Ants, Ants, Ants

[tammy bell]

We drove down from N.Y for our 5/15 cruise and we parked at the pier. We had a fantastic time on the cruise but when we got back to the car we found hundreds of uninvited guests in our car. I had read the posts about the ant problem but I figured that if the kids didn't eat in the car then it would be alright. WRONG! If you are parking at the pier, bring ant traps. We were killing ants all the way to N.Y. YUCK!

 

[ohioMickey]

We sailed on the May 8th Western and also parked at the pier. We were careful to cleanse the interior of the car of all morsels of food. Fortunately for us, upon disembarking, we found no ants in the car. They must have been waiting for you!

Seriously though, that really stinks. We have parked at the pier three times now, and i am always worried the ants will mob us. I guess we have been lucky.

 

[Bmwdsny]

Wow!! that is good to know!! Who would ever thought that the ants would take over your car?? We are parking a rental car on the lot so i be sure that my kids does not eat in the car!!
Thanks!!

 

[april riddle]

Do you have the same problem if you park at the Raddison? I am a little worried now to hear this. we are driving down from NC and I am sure that everyone will be snacking in the car on the way down.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by april riddle
Do you have the same problem if you park at the Raddison? I am a little worried now to hear this. we are driving down from NC and I am sure that everyone will be snacking in the car on the way down.

We drove the first cruise from NY and when I saw that sign I thought...oh boy are we in trouble....we had food and crumbs all over the place. I put what food I could in the cooler in the trunkn but luckily no ants were in our car when we got back. Seeing as the OP had ants and no food I guess its a hit or miss thing!

 

[siily047]

know what even worse then ants?? roaches, we got in our car and have way down the road we saw them my daughter freaked out and started screaming we had no idea what was wrong then we saw them so we pulled over to try to kill them they were everywhere!!!!!! even in the trunk hiding in the spare tire!! found out its not food they were after but moisture, we had to bomb the car and sit in the walmart waiting for it to work then air out the car , it really really sucked we were afraid because if they get in the luggage then you end up bringing them into your house

 

[ppiew]

How about spraying ant killer around your car when you leave it in the parking lot? Anyone try it? I guess I would spray the bottom of the doors too. Fire ants are horrendous!! They bite bite bite!

 

[Bmwdsny]

Ugh!! Ants, Roaches, any bugs!!

This is why i like to fly!! We are driving down to GA this summer to see my DH family...We haven't drove any further than VA, which is about 6 hours. I don't want to be the whiner here, but i hate sitting in the car for a very long time!! AND we better be BUG FREE IN THE CAR TOO! I will keep a watch out!! (thank Goodness for DVD player that will keep the kids occupied!)

Well, I just can't wait to Florida in November!! 6 more months to go!! (Sigh)

 

[Laura24]

Originally posted by tammy bell
We drove down from N.Y for our 5/15 cruise and we parked at the pier. We had a fantastic time on the cruise but when we got back to the car we found hundreds of uninvited guests in our car. I had read the posts about the ant problem but I figured that if the kids didn't eat in the car then it would be alright. WRONG! If you are parking at the pier, bring ant traps. We were killing ants all the way to N.Y. YUCK!

Give those ants a taste of a good ol' Northern fall and winter and they may be wishing they had stayed way down south!!

 

[tammy bell]

Originally posted by Laura24
Give those ants a taste of a good ol' Northern fall and winter and they may be wishing they had stayed way down south!!

LOL. We were thinking the same thing. Those ants won't know what hit them. Seriously, though, we did not eat in the car. Next time, I will spray the tires and doors with ant spray and maybe put some ant traps around. My husband did park the car by trees and some sand so that might be why we were more prone to get them. If you can, park in the middle, away from the trees and sand.

 

[Cherylbug]

My brother had the same problem. When we got back to the port and he started loading his luggage into his Tahoe, ants were EVERYWHERE!!! They even ate the foam material around the headphones to his DVD player . He also parked by a curb with sand and trees so he said from now on he will park in the middle away from those. On our last cruise he brought ant spray and sprayed around the tires and parked away from trees. He didn't have any ants invade him that time.

 

[westjones]

Wow! I didn't know this was a problem! We never had this happen so we were lucky because my kids DO eat in the car!

I will be sure to look for spaces that are not near sand and trees!

Thanks for the 'heads up'!
DJ

 

[webray]

We haven't had ants after any of our cruises.

 

[mmouse37]

I remember this problem being discussed a while back.....I wish I could remember what they sprinkled around the car to keep the ants away...it was some kind of powder....maybe boric acid...is that a powder??? that name comes to mind but I reallycan't remember the name of it.

I once left a rental at the port for the 3 night cruise and didn't realize I left the driver's side window open the whole time....I must have put it down to pay for the parking and not put it back up....well the port area had several downpours when we were away and the floor of the car had about 3 inches of water everywhere....I wound up buying some cheap beach towes at one of the surf shops to soak up the puddles. Luckily it dried out in the FL heat by that evening when I returned the car.

MJ

 

[gottaluvdis]

We also parked a rental car at port for the 3-night cruise. We saw the signs about the ants, and the parking lot attendant mentioned something to us as we drove in as well. DD had eaten in the car on the way, but we just cleaned all trash out of the car before leaving. We parked somewhat in the middle of the lot and didn't have any problems when we returned to the car.

 

[Zandy595]

This is the first I've heard of this problem. Does anyone remember, exactly what the sign says? What kind of ants are they? My DS and DM are allergic to fire ant bites.

 

[tammy bell]

They were not fire ants, thank God. There were little black ants that were different than the ants I am used to seeing. They did not bite but I was a little grossed out everytime I had one crawling on me. I read the warnings a while back but I didn't think that it would happen to me if the kids didn't eat in the car but next time I'll be prepared.

 

[mrsltg]

Thanks for the heads up. DH and I are planning on vacuuming the car out before leaving VA and then again the morning of the cruise. We will be especially careful to remove DD's carseat (heaven only knows what's under there!), and to remove any sippycups. DH also says he's going to get some bug spray for the tires and doors as well as some ant traps for in the car. Other than that, it's out of our hands!

Erin

 

[SamR]

OK, I am by no means an entomologist, so maybe some of you can help me out here:

1. Don't ant traps work by attracting ants (in situations where you know you already have them)? That is...If I put an ant trap in my car, is it possible (likely?) that it might actually draw ants into the car (but hopefully only into the trap)?
2. The idea of spraying around the tires sounds like a good one, although I wouldn't be surprised if one day Disney puts up a sign forbidding it due to ecological concerns. For those who have done this (or plan to do it), do you use something like Raid ant spray, or one of the powders (like "Ant-B-Gone" dust) that people usually put down in the yard? I've used the spray for an ant trail that I can see, but how long does the residue remain effective?
   [/list=1]
   I plan to take along a car vac and clean out the car that morning, but after reading this thread, I'm afraid that alone may not be sufficient...

 

[goingbacksoon]

I know what I know about ant traps only from biochem class, but here goes...

Ant traps aren't quite like honey, they are made for if you already have ants and want to set out a deadly trap. Imagine a mouse trap that was a giant house of poisonous cheese with an enveloping door, kinda like that. Ants must be fairly near for the traps to work.

Ant spray tends to evaporate quickly, and the store bought stuff isn't terribly strong. It is mostly water. If you have a bad ant problem and they spray your house, that stuff lasts much longer. Hair spray also works in a pinch, and might stick better (literally).

goingbacksoon