Ants in my hot tub

[hkc]

I've had my hot tub (Sundance Edison model) for less than a year. We were away for a few days come home Saturday and go in for a much-needed soak only to find a ton of ants soaking with us. Not a few- I'm talking a ton of ants. Being suddenly covered with ants is about as far from relaxing as one can get. Has anyone had this happen? How do we get rid of them? I'm going to get ant traps but I'm not sure where they are coming from. We scooped out what we thought were all of the ants, and then turned on the tub and they were back. Took the filter out, hosed the ants out- and still more ants. I'm guessing it's a seasonal thing but we haven't seen ants inside the house. Any suggestions? Besides sharing our lovely tub with ants?

[Dr. Spa™ Ret.]

Leave the cover off for a few hours and most likely they'll go away.

[clover]

Are they small, medium, or large ants? 

Am I understanding correctly that they are "in the water" with you?  do you have an air blower system? 

The hardest leak I ever had to find was in a bundle of 3/8' air lines that were chewed open inside the bundle by large ants said to be carpenter ants.  They litterly chewed into the vinyl air venturri lines going to the therapy seat jets and when the spa pumps were shut down, water back filled the airlines and the leak continued.  Ants love the moisture.

Not a suction leak, not an pressure leak, but an air line leak, never had that before.

[Topline Mike]

Just google ant repellant and you will find many borders that an ant will not cross.  Here are some I copied from a website.

"Sprinkle powdered charcoal, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, lemon juice, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red chili pepper, paprika, dried peppermint, bone meal, talcum powder, or make a chalk line where the ants are entering."

[meriflower]

Hopefully they are not nesting in your hot tub and are not carpenter ants.  I found an older post on this very topic that you may find helpful.

http://www.whatsthebest-hottub.com/forum/index.php/topic,15715.0.html

[hkc]

They are tiny little regular old ants. we put down ant traps, sprayed the yard, sprayed the tub surround with vinegar, took the filter out every day to spray the dead ants out- they are still there! They are IN the tub with us. We seem to have killed the any highway that was crossing the side of the deck. We open the tub and get all visible ants out. But then when we start the jets after a few minutes they are back. I'm freaked out and it's been a week of this. I would think that the chlorine would have killed them but they are alive! I don't have ants in the house, I don't see them anywhere else. The tub isn't leaking. It's less than a year old and we bought it new and had it installed last July.

[Vinny]

I Am battling an ant problem in my house and whenever I open the spa cover. I opened my spa sides expecting to see a huge nest and I found nothing. I have ordered Termidor and waiting for that to come in and have used Teri ant baits in the past with huge success. But it takes a while to work.  I used to but the ant baits outside but my dog seems to like the smell of them so I can't use them like that anymore. For me the may be in my cover .. I have a new one on order so if they are they'll be gone soon.

Try termidor and the Terri, be patient and the problem should eventually go away.