Although they are beneficial insects, these small insects can quickly get on your last nerve. This refers to the ants that sometimes invade places where they have no business being - on the terrace and balcony or even in the house itself and, last but not least, in the car. While in the first variants they are simply annoying, they can actually pose a danger to the driver as they can disrupt his concentration, as the seemingly harmless insects can bite, fly or simply tickle in an unpleasant way. So you have ants in your car – what’s the best thing to do to get rid of them? We have collected and summarized the best tips!
Remove ants in the car by finding the cause
Avoid eating in the car!
Just like the pests through your food supplieslured into the kitchenEating in the car can also be a reason why you now have to deal with them. Did we catch you? So just try to leave the food in your car. The crumbs that inevitably fall to the ground are a welcome snack that the insects will happily come back for again and again.
If this isn't always possible, then at least cleaning should become part of your routine. Remove crumbs, sugar and also stains caused by drinks such as coffee or soda. You can make these tasks easier by getting a handheld vacuum instead of lugging the big vacuum from indoors to outdoors every time. When vacuuming, don't forget the areas under the floor mats!
Be careful where you park
If you have a specific parking space, take a look around. Is your car parked directly on or next to an anthill or burrow? Then your vehicle has probably just become part of the ants' territory or they are looking for food there and you can get rid of them by parking somewhere else. But it's not just the insects' homes that are an unfavorable place to park, but also those where they prefer to forage - garbage cans, tree stumps and even bushes. If you cannot change your location, you can also try relocating the ants. Find out how this worksin this article. Or how about one of the following remedies?
Ants in the car – what to do after you find the cause?
Ants in the car - what do you do if you've cleaned the car but ants continue to appear? You can also try to get rid of ants in your car by using home remedies that are not harmful to you or your vehicle. What don't ants like?
Hang scents that ants don't like
Buy or make a scented sachet that contains scents and aromas that the pests don't like at all. It is effective thoughVinegar against ants, but anything but recommended for use in your car. Instead, go for scents that we humans like but ants don't: eucalyptus, lavender, clove and lemon, for example. The interior of your car will smell fresher while also becoming insect-free again.
You can also make an ant spray with peppermint to combat ants in the interior of the car.
Fight the insects outside
If you have discovered that you are actually parking near an anthill, you can check whether your car is perhaps parked on an ant trail. Then you can block your path by making it unpleasant for them: the key word again is “unpleasant smells”. Using essential oils outdoors would be a bit of a waste. That's why you can use the vinegar mentioned above, which won't bother you when driving later. Spray it around the affected area. You can tooCinnamon against antsscatter or create a barrier by drawing a simple line with chalk. They cannot cross this.
Check garage for leaks
Do you have a problem even though your car is in the garage? Then it's quite possible that the ants get in through leaky doors, gaps or cracks and all you have to do is isolate these places. Do this carefully and it is best to use silicone as it is quite easy to work with. If you don't close these passageways, you can probably expect a new infestation the following year.
Ants in the car – engine compartment is infested
If the insects have settled somewhere under the hood, you can try the scents mentioned above. However, do not spray or drip them randomly somewhere under the hood, but rather look for the area where the most ants are and, for example, set up a small container with the respective agent or hang up a scented bag so that it does not contaminate anything. Remember to remove this before using your car next time.
By the way, you don't have to worry about the ants getting into your engine. This is tightly sealed and this danger only exists if it is no longer intact.
Chemical agents
You should only use chemical ant traps if none of the other tips against ants in the car have worked. Because these destroy the ants completely, which should not be your goal. You should always try to get rid of beneficial insects that are merely annoying to younatural way to expel, without causing her death.