Infestation?

[SeacretSailor]

I have read past topics on ant/termite infestations and I'm still stumped, so thought I'd ask the group for advice:

My C&C 29 is docked on a bayou on Lake Pontchartrain in the southern Louisiana (so hot & humid) and I am frequently finding in my empty ice box evidence of some type of bugs at work, around the woodwork. It is wet and moist inside and from the top of the box, where there are some wooden supports, I am finding lots of muddy antpile type deposits and icicles/stalactites that hang down. I'm looking to see what type of bugs are doing this, trying to see if termites or ants, and only see small little black ants, nothing of real size.

Originally I had some gatorade inside, but took them out, then I had some water bottles, now took them out, in case that's what they're attracted to. My worry is what material is all the muddy deposits from? Dirt brought aboard or critters eating my wood? I've searched my salon and do not see any other such activity in any other area, except for in the wet/humid icebox.

Any thoughts or similiar troubles? What treatment should I try?

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[kloudie1]

Mud daubers?? I know that those guys will make nests in places that amaze me .. I found one on my holding tank.. bug had to get into the boat, go into a cubby, go through a hole cut for plumbing, into a totally dark space to drop his load of mud.. I had ‘em building nests on the inside of the cutlery drawers .. under the top of the cabinet so that I’d find lots of mud droppings all over my silverware.. nasty ! I now have the “no pest strips” hanging in the cabin and in the lazarette which keeps them at bay..the strips that look like a piece of cheese in a plastic sleeve.. Depot/Lowes/Ace stores typically carry ‘em. I put the ones in the cabin in a zip lock when I am there so I don’t have the odor..

 

[Ross]

Sounds like termites, carefully dismantle some of these mud structures and look for holes in the center. Termites are small and white and quite active. They are careful not to penetrate the surface so you rarely see them. They can eat the paper off sheetrock and leave the paint intact.. As a benefit they do taste pretty good. They need a source of water so drying the boat as completely as posible is perhaps your best defence.

 

[Newbie]

Down here in Florida we them dirt daubers. They are actually a fly like bug I think. Anyway they can get into anything. they leave a dirt cacoon and when the larva has hatched there will be a hole in it where they burrowed out. And please don't ask how they get in there. Lets just say it's Magic.
I hope this helps.

 

[Ross]

potter wasps build three types of nests one is parallel tubes built desending the wall, another is just a blob of mud a couple of inches wide and the third that I have seen is a little marble size jug. In each case they lay an egg inside and fill it with paralized spiders for larva food.

 

[zeehag]

sounds like some kinda termite to me --the mud being the pile of dirt looking droppings/leavings from them eating the wood.....looks like sawdust when it is dry....gooood luck....talk to termite killers are us...goodluck.....