Ant Infestation in my car!

Since I bought a second vehicle, I have not been using my 2004 Pontiac Vibe a lot, I leave it sitting on a patch of grass at the side of my driveway. It was not used for a week or so. On Thursday, I drove the car and I found ants inside the center console, the dashboard and on the roof ! I am suspecting that the ants came up through the grass but how can I get rid of them? Use a bug bomb or what?? Please help. Thanks!

A bug bomb would work, but what you need to do is eliminate what is attracting the ants.

If you keep food, candy or anything like that in your car, the ants will return.

If you clean the dash, etc. and don’t keep food in your car, the ants will have no reason to return.

Thanks for ur advice and I rarely have any drinks or food in the car. Since I don’t use it so much anymore, I know not to leave any food that could rot in the heat. Would a bug bomb be too much for a small space like my Vibe? Would mothballs work?

It might be safer to use ant traps. The Terro liquid traps are quite effective and won’t load the car up with chemicals that you have to breathe.

don’t keep food in your car, the ants will have no reason to return

That’s what I thought. I live on the edge of a large wooded area. I have lots of large oak trees on my property too. I am constantly battling carpenter ants (amoung other species). They will nest in just about any cavity, including cars. I had a nest of them in my canoe rails! The canoe was sitting in the hot summer sun. The aluminum rails must have been 200 degrees, you couldn’t rest your hand on them and they were infested with ants. Nothing surprises me anymore about where they can live and thrive. I’ve had them in the frame rails of the car and boats etc. They may not be permanent structures for their nests but they’re in there just the same. I have been very successful keeping them at bay but it is a war you cannot win, just beat them back as much as possible…

A white powder with Diazinon in it works best BUT Diazinon is no langer available for home consumers.
Other ‘ant powder’ being sold is fairly effective.
Being a powder, the ants get it on them and carry it to the population who gets it on them.

sprinkle some diamotasious (spelling?) earth on the floor and around the perimiter outside on the ground. This may be a big help in keeping them under control.

I bought a brand new 2011
this wk. 2 days later there were ants coming out of every where inside and out. In the weather stripping under seats, dash board, outside of the windows i mean every where. what i found out is ants are attracted to the wires in cars something to do with there being sugar on the wiring. also, driving the car won’t kill them they will kill your car. they can eat up all the wiring in your car and cause electrical damage.
they say you can fumigate the car and treat the outside under the car and stuff but you must find and kill the nest. Good Luck! i made the dealership give me a new car and tint my windows for free!