A day out on your boat with friends and family can be quite enjoyable, until uninvited guests arrive. Yes, the little creatures that can turn your day sour with their annoying presence on your food, on your skin, and aboard your vessel. Marine insects and pests can be difficult to avoid, so it is important to take precautionary measures to prevent this unwanted interaction from becoming a permanent relationship. Taking the steps shown below will hopefully decrease the effect that the bugs will have on your days out boating.
PROTECTING YOURSELF
Wearing a strong, but safe bug spray/repellent is a necessity to avoid bites. Make sure to leave a decent layer on the skin and also reapply as specified on the bottle. Other bug repellents like citronella candles are perfect for common hangout areas like tables and countertops. Knowing what time of day these bugs are most active can also play as an advantage. Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. Wearing long sleeves and pants during these times will decrease the likelihood of being bitten.
PROTECTING YOUR FOOD
Bugs love food just as much as you and I! Cleaning your food and storing it properly can protect you from pest contamination and any diseases they might bring. The first rule of food is absolutely no cardboard when possible. Pests can live within the material to hide, lay eggs, as well as feast on the cardboard itself.
Place food and any other ingredients onboard in plastic sealed containers. Drinks should be treated the same if possible. Sugary drinks that can be sealed will keep flying insects from sneaking under the lids. If aluminum cans or other non-resealable drinks are the only beverage onboard, try to finish them quickly and throw away to prevent fruit flies from joining your journey. Immediately clean up any spills around eating or sitting areas as this will be the first place insects will colonize if there is a food source.
PROTECTING YOUR BOAT
Cleanliness is truly the best virtue. Much like in a home, leaving behind crumbs or sticky residue can lead to plenty of unwanted friends. So make sure to clean up! Wash and spray down the floor and seats in the vessel regularly. Don’t forget to get those small corners usually forgotten about. Those corners are the most likely to reside spider webs.
If you have a larger vessel with a kitchen, and plan to store produce aboard, consider this helpful tip. Placing a cap worth of bleach in a sink full of cold water is a great way to clean produce. Then, store your food in large plastic bins as an extra layer of protection and never leave anything sitting out. To avoid fruit flies, have vinegar on hand. Place a small amount in the bottom of a bowl or short glass. Cover the top of the glass with seran wrap and poke holes into it so that the flies can get inside. If there are a large amount of flies in your area, at the end of the day, that glass will be filled with flies! Which brings great news, because then they weren’t on your food.
The most important thing to remember is when you first see bugs, act immediately to solve the issue. The longer you wait, the more severe your bug problem will become and it will be harder to take care of the issue. These are only precautionary measures to take in preventing a problem. If you happen to have any sort of infestation aboard that seems too big to handle, it is best to have professional help. Hi-Tide wants you to make the most out of your aquatic adventures, and we hope that these tips and tricks will allow you to share your love for nature with all your friends without the worry of unwanted pests.
Now that you’ve learned how to keep pesky pests away, you can better protect your boat from all the harsh aquatic elements with a Hi-Tide Boat Lift. Check out our products and learn more.
