the garbage bin.
Don’t worry about the smaller particles in this step; just get rid of whatever can be collected with your hands. Consider buying a car-bin so that you can collect all wrappers and cans in that and empty it regularly.
4. Vacuum the car
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After you have picked up the bigger items, it’s time to remove the finer particles and crumbs from your car’s seats, vents, mats, niches and so on. Use a car vacuum to thoroughly suck these tiny particles out so that your car is no more an ant magnet.
If you don’t have a car vacuum or just are disinterested in doing it yourself, consider taking professional help and get your car vacuumed from a service center. This way you can rest assured that your car is thoroughly free from food, and ants too.
5. Use Ant Bait for Cars
This is another effective way of removing ants from car and should be used when required. These ant traps or ant bombs are a much better option as compared to spraying insecticide inside your car. Because these traps don’t have any foul smell or harmful fumes that might cause you discomfort and harm.
Moreover, there are a plethora of brands that offer ant bait for cars as a product in the market. Simply buy one that you deem the best and put in your car at several locations like the car floor, under the seats, under the hood etc.
6. Treat tires with insecticide
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You can’t spray the interiors of your car, but you should definitely spray the tires to prevent ants from crawling into your vehicle. Tires are the only part of the car body that are touching the ground at all times and that is where the ants climb their way in. Ensure that your car’s tires are treated effectively to prevent the ant menace.
Also Read: 21 Must Have DIY Car Repair Tools
7. Change your parking location
The simplest and non-violent way of removing ants from car is to actually get out of their way yourselves. It may happen that your car parking location is nearby an ant territory which means that their soldier ants will definitely scout your vehicle for finding any food. And if they get what they are looking for, expect them quite frequently, because they have an exceptional sense of location.
Ants are often non-harmful and don’t interfere with your life. But sometimes they can cause severe harm too, besides being pestering and intrusive. They are a nuisance especially when they invade your car’s interiors and can cause potential damages too. It’s quite important for you to know the steps to prevent these creatures from entering your car. In case they are already inside, you must know how to get ants out of your car to prevent from getting harmed.