We recently purchased a Catalina-30 and are very pleased with her. But one issue is presenting a problem. We continue to find particles that look like sand, and suspest it may be either ant or termites. Have you ever encountered this, and can a sailboat be fumigated without damaging hoses and connections?
Insects on board
- Thread starter jodygoldman
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There are several insecticides
I have a big problem with roaches. Dock roaches in particular. There are tons of them on the bulkheads and kind of difficult to keep them off the boat. I do pretty good by using an Ortho spray made for home use. Available from Home Depot/Lowes. To control them on the boat, I spray the entire boat every couple of months. The Ortho stuff says it is good for longer, but every two months seems to work. To keep them off the boat, liberally spraying the dock lines helps a lot. I can see no deteriation of rubber parts, dock lines or anything else using the Ortho. There are several brands out there, but the Ortho seems to work best for me. Not sure what it would do with termites, but will certainly get rid of ants. Watch the docks and bulkheads where you keep your boat. Dock roaches are a major problem in many areas.
I have a big problem with roaches. Dock roaches in particular. There are tons of them on the bulkheads and kind of difficult to keep them off the boat. I do pretty good by using an Ortho spray made for home use. Available from Home Depot/Lowes. To control them on the boat, I spray the entire boat every couple of months. The Ortho stuff says it is good for longer, but every two months seems to work. To keep them off the boat, liberally spraying the dock lines helps a lot. I can see no deteriation of rubber parts, dock lines or anything else using the Ortho. There are several brands out there, but the Ortho seems to work best for me. Not sure what it would do with termites, but will certainly get rid of ants. Watch the docks and bulkheads where you keep your boat. Dock roaches are a major problem in many areas.
can a sailboat be fumigated
Answer is yes. Are you sure you don't have Mud Wasp? They leave behind that type residue.
If it were my boat I would remove cushions and any clothing ect. You can get a bomb that will fog the boat. It iwll kill naything that is there. You then need to clean any surfaces before you then use boat again. Powerful stuff but very effective.
Mud Wasp tend to find there way up under the hull linner or other such spaces. nasty devils they are. This is the time of year they are looking for a new home.
Answer is yes. Are you sure you don't have Mud Wasp? They leave behind that type residue.
If it were my boat I would remove cushions and any clothing ect. You can get a bomb that will fog the boat. It iwll kill naything that is there. You then need to clean any surfaces before you then use boat again. Powerful stuff but very effective.
Mud Wasp tend to find there way up under the hull linner or other such spaces. nasty devils they are. This is the time of year they are looking for a new home.
I, too, had a bad infestation of mud daubers on my boat for two seasons, getting stung badly several times.
Raid makes a low residue bomb that you can safely use below. (It says 'low residue on the label...and the Dollar stores carry multiple packs.) As JoeD said, remove cushions, etc, open all compartments & let 'er go.
Aftewards, use Bounce sheets (the regular fragrance, not he new scented ones) tucked in nooks & crannies. You can cut them up and they'll still do the trick.
Since I bombed & use Bounce sheets, I have not had a problem.
elle
Raid makes a low residue bomb that you can safely use below. (It says 'low residue on the label...and the Dollar stores carry multiple packs.) As JoeD said, remove cushions, etc, open all compartments & let 'er go.
Aftewards, use Bounce sheets (the regular fragrance, not he new scented ones) tucked in nooks & crannies. You can cut them up and they'll still do the trick.
Since I bombed & use Bounce sheets, I have not had a problem.
elle
Yup, sounds like Mud Daubers.. I have been using the hanging, long action insecticides available at Depot or Ace.. Hot shot, No Pest Strips, I think. In the lazarettes and cabin.. keeps them at bay! For roaches, or Palmetto Bugs", Bengal spray works pretty well.. sprayed in the bilge and lockers.. Worst infestation I've had was because I brought aboard cardboard boxes from a grocery store. They were easier to handle.... but what a mess! The roaches were in the bottom flaps of the boxes..
Reservations abut the hanging strips....
I have good info from other boat-owning friends that the No-Pest hanging strips work for wasps.
My reservation about using the hanging strips concerns breathing whatever it is the strip emanates to keep the wasps at bay.
If it kills wasps it must not be good for us to breathe.....esp. in closed quarters.
You could put them in the cabin & other places while you're gone and take them down if you'll be aboard for any length of time.
elle
I have good info from other boat-owning friends that the No-Pest hanging strips work for wasps.
My reservation about using the hanging strips concerns breathing whatever it is the strip emanates to keep the wasps at bay.
If it kills wasps it must not be good for us to breathe.....esp. in closed quarters.
You could put them in the cabin & other places while you're gone and take them down if you'll be aboard for any length of time.
elle
I had the same problem inside my 22' Venture when I bought it, I used a small ozone generator on its highest setting and left it on in a closed boat for several days. After that I never found any "sand grains" I think the grains were the product of wood termites. That was more than 3 years ago and I never found any termites or "sand grains" since.
Duane "Novelman"
Duane "Novelman"
might be sawdust
A common problem with new production boats is that they often have sawdust residue from the building process that shakes out during the first couple of years whenever the boat bashes around a bit. I know from personal experience that this happens both with Catalinas and Hunters.
Best solution, if this is the case, is simply to sail the heck out of the boat, and to clean the bilge whenever you've been playing in particularly nasty chop.
A common problem with new production boats is that they often have sawdust residue from the building process that shakes out during the first couple of years whenever the boat bashes around a bit. I know from personal experience that this happens both with Catalinas and Hunters.
Best solution, if this is the case, is simply to sail the heck out of the boat, and to clean the bilge whenever you've been playing in particularly nasty chop.
Re: might be sawdust
I had the same symptoms. It turned out to be a mill next to where I stored my boat for the winter. They were milling wood molding and the sawdust was terrible. Turns out that the EPA made them install cyclone filters which has dramatically reduced the stuff that gets into my boat (used to find its way all the way into the lockers and bilge). IF your boat is fiberglass, its hard to believe you have termites (are you somewhere in the South?). Up in Maine, we don't know what termites are.
I had the same symptoms. It turned out to be a mill next to where I stored my boat for the winter. They were milling wood molding and the sawdust was terrible. Turns out that the EPA made them install cyclone filters which has dramatically reduced the stuff that gets into my boat (used to find its way all the way into the lockers and bilge). IF your boat is fiberglass, its hard to believe you have termites (are you somewhere in the South?). Up in Maine, we don't know what termites are.
If you decide to fumigate with the aerosol bug bombs be careful with the fumes. In a small space they can create an explosive environment, a kind of air-fuel bomb. So if you do go that route shut down all of your electrical systems so that nothing has any power.
Bugs on Board
Thank you all for the suggestions, but I know these remnants are not from mud daubers. It looks like brown sand in the corners. I've used poison ant honey and noticed many ants coming to the bait. Your responses gave me the courage to set off a bomb.
My biggest concern was melting belts or hoses. Thanks for the info.
Jody
Thank you all for the suggestions, but I know these remnants are not from mud daubers. It looks like brown sand in the corners. I've used poison ant honey and noticed many ants coming to the bait. Your responses gave me the courage to set off a bomb.
My biggest concern was melting belts or hoses. Thanks for the info.
Jody
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