My '21 is on a trailer in an RV storage yard between launches. Yesterday I opened the engine box to do some tinkering and I found a goodly number of ants in the bilge. I checked the cabin and other areas and they hadn't found their way in there yet. I borrowed a can of Black Flag from an rv'r and nuked the little varmints.
I followed the ant trail and they were coming in through the open drain plug in the keel. I've been on ships with rat problems and I've seen a harbor tugs infested with cockroaches but this was the first time I've seen ants on a boat. I think I'll leave my drain plug in from now on.
Anybody else ever have ants in their boat?
Did you spill some antifreeze in your bilge, or maybe a leak in your cooling system? Antifreeze has a sweet taste that might be attracting the little critters
Recently found a tiny live crab scurrying around in my bilge while cleaning out some grime. Could be a potential SciFi thriller- The Creature from the Black Bilge.
I have had ants make their homes in my cars, utility trailer, and RVs in the past. I don't think plugging the holes is the answer. In my limited experience, the bugs are in search of something. Like they are looking for a food source, trying to find water, or trying to ESCAPE water. They need a ROUTE into your boat, which can be the trailer tires touching the ground or overhead tree branches touching the boat. The way I avoid infestations now is to treat the ground around the tires and tongue jack - the same way you treat around your house. And I don't park in contact with bushes or tree limbs. These strategies work for crawling bugs. The flying insects are a different kettle of fish.
I like to leave my bilge plug OUT to promote ventilation to the area. I'll be watching out for bugs...
Dave: Surely there's plenty of air getting to the bilge as it's kind of open to where the engine is. At least I can peer down into the bilge with a line of sight easily. So air can get down to the bilge area IMO. If one has the cockpit covered and keeping rain out why should one leave the drain plug out ? This aspect of taking the drain plug out bothers me as it's just too easy to forget to re-insert it when placing the boat into water.
