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I came out of my hotel room on vacation to find quite a few tiny ants crawling all over the doors and inside my car, getting at the food my mother had left in the car the night before. Opened the trunk, and a few were in there too.

A couple of questions: How to get rid of the little insects, and how to keep them out in the future?

Seems like the only thing you can do... Just make sure you do it on a cold night, and leave the windows cracked

just get all the food out and break out the shop vac!
i wouldnt Raid my car since i have my dog in there sometimes

I'd check for hiding food under the front seats, and under the back bench. Clean it all out. I'm sure that RAID would make your car smell like bug killer for a good long time. I like the vacuum idea better.

vacuum them all up and wash all your tires really well, and the car itself.

Cleaning it out is about the best answer. After you vacuum up all the little critters, and clean out the car, there will be no reason for them to get in there. In the future, don't leave food in the car, and they won't get in.

Clean out everything. Rent/Use a steam cleaner on your carpets and seats (if cloth), vacuum everything.

Personally...I had one car with a bug issue, that was my 89. It was parked outside with the windows cracked probably for a good amount of time...or something..and it had roaches and crap living in it..yet it wasn't damp..and there was no food. I took out the seats and carpet cleaned both really well...sprayed raid up into the doors..and then a few hours later rinsed water through them. I then stripped the trunk...and then took out the kick panels on the dash. Then I sprayed RAID in the car around the floor boards a few times..and left it overnight. Let it air out for a day....reinstalled carpet, seats, trunk and kick panels...never saw another insect in that car again. Not to mention, it smelled much better in there afterwards with the clean carpet and seats. I do eat in my vehicles, but i also vacuum them weekly. Bugs have a *dang* hard time getting into vehicles unless they drop onto them or mastermind their way up the suspension and through some hole. But if there is enough food in there long enough..they'll do it.

The 94 had a bug problem inherited from the previous owner. I ended up taking out ALL the interior, pressure-washed the carpet, replaced the carpet padding, AND 3 bug bombs.

Been critter free since

John, a little-known fact: Carpet padding does have some nutritional value to it, albeit a tiny amount. Bugs can live off of that for quite some time, esp. if it is damp.

It's being vacuumed out when I get back. My family are slobs. Hmm, I wonder where I got my pathological neatness from?

petraman wrote:

Seems like the only thing you can do... Just make sure you do it on a cold night, and leave the windows cracked

I use the same stuff at home all the time....Never stinks and kills the lil' guys in about 15 sec on contact. Don't worry about the smell, you won't smell anything. There's no odor.

...

That means you've used it too much

sandrock wrote:...

That means you've used it too much

Ya....lots of ants around my garage and stuff because we grill out about 3-4times a week with friends and neighbors and things tend to get spilled and such.

I usually have a few cans on hand lol.

I would buy some "TERRO" ant killer. and pour a little on a couple of pieces of thick paper. Place them in different spots in the car and let it sit overnight. When I have ants in the house, I put out the TERRO and if I saw 10 ants before, I'll see 70 within a couple of hours. Then the next day, NONE!. Best stuff I've ever used. No spraying, no mess to clean up, just a couple of small pieces of paper.