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Offline DamonKelly  
#1 Posted : 21 May 2016 15:01:45(UTC)
DamonKelly

Australia   
Joined: 26/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,421
Location: Brisbane, QLD
I don't have a layout at the moment. Sad
All my Märklin stuff is stacked on a couple of steel shelving units in the downstairs spare bedroom/sewing room/store room.

I just discovered that the local ants also liked my stuff.
They have established themselves in several shelves, mostly lok boxes, and track packs, nests and all.

So...

I have to go through Every. Single. Box to clean them out.
Tomorrow, I'll set off an insect control bomb.

Any other suggestions?
Cheers,
Damon
Offline RayF  
#2 Posted : 21 May 2016 16:20:06(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,837
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Always look on the bright side of life?

Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline kiwiAlan  
#3 Posted : 21 May 2016 20:55:54(UTC)
kiwiAlan

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
Posts: 8,067
Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Originally Posted by: DamonKelly Go to Quoted Post
I don't have a layout at the moment. Sad
All my Märklin stuff is stacked on a couple of steel shelving units in the downstairs spare bedroom/sewing room/store room.

I just discovered that the local ants also liked my stuff.
They have established themselves in several shelves, mostly lok boxes, and track packs, nests and all.

So...

I have to go through Every. Single. Box to clean them out.
Tomorrow, I'll set off an insect control bomb.

Any other suggestions?


Once you have a box cleaned out put it in a ziploc plastic bag - and make sure you seal it.

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Offline Br502362  
#4 Posted : 21 May 2016 22:13:07(UTC)
Br502362

Finland   
Joined: 05/03/2014(UTC)
Posts: 680
Location: Finland
Hi,

I have used cinnamon to fend off ants.

A good non toxic choise.

Cheers


Åke
Offline xxup  
#5 Posted : 22 May 2016 00:04:12(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,453
Location: Australia
If it is ants then it means that rain is coming - about time too.. Are you sure it is not termites? It is unusual for ants to do this..

FD says find the source and use a deadly toxic spray to make a barrier all around the floor - Australian ants love cinnamon no point in wasting food on them.. Then sort out the boxes..

I hope that they are not fire ants..Cursing

Oh well, at least you get to have a look at your treasures - you might have to run each one to ensure that no ants have taken up residence inside your locos..
Adrian
UserPostedImage
Australia flag by abFlags.com
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Offline ixldoc  
#6 Posted : 22 May 2016 06:10:32(UTC)
ixldoc

Australia   
Joined: 18/11/2015(UTC)
Posts: 220
Location: Brisbane,Australia
Damon join the club!
Two years ago I had this happen to me and it was a disaster. I had no idea ants had infested my work shop and train room until I noticed a line of ants on a wall one day. They were nested behind framed photos on the wall, in boxes of stored electronics, in cupboards and in my train boxes. They were nested with thousands of eggs which when they are damaged release something greasy and probably formic acid as it destroys electronic boards. They were in a closed box containing a tank engine set with wagons and were nested in the loco! I had to ditch a spare laptop which was completely ruined internally. I spent a good two weeks getting rid of them all and now I am totally paranoid whenever I see ants.
They were the common small black ants we see in Brisbane and a pest guy I spoke to recently said it has been a plague year in Brisbane.
So good luck and be vigilant!
Howard.
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Offline sjbartels  
#7 Posted : 22 May 2016 07:56:04(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by: xxup Go to Quoted Post
If it is ants then it means that rain is coming - about time too.. Are you sure it is not termites? It is unusual for ants to do this..

FD says find the source and use a deadly toxic spray to make a barrier all around the floor - Australian ants love cinnamon no point in wasting food on them.. Then sort out the boxes..

I hope that they are not fire ants..Cursing

Oh well, at least you get to have a look at your treasures - you might have to run each one to ensure that no ants have taken up residence inside your locos..



