Ant Warning! - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: The Whaler GAM or General Area
  Ant Warning!

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   Ant Warning!

Clark Roberts posted 08-30-2003 10:23 AM ET (US)
I had not used my Montauk for a couple of weeks and it was on its trailer in my yard. This morning I launched her and took a short ride when I noticed a column of ants marching across the deck... no big deal as here in Fla. ants are a part of the landscape. So back at the dock I decided to wash her down and discovered a huge (I mean huge... like thousands) colony of ants in fwd locker. I grabbed some aunt/roach killer and sprayed all over then started taking the anchor/rode and some life vests out and discovered that the mother load was inside(yes, inside) one of the live vests!!! Now, these things can really eat you up (these were not fire ants however) and cause major discomfort, infection and worse. I can't stand the thought of what would have happened if I had strapped that life vest on one of my grandsons....whew!!!! All those ants and only idle for maybe 10 days... I'm an old guy but can still learn a few things like "check for critters"! Be safe and happy Whalin'.. Clark.. Spruce Creek Navy
Bill C posted 08-30-2003 10:43 AM ET (US)
Clark - Got the 15' SS Ltd. out two days before the Stump Pass gathering. Good thing I checked the underseat compartments. The rear was full of ants plus several hundred ready to hatch. This is where I keep life preservers and a spare prop. Additionally, I was greeted with fruit rat droppings. Hosed everything down and the next day there was not ant one. Only three weeks since I last used the boat.
Arch Autenreith posted 08-30-2003 12:32 PM ET (US)
Left it in the field over the winter a couple years ago. Next spring found a million ants in the suntop. Ate a big hole in it.
Same winter mice made a nice nest with the PFD's in the consol. Now I remove all material before storing.
Guess it was just the year for critters for me.
Sal DiMercurio posted 08-30-2003 02:12 PM ET (US)
While my boat was in dry storage in Half Moon Bay Ca., a squirrel decided to make it's nest in my channel where all the wires & transducer cable gos through, the sob ate all the coax off all the wires in that channel, including the harness to the engine.
Sal
Dr T posted 08-30-2003 03:33 PM ET (US)
Clark,
Were those kapok vests?
tds
Clark Roberts posted 08-30-2003 04:39 PM ET (US)
Dr.T, not kapok but plastic floatation (sort of like foam) covered with a canvas like material. I have soaked it with aunt killer spray and thrown it away. Clark
triblet posted 08-30-2003 11:59 PM ET (US)
Best thing for an ant infestation like that: WINDEX. No
kidding, if you can put it right on the ants, they die.
Especially good when you have an infestation in the kitchen.
It evaporates completely.
Good story behind how I found this: When I was in college
three buddies of mine and I rented a little place for the
summer. One night we had a Harvey Wallbanger party for a
bunch of friends. Harvey Wallbangers are made with OJ,
Galiano, and rum or Vodka (anybody got the exact recipe?).
Real sticky stuff. We spilled some in the kitchen and
decided to clean it up in the morning. Come morning (well.
maybe afternoon, it was a pretty good party), the kitchen
was a seething mass of ants. Somebody grabed a bottle of
Windex to get the HW up, and it turned out to do a real number
on the ants.

Chuck
Dr T posted 08-31-2003 12:41 AM ET (US)
Chuck,
I suspect that those ants died drunk.
tds
ryanwhaler posted 08-31-2003 06:50 PM ET (US)
I suspect they died happy.
JohnAz posted 08-31-2003 11:38 PM ET (US)
"AMDRO" for serious ant problems even little sugar ants a, a few sprinkles around the nest and they are all dead in the morning they think it is food
Jamie 20 outrage posted 09-01-2003 06:29 AM ET (US)
AMDRO? give us more info off the label, who makes it, how many ounces is your bottle, what color is the label, is it powder? Whay kind of store did you buy it in? etc...
rubadub555 posted 09-01-2003 08:54 AM ET (US)
Timely post in Florida, Clark.
Yesterday late afternoon, my wife and I launched our 1980 Montauk/1999 Suzuki 85 at the new ICW boat ramp beneath the Palm Valley Bridge outside Jacksonville, and headed south to our favorite anchorage behind Pine Island, 1/2 way to St Augustine.
Reading, cold drinks, watching some lunatic helicopter pilot buzzing Pine Island, I checked the console where a cup of coffee had spilled last outing; tiny sugar ants marched in a line snaking up from inside the base of the console, then I saw a few in the splashwell near the cables emerging from the tunnel. Used bugspray then and they got the deathspray on our return home.
7-8 foot gator popped up near us just as I was contemplating a quick dip. HELL-OOOO.
