First Over-spray in Bayonne...Now Bugs leave sappy mess in Port Eveglades

[bajathree]

I just returned from Allure to find my car a complete sappy mess and crawling with bugs at terminal 18 in Port Everglades. Apparently there is a bug infestation that is coming from the islands in the parking lot. My car was completely covered with a sticky sappy mess and crawling with white flies and ants. So bad that I couldn't even see out the windows. I am not sure if people outside of FL are very familiar with white flies...but they suck the sap of the leaves and then excrete a sappy excrement that attacks ants. All the cars around mine had the same issue. I had to use the windshield wipers and cleaner to try to clear the windshield but the side windows were so bad I couldn't even see out the side mirrors. The car was crawling with ants so bad that they even were inside the car....I now even have them all over my garage after just looking this morning.....this after a 4 hr drive and a car wash. I drove thru a car wash but even after that the entire car was still covered with a white film. I have been working on it since I got home yesterday and need to spend the day again today to try to remove it. I got rained out yesterday so not sure if I have made progress yet....I had to completely wash it again by hand when I got home and them use a cleaner/polish on the paint. It took me hours just to finish the front hood and 2 front fenders....but due to the rain I am not sure of the results....I am keeping my fingers crossed. I have never experienced anything like this before....just picture coming back to your car and it looking like someone poured maple syrup all over it and white flies and ants covering it...I wish I would have taken picture but it was 6:30am and I was frantic after finding the interior also crawling with ants. We were attacked with the white flies also while trying to pack the car. I will update with the progress....can't believe that I now have a garage floor crawling with these ants:mad:

I reported the issue to the attendants at the parking lot but they din't want to know a thing and were no help....tried calling the port itself to report and got the sheriff office but they couldn't do much and said that we need to call the port office but they aren't open on Sunday. I did report immediately to my insurance agency to notify them in case we need to escalate this further.

[teddie]

Hi Steve,

 

That does sound rather disgusting, and not a great way to end a cruise. But---is the port really responsible for a bug infestation that came in from overseas? I would be unhappy too, but I'm not sure I could blame anyone except Mother Nature. Stuff happens.

 

I hope it gets cleaned up soon.

 

Teddie

[Jimbo]

Sounds like more of a mess then the "Love Bugs" they had earlier in the summer down there. Sorry you have to go through this.

 

Jimbo:)

[phoenix1181]

I understand not taking pictures when you first saw the car but I hope you took some before you washed it? If you end up filing a claim with the Port Authority or your insurance company, you'll need something to prove your claim.

[WeLove2CruiseRCI]

Nice to have you back Steve. I have been patiently waiting to hear how your cruise on the Allure was. Sorry getting back to your car had to start with stress before your even back to work.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Wow. horrible experience. Go onto car forums, you can find recommendations for the best products to help you detail.

 

I have to say, the first thing my DH would have done (probably me too!) is take TONS of pictures. I would have left my luggage on the cart or ground before doing anything else and taken many, many pictures.

 

Hope your car will be okay.

[bajathree]

Hi Steve,

 

That does sound rather disgusting, and not a great way to end a cruise. But---is the port really responsible for a bug infestation that came in from overseas? I would be unhappy too, but I'm not sure I could blame anyone except Mother Nature. Stuff happens.

 

I hope it gets cleaned up soon.

 

Teddie

 

The bug infestation didn't come in from overseas...white fly as well as aphids are very common in FL...however this year seems to be VERY bad for white flies. I know that most likely the port is going to say that parking is at your own risk and why I had notified my insurance company. The good news is the rain stopped and I was able to get the car back outside this AM and it looks like after the 3rd wash and looking over the front of the truck that I used the polish/cleaner on yesterday...it's looking good. I can't believe however that I still had ants crawling on the car and in my garage still this am....crazy:rolleyes: The port is going to have to do some treatment on their landscaped islands in the parking lot as that is where the problem is coming from or else if left untreated is likely to continue for the rest of the summer....I am sure this isn't easy as cars are parked there all the time and they will need to cover them in order to spray treat the tress and shrubs and not damage the cars with insecticide.

Just as a heads up to those parking in terminal 18 lot in the near future...park as far away from the islands as possible.

I didn't take pictures and that was silly on my part...a lesson learned in hindsight but thankfully not looking like a costly one at this point.....just going to be a very labor intensive clean-up....but at least it's looking like I am getting it cleaning up....just not what I have time for or was expecting to have to do after just getting home. With a $500 deductible on comprehensive and probably a slim chance of getting any satisfaction from the port, I am trying to deal with it on my own. Like I said the cars parked around me had the same issue....so it's not an isolated case...just glad I wasn't doing a B2B:eek:

Jimbo...at least Love Bugs don't do any damage unless you hit them driving and leave them dried on your car...their bodies are acidic and if left on paint for a week or more will eat right thru....many cars ruined in FL during love bug season and people lazy to clean them off.

[yogimax]

 

Sounds like you deserve mucho $$$$$$$$$$:rolleyes:

[bajathree]

I just had a conversation with the Mgr for the company that operates the Port Parking at terminal 18. I notified him of the issue and explained the problem.....however the actual maintenance of the pork parking facility is handled by the port itself...and this being a bug/landscape issue falls under maintenance. He took the call serious and is escalating it to the port itself to notify them of the issue.

 

As far as my vehicle....after just finishing using a cleaner/polish to go over the entire vehicle it appears that I have the sappy excrement cleaned off the paint. I had to go over the entire vehicle washing wise 3 times and also use a pressure washer. However....even after all this I still have ants crawling on it:eek:

[Eng23]

Sorry to hear of your problems. We all know that parking in these lots is "at your own risk", that being said I believe you are approching the situation appropriately and I also think you are correct in notifiying the port management of this issue. If this problem is not addressed it could negatively affect the port by a reduction in the number of people that park there and go elsewhere, which means the port will lose money. If you show that the port will lose revenue they will fix the problem.