Having to live with Fire Ants here in Texas (and trust me, their name is quite appropriate btw), it's not likely they have invaded your locomotives (or even come inside), they tend to be a search for food and then head off home to the mound so to speak. Were you able to see the ants? Also as xxup mentioned, make sure they're not termites, they wouldn't mind living quarters like a locomotive in a box on a shelf.
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
Offline DamonKelly  
#8 Posted : 22 May 2016 11:16:50(UTC)
DamonKelly

Australia   
Joined: 26/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,421
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
Always look on the bright side of life?



There's always one, isn't there? Laugh
Cheers,
Damon
Offline RayF  
#9 Posted : 22 May 2016 11:20:10(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,837
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Originally Posted by: DamonKelly Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
Always look on the bright side of life?



There's always one, isn't there? Laugh


BigGrin
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
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Offline DamonKelly  
#10 Posted : 22 May 2016 11:25:03(UTC)
DamonKelly

Australia   
Joined: 26/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,421
Location: Brisbane, QLD
They are definately ants -- common black ants like Howard had problems with. The house was checked for termites about 6 monthes ago, and we're clean.

I set off the insect bomb, and there are no signs of life in the boxes, so perhaps I've managed to kill them all.
Even if not, it will be a whole lot easier if most of them are dead or gone elsewhere.

I bought some outdoor-strength surface spray, and I'll go over the outside wall where I think they gained access.

The biggest problem is that they left brown tracks in the seams of the boxes and manuals, which doesn't wipe off easily. Cursing Mad ThumbDown

Anyway, thanks for the advice, guys.
Cheers,
Damon
Offline cookee_nz  
#11 Posted : 22 May 2016 11:54:42(UTC)
cookee_nz

New Zealand   
Joined: 31/12/2010(UTC)
Posts: 3,946
Location: Paremata, Wellington
Originally Posted by: DamonKelly Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
Always look on the bright side of life?



There's always one, isn't there? Laugh


Actually, where there's one, there's usually two.

Seems those ants know their trains, maybe they were looking for one of these..... (sorry in advance, couldn't resist)

antex.jpg


Cookee
Wellington
NZ image
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Offline DamonKelly  
#12 Posted : 22 May 2016 15:19:23(UTC)
DamonKelly

Australia   
Joined: 26/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,421
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Originally Posted by: DamonKelly Go to Quoted Post
They are definately ants -- common black ants like Howard had problems with. The house was checked for termites about 6 monthes ago, and we're clean.

I set off the insect bomb, and there are no signs of life in the boxes, so perhaps I've managed to kill them all.
Even if not, it will be a whole lot easier if most of them are dead or gone elsewhere.

I bought some outdoor-strength surface spray, and I'll go over the outside wall where I think they gained access.

The biggest problem is that they left brown tracks in the seams of the boxes and manuals, which doesn't wipe off easily. Cursing Mad ThumbDown

Anyway, thanks for the advice, guys.


Spoke too soon...they're still there...
Cheers,
Damon
Offline DamonKelly  
#13 Posted : 22 May 2016 15:21:08(UTC)
DamonKelly

Australia   
Joined: 26/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,421
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Originally Posted by: cookee_nz Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: DamonKelly Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
Always look on the bright side of life?



There's always one, isn't there? Laugh


Actually, where there's one, there's usually two.

Seems those ants know their trains, maybe they were looking for one of these..... (sorry in advance, couldn't resist)

antex.jpg




Antex...I wish...Angry
Cheers,
Damon
Offline sjbartels  
#14 Posted : 22 May 2016 23:36:58(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by: DamonKelly Go to Quoted Post
They are definately ants -- common black ants like Howard had problems with. The house was checked for termites about 6 monthes ago, and we're clean.

I set off the insect bomb, and there are no signs of life in the boxes, so perhaps I've managed to kill them all.
Even if not, it will be a whole lot easier if most of them are dead or gone elsewhere.

I bought some outdoor-strength surface spray, and I'll go over the outside wall where I think they gained access.

The biggest problem is that they left brown tracks in the seams of the boxes and manuals, which doesn't wipe off easily. Cursing Mad ThumbDown

Anyway, thanks for the advice, guys.