Dr T posted 09-01-2003 11:04 AM ET (US)
AMDRO is a fire ant bait. You scatter it around a mound (or in a heavily infested area, you broadcast it of the infested area). The workers carry the bait to the mound where it finds its way into the queens food supply. When she eats it, it sterilizes her. Since fire ants do not have a long lifetime, this will effectively kill the mound.
When I lived in Rockwall, east of Dallas, I would broadcast it over my acre lot in the spring. The mounds would be mostly gone by three weeks, and the treatment generally lasted until August.
Long term it is a good solution to the fire ants, but unless they have changed the formulation it doesn't kill particularly quickly. In addition, I would occassionally spray the lower parts of my trailer with bug spray to discourage the little buggers. However, I also used to keep a can of wasp spray handy for the nests that would seem to pop up over night under the console and in the trailer hitch on the trailer.
And, you can use Google to find generaly references on the current formulation ( www.google.com .
Dr T
from Colorado where we have mosquito, but no ant, problems.
Dr T posted 09-01-2003 11:08 AM ET (US)
Final note: I found by far and away the best prices on AMDRO at one of the Farm and Ranch Supply stores. It was far less expensive than the lawn and garden stores sold it for in the quantities I needed.
adaps4 posted 09-01-2003 11:14 PM ET (US)
That is funny- I have had some ants find their way into the engine a couple times. I just stopped backing the trailer so far into the trees. They seem to have been going down the branches onto the engine. I do ,however, have a persistant tree frog that likes to hide in my prop. Every time I pull the boat out, I look to make sure he is not in there. If he is, I poke him until he jumps onto my arm, then he is transplanted back to a nearby tree. Haven't seen him in a while- maybe I forgot to check once. Hope he had a nice swim.
jameso posted 09-02-2003 10:42 AM ET (US)
I parked my Cherokee at the Jax airport last month. When I returned a week later I was driving north on I-95 when I saw a trail of ants, lifted the newspaper off the passenger seat and an entire colony was living on a candy wrapper that my daughter has left there.
Had an infestation in a Honda scooter once, seems the Japanese potted a lot of electronics with a compound that contained rice paste.
Last week I returned from the lake, emptied the Igloo and turned it upside down on lawn beside the boat, 4 days later the fire ants had completely filled the inside with a mound.
Ants have been really bad here in GA due to the wet weather.
Keep on spraying!!!
Jim
Crabby Mike posted 09-02-2003 11:24 AM ET (US)
I heard of a good recipe for homemade ant killer.
Mix 4-tablespoons of peanut butter with 3/4 teaspoons of boric acid (from the drug store or "roach proof" from the hardware store. Put a glob near where you see the ants they will carry it back to the colony. Don�t use too much boric acid it may kill the ant before getting back to the mound.
Mike
Buckda posted 09-02-2003 11:47 AM ET (US)
This is a good thread - especially as people in the north begin to think about storing their boats for the winter.
As a general rule, when storing the 15 (it lives in a barn when not on the water), I place little margarine tubs filled with moth balls in the boat - simply poke a few holes in the plastic cover and you have a great way to get the effect of the mothballs without the mess - just pick up the tub and set aside when you're going to use the boat.
I don't know if it keeps ants out - but it generally keeps the critters out and I have not yet had a problem with rodents (and this barn is infested!)
I use three tubs - one in the forward locker, one on the front thwart seat, and one in the back by the sump.
Dave
Al_A_Buy posted 09-02-2003 12:32 PM ET (US)
While preparing to launch yesterday, one of the crew grabbed the tube air pump from the console and found it full of carpenter ants. Major case of the willys....
A couple of years ago, when attempting to start my motor, it wouldn't rotate, seemed like a dead battery. After messing with it for a while, it started to sputter and spit. What it was spitting out the exhaust was millions of ants. They had nested in the ehxaust passage. The obstruction was causing backpressure in the cylinders and prevent the starter from turning the crank. When it did fire, it blew a large brown cloud...
Al W.
Swellmonster posted 09-04-2003 06:30 AM ET (US)
Last week I saw a few carpenter ants around the gunnel rod holder. After blasting them, I found the momma, eggs and the whole bunch made a crib in my resessed rod holder!
Since Amdro granules are yellow, does it stain the boat?
Florida15 posted 09-04-2003 03:56 PM ET (US)
The cheapest place that I have found for Amdro is Sam's Club. A few years ago I went to hook up a utility trailer that I keep in my backyard. Reached down to pick up the tongue and put my hand right on a wasp nest.
I think I set a record in the 100 meters that day.
