If your car is infested with troublesome fire ants and you’re looking for quick and easy fixes to the problem, you’re in the right place!
Fire ants are one of the most annoying and potentially life-threatening insects you can encounter in the country. Getting bitten or stung by a fire ant is an absolute nightmare—causing a horrible burning sensation that might develop into something serious to their unlucky victims.
These misery-causing insects can be found everywhere around us, including our homes, yards, and cars. And due to the limited space of cars, having fire ants in your car is truly the worst-case scenario.
But I’ve got you covered. In this life-saving guide, I will break down the top 6 fool-proof methods to eliminate fire ants in your car once and for all!
1. Ant Traps Never Disappoint
Ant traps are simply devices with a mix of food that ants find delicious (consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) and an insecticide. You can easily find ant traps online or at your local hardware store.
Get two or three ant traps and place them in different places in your car. You should be able to fit the traps or bombs in your car thanks to their small size.
The best place to put ant traps is on the floor of your car—you want to place them under the seats of your car on the floor because this is the most common ant attraction. You can also place an ant trap in your glove compartment and trunk. Once the ant traps are full of fire ants, you may need to replace them to keep them for best results.
The majority of ant traps immediately attract and kill ants. Make sure to get effective ant traps that contain strong poison to attract and kill the fire ants in your car. Also, you want to opt for odorless ant traps to avoid any unpleasant smell in your car.
If your car is filled with fire ants, chances are there’s an ant hill or colony close to your car. Look for any fire ant colony in your garage and place ant traps there to get rid of fire ant colonies in the area. If you fail to find ant colonies, you can simply park your car in a different area until you find a solution to the fire ants problem.
- Warning: Keep kids and pets away from the ant traps in your car or garage to prevent exposure to harmful chemicals.
2. Use an Ant Spray for Immediate Results
Ant spray effectively controls and prevents ants in your yard, home, and in your car. Get an effective ant spray and start spraying it all over the tires to prevent fire ants from crawling up and getting into your car. Using this spray on your tires once a week should be enough to keep fire ants at bay.
However, remember that ant sprays don’t smell the best and will leave your car smelling after spraying. But if you put effectiveness above all else, an ant spray is a quick fix to the fire ants problem in your car.
3. Remove Any Garbage that Attracts Fire Ants To Your Car
Leaving garbage in your car is the quickest method to attract fire ants and other ants. You should remove and throw away food wrappers, scrap paper, napkins, fliers, and other things that you think are attracting fire ants in your car. You also want to remove garbage from your car’s trunk, dash, cup holders, floors, and seats.
It’s always better to do this regularly—make it a routine to remove garbage from your car at the end of the day to prevent fire ants from entering your car.
- Tip: if you can’t keep your car clean, try using a small bag as makeshift garbage in your car and simply throw it away once it’s full and replace it with a new one.
4. Vacuum the Interior of Your Car
Vacuuming is one of the best ways to remove dirt, crumbs, and other small particles that may attract fire ants. A vacuum with an extendable head or a small handheld vacuum should do the trick. You can even use a vacuum at the car wash if you don’t have access.
Vacuuming up any ants you see while vacuuming is also a good and direct way to reduce ants in your car. Run it over the seats, armrests, and floors to eliminate all surface debris. To effectively remove dirt and crumbs from the floor mats, remove them from the car and vacuum each separately.
5. Keep the Windows And Doors Clean
You also want to clean your doors and windows to keep the troublesome fire ants at bay. To do so, use a wet, soft cloth and an all-purpose cleaner to wipe down the inside of the doors and windows.
Make sure you clean any debris and dirt in the crevices of the windows and doors. And don’t forget to wipe down the cup holders, seat belts, and glove compartment. Finally, clean the inside of the window with a window cleaner to get rid of marks on the glass.
6. Avoid Eating In Your Car
We know it’s easier said than done because nobody’s perfect when it comes to eating in the car—but you need to stop eating in your car if you want to keep fire ants at bay. Fire ants are attracted to the same food we usually consume: carbs, protein, or fat.
If you can’t get rid of this bad habit, at least keep food in a wrapper and don’t spread bits or crumbs of food around.
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