When I was back home in Australia last year, I had to clear out ants that had essentially invaded and taken over the underside of her back porch, which of course was covered in concrete, so it was a matter of getting to the cracks after I had dusted everything and killed what I could. Any tracks left on the shelf will of course bring them back, but a thought on the manuals and boxes for attempting cleaning, I would try a non scented generic baby wipe and GENTLY brush at it. The non scented wont leave your manuals smelling like a baby and you don't need the added expense of a name brand when generic will work just fine. I've used them to clean manuals before with success
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
Offline xxup  
#15 Posted : 23 May 2016 00:34:32(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,453
Location: Australia
Time for a flamethrower.. Laugh
Adrian
UserPostedImage
Australia flag by abFlags.com
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Offline Shamu  
#16 Posted : 23 May 2016 01:12:00(UTC)
Shamu

Australia   
Joined: 12/07/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,068
Location: In a building site in Yeppoon
Worst thing they ever did was take dieldrin off the market...... who cares if it supposedly causes cancer, at least it did what it said on the label.
Killed ants..... along with just about everything else with more than 2 legs.
Sad when its cheaper to buy a new 29640 starter set from Germany than a CS2 on its own in Oz, welcome to the joys of Marklin down under .
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Offline xxup  
#17 Posted : 23 May 2016 02:37:09(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,453
Location: Australia
I think that Agent Orange was the ultimate.. Never get weeds coming through the pavers after using that stuff - so I am told..
Adrian
UserPostedImage
Australia flag by abFlags.com
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Offline sjbartels  
#18 Posted : 23 May 2016 04:59:19(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by: xxup Go to Quoted Post
I think that Agent Orange was the ultimate.. Never get weeds coming through the pavers after using that stuff - so I am told..



Lets take a moment and thank a Militant Environmentalist or Greenie for their continued struggle and insistence on banning what were great chemicals and thus the deprivation for the rest of us of a great once in a while genocide of the occasional ant colony and other multi legged life....

And as for the "they cause cancer" argument, well so does my microwave and my pop tart!
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
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Offline xxup  
#19 Posted : 23 May 2016 05:43:35(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,453
Location: Australia
Originally Posted by: sjbartels Go to Quoted Post
...my pop tart!


Wash your mouth out!!!!! Such bad language from an Aussie! For your penance drink a carton of XXXX and sing Waltzing Matilda...

My daughter keeps saying cookie instead of biscuit. As I explained to her, Americans call biscuits cookies because they can't spell biscuit.. Just look at the mess they made of colour and sulphur.. LOL I blame that evil blue monster on a certain children's program for brainwashing innocent Australian children..Cursing
Adrian
UserPostedImage
Australia flag by abFlags.com
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Offline Tom Jessop  
#20 Posted : 23 May 2016 07:42:11(UTC)
Tom Jessop

Australia   
Joined: 14/12/2002(UTC)
Posts: 800
Location: Newcastle NSW Australia


Grrrrrr bloody ants . When we did our first European holiday back in 98/99 we were away for 13 weeks . Arriving back home I left all the "M" purchases up in the house for a few weeks until I went down to the train room which was built under the patio slab. After settling back into the rigors of shift work again I decided that I had a need to go & play trains & so wandered down with my arms full of goodies . When I opened the door to the room I could smell a bit of odour but didn't know where it was coming from until I started organising a train to run & found a pile of light brown mud under a controller . The more I looked The more I found until a decision was made to start lifting track when I found almost all of the under board timber supports had been white anted . Total removal of the track commenced immediately & I eventually found that I had to knock down all the interior walls & ceiling until I ended up with a brick shell . We called in a pest company who then ended up spraying the whole of the house & a few trees which may have been holding the main nests .


Since all the good chemical treatments have been banned from future use in Oz all that is left is a watered down non permanent treatment which really does no good . We lived in the Lower Blue Mountains west of Sydney & heard of many sob stories regarding White Ant attacks over the future years from various neighbours ,the worst being one house that slowly fell to the ground while the occupants were sleeping . No insurance cover will cover this problem . I would suggest a full house check every 6 months unless the house is full brick & then at least every year . Forget the bigger pest companies & go to the smaller family owned ones as they can at least spend some time doing a full inspection .


