Ant infestation

My daughter’s car is crawling with ants, inside and out. We have used several methods to try to kill ants inside (ant traps, repellant substances,etc.) and today had the upholstery and carpets deep cleaned. We have washed the car and sprayed the tired. Still have ants! My daughter is disgusted! So now we have the car to try to figure out how to eradicate the ants. Help!

If you’ve eliminated any potential food source I’d suggest parking the car a mile or so away from where the ants are used to finding it.

Maybe two miles.

Then wait and see what happens.

Somewhere in that car the ants are finding a food source and have laid a chemical trail. The food source could be as simple as a soda silled in the console, or a Twinky in the trunk.

Find the food and the ants will go away.

However, if your daughter or a friend drinks anything with sugar (soda, Fuze, fruit juice, etc.) or eats snacks in the car they’ll be back. She and her friends need to completely stop eating or drinking (except bottled water) in the car.

Leave it parked in the sun for three days with a no-pest strip in the car. Home Depot and Lowe’s sell them as well as every hardware store. Leave windows closed.

What type of ants are they? The reason for their presence and the control method can vary by species…

If you don’t know, can you describe them? For instance, are they red or black? Are their front antennae straight or bent? What geographic region are we talking about?