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A Quick Guide on How to Get Rid of Ants in a Car

Imagine getting all set for a drive with your loved ones and suddenly noticing a colony of ants in your car. It will immediately set your mood off and become a matter of serious concern.

Ants, being the most common insects in the world, have created irritable situations for people. Many have complained that even after regular cleaning, they have noticed a regular invasion of ants in their vehicles.

This blog will help you identify the reason behind ants infestation and how to get rid of ants in a car.

How to Protect a Car from Ants?

It appears to many that ants somehow like cars and end up making colonies in them. Here are some of the ways to eliminate ants from your car.

1. Change the Parking Area

If your parking area is in a garden or near an ant hill, then it is highly likely to end up with ants in the car. You can try changing the parking region for a while and observe if you still find a trail of ants in your vehicle.

2. Throw Away all the Trash

Ants get attracted to all kinds of trash. So, if your car is not clean and filled with trash, it is obvious to get infested by ants. This is one of the reasons why keeping your vehicle clean and tidy is essential.

3. Deep-Clean Using a Vacuum

Another way to get ants out of a car is by vacuum cleaning every part of your vehicle. Since ants are tiny creatures, they can hide in minute crevices or cracks. So, thorough cleaning of the upholstery can remove most of them.

4. Keep the Tyres Clean

Tyres are the only part that is always in contact with the ground. This is why ants use them to climb to the base of the car. Hence, it is highly recommended to keep them as clean as possible.

5. Use Ant-Traps

If the condition is severe, none of the methods works, and you wonder how to remove ants from a car. Try placing ant traps or baits. These are easily available in the market and priced at a reasonable rate. Place them under the seats or at the spots where these insects appear mostly.

6. Treat with Chemicals

If none of the above-mentioned techniques works, treating your car with chemicals is the only solution. There are many specialists available in the market who provide this facility. They target specific locations, apply formulated pesticides, or place higher quality baits to trap and remove ants from a car.

What Are the Reasons for Ant Infestation in a Car?

The basic thing ants look for in a car is food. If you find a trail of ants moving towards your car, it doesn't always mean they are looking for a place to live. Most of the time, it is because they have discovered food.

By nature, ants are very organised; after they set their habitat, worker ants are sent in search of food. They wander around everywhere to find traces of anything they can eat.

These are the possible reasons they end up in your car:

Found food crumbs or rubbish

Most likely, ants are drawn toward food remains. So, if there are any crumbs, wrappers or any rubbish in your vehicle, get rid of them immediately.

The car has a damp or leak

Ants also need water for survival and search for damp places. Therefore, if there is any leak or dampness in your car, get it fixed. It might stop the ants' infestation in your car.

What Types of Damage can Ants Cause in a Car?

Suppose you do not find any effective method to get rid of ants in the car; you are susceptible to several kinds of damage.

Here are some of the examples:

Common Ants are Harmless

Generally, common ants do not bite or cause any harm to humans or the car. However, other species of ants can cause some damage to your vehicle.

Bite Through Wood, Wires, and Foam

Red ants, fire ants and carpenter ants are those hardier species of this family who can cause severe damage. For instance, chew through wires and woods and disrupt the foam settings.

Stripped Wires Can Cause Electrical Faults

Since ants can strip wires, it can lead to electrical faults in the car. Eventually, they can cause more damage to the vehicle.

What are the Signs of Ants Infestation in a Car?

There can be six common signs of ant infestation you should look for.

  1. Visibly noticing ants roaming around the car or the parking area.
  2. Observing a trail of ants to your vehicle.
  3. Ant mounds near your home, garage or car.
  4. Finding out ants getting attracted to the food remains in the car.
  5. Noticing old ant wings within the dust around the door or window ledges.
  6. Ant hills in your backyard or nests in tree branches in your garden.

Some may feel wiping out the ant trails can diminish the infestation. However, this is not entirely effective. You need to identify the root cause to completely get rid of the ants. If you have carefully read this blog, you must have found an answer to how to get rid of ants in a car and other related information.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can ants live in a car?

Ants can live for many years. However, it also depends on the variant of the species. Male ants have a shorter lifespan as their only purpose is to reproduce. At the same time, the worker ants can live longer. Queen ants live the longest. Their lifespan ranges from 2-30 years.

Is there any homemade solution for curing ants infestation in a car?

Using dishwashing soap to clean the infected regions, using orange oil as a car refresher, and using essential oil spray are some of the homemade solutions one can use to get rid of the ants in a car.