Cheers Tom in Oz .
Offline H0  
#21 Posted : 23 May 2016 08:15:16(UTC)
H0


Joined: 16/02/2004(UTC)
Posts: 15,251
Location: DE-NW
Originally Posted by: sjbartels Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: xxup Go to Quoted Post
I think that Agent Orange was the ultimate.. Never get weeds coming through the pavers after using that stuff - so I am told..
Lets take a moment and thank a Militant Environmentalist or Greenie for their continued struggle and insistence on banning what were great chemicals and thus the deprivation for the rest of us of a great once in a while genocide of the occasional ant colony and other multi legged life....
Not funny IMHO.

Agent Orange contained significant traces of TCDD. With an LD 50 of 1 µg/kg (guinea pigs) TCDD this is really effective to wipe out mammals.
Wait a moment: we are mammals, aren't we? Are two legs multi-legged? The poison doesn't care ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange

Regards
Tom
---
"In all of the gauges, we particularly emphasize a high level of quality, the best possible fidelity to the prototype, and absolute precision. You will see that in all of our products." (from Märklin New Items Brochure 2015, page 1) ROFLBTCUTS
UserPostedImage
Offline Token  
#22 Posted : 23 May 2016 09:52:13(UTC)
Token

Australia   
Joined: 25/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 300
Location: Sydney, NSW
Originally Posted by: xxup Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: sjbartels Go to Quoted Post
...my pop tart!


Wash your mouth out!!!!! Such bad language from an Aussie! For your penance drink a carton of XXXX and sing Waltzing Matilda...

My daughter keeps saying cookie instead of biscuit. As I explained to her, Americans call biscuits cookies because they can't spell biscuit.. Just look at the mess they made of colour and sulphur.. LOL I blame that evil blue monster on a certain children's program for brainwashing innocent Australian children..Cursing


Not meaing to pick on our friendly neighbours from across the pond but how to you pronounce Aluminium? LOL
Offline river6109  
#23 Posted : 23 May 2016 11:07:19(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,614
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
I love ants, they are so cute and when they arrive in thousands in hour home, we now they love us and it's so good to have a lot of friends around but than something changes in my brain and I become a mass murderer and sometimes serial killer, they come through the roof, the window vents, any tiniest hole and how they find out I can't tell you, with us its not: "rain is on its way" in WA it doesn't rain much at all, its the smallest amount of food one drops in the kitchen and they come by the thousand, any lonely fly which had perished by the window is consumed by thousand of ants. they aren't very good when it comes by not leaving a trace or track behind which helps me enormously to follow their tracks. its not just inside but also outside a round the house, around the garden you name it, they there and than there is the garage (train room) they build little sand castles, why I have no idea, we are so far away from the beach. I use surface spray and this keeps them away for a while but you can't use it inside your home.
after several home invasions it just showed me how easy it is for ants to enter your home, its the shoddy workmanship builders, bricklayers, plasterer which leave gaping holes behind it, there should be building law: "ant proof building regulation" and than there is the paving, its another playground for ants.

Long live the ant but not in our home, not any more,

John


https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
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Offline DamonKelly  
#24 Posted : 23 May 2016 15:22:32(UTC)
DamonKelly

Australia   
Joined: 26/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,421
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Originally Posted by: xxup Go to Quoted Post
Time for a flamethrower.. Laugh




ThumpUp
Cheers,
Damon
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Offline Minok  
#25 Posted : 24 May 2016 00:09:16(UTC)
Minok

United States   
Joined: 15/10/2006(UTC)
Posts: 2,310
Location: Washington, Pacific Northwest
Originally Posted by: ixldoc Go to Quoted Post

They were the common small black ants we see in Brisbane and a pest guy I spoke to recently said it has been a plague year in Brisbane.
So good luck and be vigilant!
Howard.


Not the infamous Aussie 'electric ants' were they? I had to do a double take when I saw those roadside warning signs up the coast in Cairns.
Toys of tin and wood rule!
---
My Layout Thread on marklin-users.net: InterCity 1-3-4
My YouTube Channel:
https://youtube.com/@intercity134
Offline xxup  
#26 Posted : 24 May 2016 00:30:36(UTC)
xxup

Australia   
Joined: 15/03/2003(UTC)
Posts: 9,453
Location: Australia
Cripes! He doesn't need them in his house - he has enough problems..