Gene in NC posted 09-05-2003 10:09 PM ET (US)
Most alarming and dangerous find in/under the coupler was the biggest, by factor of tow or three, black widow spider that I had ever seen. I mean huge!

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: Ant Warning!
Clark Roberts	posted 08-30-2003 10:23 AM ET (US) I had not used my Montauk for a couple of weeks and it was on its trailer in my yard. This morning I launched her and took a short ride when I noticed a column of ants marching across the deck... no big deal as here in Fla. ants are a part of the landscape. So back at the dock I decided to wash her down and discovered a huge (I mean huge... like thousands) colony of ants in fwd locker. I grabbed some aunt/roach killer and sprayed all over then started taking the anchor/rode and some life vests out and discovered that the mother load was inside(yes, inside) one of the live vests!!! Now, these things can really eat you up (these were not fire ants however) and cause major discomfort, infection and worse. I can't stand the thought of what would have happened if I had strapped that life vest on one of my grandsons....whew!!!! All those ants and only idle for maybe 10 days... I'm an old guy but can still learn a few things like "check for critters"! Be safe and happy Whalin'.. Clark.. Spruce Creek Navy
Bill C	posted 08-30-2003 10:43 AM ET (US) Clark - Got the 15' SS Ltd. out two days before the Stump Pass gathering. Good thing I checked the underseat compartments. The rear was full of ants plus several hundred ready to hatch. This is where I keep life preservers and a spare prop. Additionally, I was greeted with fruit rat droppings. Hosed everything down and the next day there was not ant one. Only three weeks since I last used the boat.
Arch Autenreith	posted 08-30-2003 12:32 PM ET (US) Left it in the field over the winter a couple years ago. Next spring found a million ants in the suntop. Ate a big hole in it. Same winter mice made a nice nest with the PFD's in the consol. Now I remove all material before storing. Guess it was just the year for critters for me.
Sal DiMercurio	posted 08-30-2003 02:12 PM ET (US) While my boat was in dry storage in Half Moon Bay Ca., a squirrel decided to make it's nest in my channel where all the wires & transducer cable gos through, the sob ate all the coax off all the wires in that channel, including the harness to the engine. Sal
Dr T	posted 08-30-2003 03:33 PM ET (US) Clark, Were those kapok vests? tds
Clark Roberts	posted 08-30-2003 04:39 PM ET (US) Dr.T, not kapok but plastic floatation (sort of like foam) covered with a canvas like material. I have soaked it with aunt killer spray and thrown it away. Clark
triblet	posted 08-30-2003 11:59 PM ET (US) Best thing for an ant infestation like that: WINDEX. No kidding, if you can put it right on the ants, they die. Especially good when you have an infestation in the kitchen. It evaporates completely. Good story behind how I found this: When I was in college three buddies of mine and I rented a little place for the summer. One night we had a Harvey Wallbanger party for a bunch of friends. Harvey Wallbangers are made with OJ, Galiano, and rum or Vodka (anybody got the exact recipe?). Real sticky stuff. We spilled some in the kitchen and decided to clean it up in the morning. Come morning (well. maybe afternoon, it was a pretty good party), the kitchen was a seething mass of ants. Somebody grabed a bottle of Windex to get the HW up, and it turned out to do a real number on the ants. Chuck
Dr T	posted 08-31-2003 12:41 AM ET (US) Chuck, I suspect that those ants died drunk. tds
ryanwhaler	posted 08-31-2003 06:50 PM ET (US) I suspect they died happy.
JohnAz	posted 08-31-2003 11:38 PM ET (US) "AMDRO" for serious ant problems even little sugar ants a, a few sprinkles around the nest and they are all dead in the morning they think it is food
Jamie 20 outrage	posted 09-01-2003 06:29 AM ET (US) AMDRO? give us more info off the label, who makes it, how many ounces is your bottle, what color is the label, is it powder? Whay kind of store did you buy it in? etc...
rubadub555	posted 09-01-2003 08:54 AM ET (US) Timely post in Florida, Clark. Yesterday late afternoon, my wife and I launched our 1980 Montauk/1999 Suzuki 85 at the new ICW boat ramp beneath the Palm Valley Bridge outside Jacksonville, and headed south to our favorite anchorage behind Pine Island, 1/2 way to St Augustine. Reading, cold drinks, watching some lunatic helicopter pilot buzzing Pine Island, I checked the console where a cup of coffee had spilled last outing; tiny sugar ants marched in a line snaking up from inside the base of the console, then I saw a few in the splashwell near the cables emerging from the tunnel. Used bugspray then and they got the deathspray on our return home. 7-8 foot gator popped up near us just as I was contemplating a quick dip. HELL-OOOO.
