Is this some form of mildew?

[Rich Stidger]

This past week I found a collection of some small dark specks of something on a fiberglass panel in my aft cabin. I never had them before now. I also had them in my cockpit under a Plexiglas shield on my engine instrument panel.

A friend on board thought it was mildew, but I have never seen mildew like this before. They are small dark specks that will smear if you wipe them.

Anyone know what they are, how to get rid of them so they won't return, or how to prevent them in the first place?

 

[Breaking wind]

looks like mold

to me? Not good for the lungs to breath in that stuff. I get it sometimes in locker "wet stuff" gets stored there too often and clean it with a little mean green or diluted bleach.

 

[Ross]

That is either fly poop or

spider poop. some of it has been wet and has streaked and none of it has grown.

 

[capn jim]

I agree with ross

definately looks like one or the other. if its in two locations might be both.

 

[Nice N Easy]

I vote for the poop theory

I too think you have some form of insect living there. Could also be roach stuff. Some docks/marinas have a lot of roaches and it's kind of hard to keep them off the boat. Spraying dock lines with some Ortho will help, if that is the problem.

 

[Steve Dion]

Spider!

Rich:

I am going with the spider crap.

 

[Jim]

too big for spider poop unless

you have some really big spiders on your boat. My guess, and it is only a guess. Something spilled on the wall and caused mold to grow on it.

 

[Jim]

It also looks like that drippless shaft packing...

did you repack the packing nut with the drippless packing? When it gets hot the stuff turns liquid and leaks out the shaft and makes drops that look and streak like this...

I don't think you have huge spiders on your boat.

 

[Steve Dion]

Pest Strips when you are not aboard.

Rich:

Just try some Shell Pest Strips when you are not aboard. When you are down for a visit just place them in a zip lock bag and they can be redeployed when you leave again.

Flys, spiders, roach crap it does not make a lot of difference.

 

[Jim]

Steve, do you really think this is bug doo?

Have you seen this before in the northeast? I don't know what you guys have going on in CA but we don't grow bugs that big.

 

[Rich Stidger]

I'll clarify a bit more.......

The picture I posted is of a part of the bulkhead in the aft cabin. No hatches within six feet. I have not repacked my shaft and the shaft is under the floorboards that are only off briefly for inspections.

We do occasionally have flies, but no spiders. Our sailboat lives on a mooring.

The dots of dark stuff are about 1/32" diameter. The ones in the cockpit under my Plexiglas engine instrument shield came off with some effort with a liquid wax compound. The ones in the picture seemed to smear easily.

I haven't seen these anywhere else, but I have not performed a comprehensive search yet.

No food or any liquid substance has been splashed or sprayed in the area that I know of.

 

[Harvey]

La Cucaracha

La cucaracha has visited your vessel . Roach Pruff is the answer.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Dunno...

Looks like a mold spore to me, like the ones we get on the side of the house in the summer. If there were no webs about, it's not likely to be spider poop. We got spiders on the Chesapeake that in less than a week can make a boat look like it's got freckles, but there's always webs to give their presence away.

 

[Ross]

They are fly specks on your house Dan.

The flies land and squeeze out a uniform size drop and move on. If it were mold the spots would not be of uniforn size. Without 400x magnefication you won't be able to see mold spores. They are smaller than pollen.

 

[Jim]

I wonder if Ross is right?

I can't believe that it is insect poo but not sure what else it could be?

 

[Ross]

jim, A productive afternoon can be had watching south facing

white wall and the flies that land there. In my years of dealing with house repairs I have watched flies deposit little dark particles of some substance from their posteriors on white surfaces.

 

[Allan R]

This has been a bad year

for bug poop, spider stuff, etc. I believe Ross is correct, Carhaina has never looked so bad as she does this year. I wash her off and the next morning it's starting to build all over again, yuck.

 

[Ross]

Allen, you can learn these things first hand or

take someones observations. I have watched wasps spit on the ground and mix mud and fly to a mud nest and add a layer. I have watch a wasp catch a spider and carry it to her nest and push it inside. Ever watch maggots and carrion beetles devour a squirrel? I have! Interesting but not pretty. Have you ever seen a cicada killer wasp dig a burrow and then bring in a cicada for food for her offspring? No need to go on a safari it all happens right here at home on a small scale. You just have to learn how to watch and see. Jumping spiders can catch an insect on the fly and will carry it around like a cat with a mouse.

 

[Jim]

Don't come down the Jersey shore then

we have greenheads that will eat your arm and poop it back on your boat.

Just kidding, I have never seen this before. I am kind of amased.

 

[Rich Stidger]

OK, thanks to all for the opinions

I am going to clean up the deposits and keep a watchful eye for any kind of bugs.

If I have them in residence it will be a first. The only insects I have had are flies, and they are temporary.