Perhaps you need a couple of these?

UserPostedImage

Just make sure you wear shoes in the train room at night.. Laugh
Adrian
UserPostedImage
Australia flag by abFlags.com
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Offline kimballthurlow  
#27 Posted : 24 May 2016 00:33:36(UTC)
kimballthurlow

Australia   
Joined: 18/03/2007(UTC)
Posts: 6,641
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Originally Posted by: DamonKelly Go to Quoted Post
They are definately ants -- common black ants like Howard had problems with. The house was checked for termites about 6 monthes ago, and we're clean.

I set off the insect bomb, and there are no signs of life in the boxes, so perhaps I've managed to kill them all.
Even if not, it will be a whole lot easier if most of them are dead or gone elsewhere.

I bought some outdoor-strength surface spray, and I'll go over the outside wall where I think they gained access.

The biggest problem is that they left brown tracks in the seams of the boxes and manuals, which doesn't wipe off easily. Cursing Mad ThumbDown

Anyway, thanks for the advice, guys.


Hi Damon,

Living on the southside, I would normally claim complete immunity from anything that happens on the northside......!!!

I have had a similar problem in one of my sheds, but the ants targeted very specific boxes.
One happened to be a steel box set of plug spanners.
Another was a US craft kit (paper, tin, cardboard, wood) in a cardboard box, which was basically ruined.
As you and Howard both say, thousands of eggs and all.

Must go and check my sheds NOW..

regards
Kimball

HO Scale - Märklin (ep II-III and VI, C Track, digital) - 2 rail HO (Queensland Australia, UK, USA) - 3 rail OO (English Hornby Dublo) - old clockwork O gauge - Live Steam 90mm (3.1/2 inch) gauge.
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Offline sjbartels  
#28 Posted : 24 May 2016 03:08:37(UTC)
sjbartels

United States   
Joined: 11/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 1,091
Originally Posted by: xxup Go to Quoted Post
Originally Posted by: sjbartels Go to Quoted Post
...my pop tart!


Wash your mouth out!!!!! Such bad language from an Aussie! For your penance drink a carton of XXXX and sing Waltzing Matilda...

My daughter keeps saying cookie instead of biscuit. As I explained to her, Americans call biscuits cookies because they can't spell biscuit.. Just look at the mess they made of colour and sulphur.. LOL I blame that evil blue monster on a certain children's program for brainwashing innocent Australian children..Cursing



As a Victorian I have to say that the thought of drinking a carton of XXXX to be nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment!!!
American by Geography, Australian by Birth. I am an original Ameristraylian
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Offline Legless  
#29 Posted : 24 May 2016 03:44:20(UTC)
Legless

Australia   
Joined: 20/07/2007(UTC)
Posts: 809
Location: Leopold, Victoria
As a fellow Mexican, XXXX is a cruel way to go.
The ants suffer the least!
Legless
Era's 1 to 111,C track,k track
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Offline river6109  
#30 Posted : 24 May 2016 05:12:12(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,614
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
Originally Posted by: Legless Go to Quoted Post
As a fellow Mexican, XXXX is a cruel way to go.
The ants suffer the least!



drinking the first glass of this stuff at 10am, as I remember many years ago was a torture but than who still drinks this stuff is beyond my comprehension, live has become much more pleasant and easier to cope with since given up drinking and smoking many many years ago, especially when a friend of mine, a Publican asked me (after falling asleep in the toilet) whether I'll be going home, it is past closing time and to be quite honest the state I was in I couldn't tell you if there were any ants about.

John
https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
Offline DamonKelly  
#31 Posted : 24 May 2016 10:27:39(UTC)
DamonKelly

Australia   
Joined: 26/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,421
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Originally Posted by: xxup Go to Quoted Post
Cripes! He doesn't need them in his house - he has enough problems..

Perhaps you need a couple of these?

UserPostedImage

Just make sure you wear shoes in the train room at night.. Laugh


I'll call him Spiny Norman!
Cheers,
Damon
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