Ant Problem

[Bronson]

My bass boat is kept outside on a gravel driveway. I have a good cover on it & use a 3 bank charger. Several weeks ago, I started noticing a few black carpenter ants crawling around and didn't think much of it because it set under a couple of big trees.
A few weeks later it got much worse when I noticed they were climbing the extension cord and going inside the boat. I finally broke down and bought a big container of spray that you pump up every 30 seconds or so.
It killed the ones it hit immediately but the pump quit working after using about 1/3 of it. I wound up pouring the rest in a circle around the boat thinking it might run them off.
A few days later they were back again. I went back to Lowe's where they recommended getting a 20 lb. bag of pelleted poison. It was supposed to treat a good portion of the yard. I put it out heavily all over the gravel driveway and adjoining yard & especially around the trees.
A few days later, I could see some ants struggling to move up the extension cord and falling off. I figured it was working and even noticed some of the ants carrying it up the extension cord to the nest. I figured after several days that would be the end of it.
Wrong! They seem to be moving up & down the extension cord more than ever.
I was told to throw three canisters that emitted poison fumes into the boats with all compartments closed. I was getting ready to do this when I noticed a warning not to do this around plastic. My gas tank is not metal, so I worried it could affect it or some of the wiring to my electronics.
I have researched this but haven't found anything that looks like it is surefire other than an exterminator.
Does anyone have any good suggestions to take care of this problem???

[crappiewisdom]

First off, I would move the boat if possible. Then I would get some professional type bait/poison. You want to get something that the ants take back to their main nest that will eventually kill the colony. If you just spread some kind of repellent around, they will figure out how to get around it and they will keep coming back. The stuff at Lowes doesn't work well, as most of their stuff is repellent type. There is an on-line company called "Do My Own Pest Control" that sells various products that are good. I had a lake place that had carpenter ants and I finally got rid of them, but it took some effort. Good luck!

[scrat]

Put some axle grease on the cord they will not go up it. Old man told me he would put a ring of grease around the bottom trunk of his catalpa worm trees to keep ants from climbing it and eating the worm eggs.

[shipahoy41]

Put some axle grease on the cord they will not go up it. Old man told me he would put a ring of grease around the bottom trunk of his catalpa worm trees to keep ants from climbing it and eating the worm eggs.

I may try this technique and mix some baking soda in it. Ants are not able to pass gas. Baking soda gives them gas when they eat it. Ants implode from within as th gas builds up inside their little bodies.

["D"]

Comet cleanser works. Sprinkle it on the ground around your tires and the ext. cord if you leave it hooked up. We use it around the tires on our camper if we notice ants. The ants stay away.
SIDE NOTE: Check the water in the batteries often if you leave your charger hooked up.

[Minus 1]

Got them in my boat one time . Has to locate the nest . They were in one of the storage areas .

[PawPaw Gene]

My wife is super allergic to fire ant bites, they send her into shock. The best I've found is a product that is not a poison that they have to eat to affect them. It's a neurotoxin and is a granular product that looks like sand that you spread around that when the ants touch it, it affects their nervous system and they die. If you place it in a band around your boat there is no way for them to cross that ground and survive. I spread it over my whole yard twice a year, as it's good for 6 months, using a hand held broadcast spreader. A 25 pound bag is enough for 5000 square feet or more that enough for most lots. The product is called Talstar and sells for around 25 dollars for a 25 pound bag from my exterminator and 40 dollars for 40 pounds at the feed and seed. It's safe around pets and kids and it doesn't have that awful smell that most poisons have. I give this product the highest rating possible. Get them out of the boat and then spread the Talstar and you will be good to go.
"gene"

[DRPEPPER]

Our camper got infested from a camp ground a few years ago. Same deal; I first noticed them on the power cord. I set off a couple of bombs in the camper. took care of them. I would tarp this boat and set off a couple under the tarp. DP

[SirBob]

Try putting some uncooked Grits in a container inside the boat and sprinkle under the boat. Ants can't digest Grits and it kills them. My neighbor dos this around his garage door. I tried this a it got rid of my ant problem also. Yep good ole Southern Grits!

[Cane Pole]

The bombs work. Over the years we have had ant problems, wasp problems, lady bug (kinda) problems. Too bad the bombs won't work on jet skeeters.

Bombs leave a residue, which I just wash off with the hose.