Dr T	posted 09-01-2003 11:04 AM ET (US) AMDRO is a fire ant bait. You scatter it around a mound (or in a heavily infested area, you broadcast it of the infested area). The workers carry the bait to the mound where it finds its way into the queens food supply. When she eats it, it sterilizes her. Since fire ants do not have a long lifetime, this will effectively kill the mound. When I lived in Rockwall, east of Dallas, I would broadcast it over my acre lot in the spring. The mounds would be mostly gone by three weeks, and the treatment generally lasted until August. Long term it is a good solution to the fire ants, but unless they have changed the formulation it doesn't kill particularly quickly. In addition, I would occassionally spray the lower parts of my trailer with bug spray to discourage the little buggers. However, I also used to keep a can of wasp spray handy for the nests that would seem to pop up over night under the console and in the trailer hitch on the trailer. And, you can use Google to find generaly references on the current formulation ( www.google.com . Dr T from Colorado where we have mosquito, but no ant, problems.
Dr T	posted 09-01-2003 11:08 AM ET (US) Final note: I found by far and away the best prices on AMDRO at one of the Farm and Ranch Supply stores. It was far less expensive than the lawn and garden stores sold it for in the quantities I needed.
adaps4	posted 09-01-2003 11:14 PM ET (US) That is funny- I have had some ants find their way into the engine a couple times. I just stopped backing the trailer so far into the trees. They seem to have been going down the branches onto the engine. I do ,however, have a persistant tree frog that likes to hide in my prop. Every time I pull the boat out, I look to make sure he is not in there. If he is, I poke him until he jumps onto my arm, then he is transplanted back to a nearby tree. Haven't seen him in a while- maybe I forgot to check once. Hope he had a nice swim.
jameso	posted 09-02-2003 10:42 AM ET (US) I parked my Cherokee at the Jax airport last month. When I returned a week later I was driving north on I-95 when I saw a trail of ants, lifted the newspaper off the passenger seat and an entire colony was living on a candy wrapper that my daughter has left there. Had an infestation in a Honda scooter once, seems the Japanese potted a lot of electronics with a compound that contained rice paste. Last week I returned from the lake, emptied the Igloo and turned it upside down on lawn beside the boat, 4 days later the fire ants had completely filled the inside with a mound. Ants have been really bad here in GA due to the wet weather. Keep on spraying!!! Jim
Crabby Mike	posted 09-02-2003 11:24 AM ET (US) I heard of a good recipe for homemade ant killer. Mix 4-tablespoons of peanut butter with 3/4 teaspoons of boric acid (from the drug store or "roach proof" from the hardware store. Put a glob near where you see the ants they will carry it back to the colony. Don�t use too much boric acid it may kill the ant before getting back to the mound. Mike
Buckda	posted 09-02-2003 11:47 AM ET (US) This is a good thread - especially as people in the north begin to think about storing their boats for the winter. As a general rule, when storing the 15 (it lives in a barn when not on the water), I place little margarine tubs filled with moth balls in the boat - simply poke a few holes in the plastic cover and you have a great way to get the effect of the mothballs without the mess - just pick up the tub and set aside when you're going to use the boat. I don't know if it keeps ants out - but it generally keeps the critters out and I have not yet had a problem with rodents (and this barn is infested!) I use three tubs - one in the forward locker, one on the front thwart seat, and one in the back by the sump. Dave
Al_A_Buy	posted 09-02-2003 12:32 PM ET (US) While preparing to launch yesterday, one of the crew grabbed the tube air pump from the console and found it full of carpenter ants. Major case of the willys.... A couple of years ago, when attempting to start my motor, it wouldn't rotate, seemed like a dead battery. After messing with it for a while, it started to sputter and spit. What it was spitting out the exhaust was millions of ants. They had nested in the ehxaust passage. The obstruction was causing backpressure in the cylinders and prevent the starter from turning the crank. When it did fire, it blew a large brown cloud... Al W.
Swellmonster	posted 09-04-2003 06:30 AM ET (US) Last week I saw a few carpenter ants around the gunnel rod holder. After blasting them, I found the momma, eggs and the whole bunch made a crib in my resessed rod holder! Since Amdro granules are yellow, does it stain the boat?
Florida15	posted 09-04-2003 03:56 PM ET (US) The cheapest place that I have found for Amdro is Sam's Club. A few years ago I went to hook up a utility trailer that I keep in my backyard. Reached down to pick up the tongue and put my hand right on a wasp nest. I think I set a record in the 100 meters that day.
Gene in NC	posted 09-05-2003 10:09 PM ET (US) Most alarming and dangerous find in/under the coupler was the biggest, by factor of tow or three, black widow spider that I had ever seen. I mean huge!