 

I'm glad to hear that your vehicle is cleaning up okay. As to the ants that are now in your garage and still on/in your vehicle I think it might be time to get an exterminator to come by to address that. The ants won't go away and will multiply if nothing is done to kill them. Good luck!

[grand isle joe]

.....I would really ponder about bring a civil suit against Mother Nature. She sems so pleasant in those margarine commercials but it is belived by many she has a nasty side. How do you explain hurricane season to disrupt the cruise industry? What about locusts? Yes, go after her hard and you may be able to collect triple damages. ;)

[Trainman-2]

Park your car in the middle of your garage...

 

Disconnect your battery

 

Open the Hood, Trunk, and Doors and roll down your windows.

 

Get four "Bug Bombs" (Fumigators) and set them off in your garage in the afternoon and leave it closed up until the next morning.

 

Follow the directions on the "bug bombs" carefully and when you start them, make sure they are pointing away from your car so the mist does not land directly on it. Make sure there are no open flames or pilot lights burning in the garage!

 

 

Every living thing in your garage and car will be dead the next morning!

[dirtgirl]

I am grossed out and shuddering just thinking about this.. :eek:

[travelpeon]

On the detailing front, you've gotten the sappy stuff off but this also works well (even on love bugs) - Poorboy's bug squash. I get mine from autogeek (support the Floridians!) http://www.autogeek.net/poorboys-bug-squash.html

 

You could also use auto detailing clay. Also great for over spray.

 

For the ants, perhaps you could pick up a smudge stick from a local holistic market and smoke them out. Your car would smell funny for a while but I've seen the smoke literally drop flies.

 

I have a tree that drops some dang stubborn sap. I keep a bit of Optimum No Rinse (yes, again autogeek) in my car to get rid of the sap before it dries and etches the paint. No need to rinse it off, just wipe. Whenever car detailing is mentioned, I always tell people about this stuff if they haven't heard of it. It's my favorite cleaner ever and I don't like to clean.

[rucruisn2]

We live in Boynton Beach, about 25 miles north of the port, and have no bugs other than normal here. We drive all over Ft. Lauderdale area and haven't seen this problem. It must be contained to the port. We have parked in Miami often while cruising and other than the car being dirty when returning, have not had your problem. Sorry to hear your cruise ended on a bad note.

[bajathree]

Thanks for all the ideas:) I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning, polishing and waxing my truck....very tedious job in 95 degree weather but it looks like it did clean up...so I am very happy of that. Even after all that I still have a few ants still crawling on the outside of the vehicle. I have sprayed the entire garage..so I am hoping they will make it to the ground and die. I am thinking of also letting the vehicle bake out in the sun to really heat it up hopefully to the point that they die.

I did call the facility that operates the parking at Port Everglades yesterday. I talked to a Mgr in charge and explained the situation. After explaining the problem he told me that even though they operate the parking facilities it's the port itself that is responsible for maintenance of the parking lots. I explained exactly what happened and at first he was a little like...WHAT:confused:and how do you know it was white flies that caused this......after talking further and telling him that I was in the landscaping business for years in FL he started to take it quite seriously and told me that he was going to contact the port to report the complaint and notify them for the need to rectify the problem. He did apologize but didn't offer or talk about any type of compensation for the problem...that is kind of what I figured and was expecting. I did let him know that all the cars around me all had the same issue and that it needed to be corrected as it's not likely to just disappear on it's own. I have always noticed that the landscaping in these islands on the parking lot outside terminal 18 have a quite neglected appearance...not a surprise as it's very hard to maintain islands in parking lots when car are surrounding them 24/7. Probably not an environmentally friendly thing to do but they would be better off to remove the landscaping and just stone them as they are always going to be a maintenance issue....especially as the trees get older and more mature.....well last time I park anywhere near one of the islands.

[babies12]

Thanks for all the ideas:) I spent the entire day yesterday cleaning, polishing and waxing my truck....very tedious job in 95 degree weather but it looks like it did clean up...so I am very happy of that. Even after all that I still have a few ants still crawling on the outside of the vehicle. I have sprayed the entire garage..so I am hoping they will make it to the ground and die. I am thinking of also letting the vehicle bake out in the sun to really heat it up hopefully to the point that they die.

I did call the facility that operates the parking at Port Everglades yesterday. I talked to a Mgr in charge and explained the situation. After explaining the problem he told me that even though they operate the parking facilities it's the port itself that is responsible for maintenance of the parking lots. I explained exactly what happened and at first he was a little like...WHAT:confused:and how do you know it was white flies that caused this......after talking further and telling him that I was in the landscaping business for years in FL he started to take it quite seriously and told me that he was going to contact the port to report the complaint and notify them for the need to rectify the problem. He did apologize but didn't offer or talk about any type of compensation for the problem...that is kind of what I figured and was expecting. I did let him know that all the cars around me all had the same issue and that it needed to be corrected as it's not likely to just disappear on it's own. I have always noticed that the landscaping in these islands on the parking lot outside terminal 18 have a quite neglected appearance...not a surprise as it's very hard to maintain islands in parking lots when car are surrounding them 24/7. Probably not an environmentally friendly thing to do but they would be better off to remove the landscaping and just stone them as they are always going to be a maintenance issue....especially as the trees get older and more mature.....well last time I park anywhere near one of the islands.

 

Sorry about your ordeal, but you know your still going to have that ant problem. Leaving your car out in the heat and hoping they "bake" will not cut it LOL. I would do what Trainman suggested and just "bug-bomb" your garage.