Bugs on Boats – the Seven Quick Rules-

by Lisa Mylchreest on 20 Mar 2007 'Shock horror! Not bugs on the boat again!' Anyone who has owned a boat has probably been through the difficult process of trying to rid the boat of bugs, once they are there. Of course, some bugs are worse than others.

Cockroaches and Weevils are the dreaded two for any type of boat, although rats, mosquitoes and even snakes can cause the most sanguine sailor to go into a frenzy.

The most dangerous of all are rats, as these can chew your electrical fittings to pieces while you sleep at night. Weevils are benign little characters who don’t eat a lot, but the sight of all your muesli hanging together in stringy blobs is less than elegant. As for cockroaches, while these are only prevalent in some parts of the world, they are cause of the most shuddering and can really put you off your breakfast.

Funnily enough, all the solutions are very inexpensive, but they need to be thought about BEFORE you go on that longer cruiser. Here are the Seven Quick Rules that will prevent bugs or at least give you a solution if the worst happens:


1. NEVER BRING CARDBOARD of any type onto the boat, and paper labels should be sprayed with insecticide to get rid of potential eggs, or also removed before storing away. If this seems a lot of work, just remember it’s less work than getting rid of the cockroaches.

2. Keep all opened foodstuffs, and unopened grain products in AIR TIGHT PLASTIC CONTAINERS, or zip-lock bags. This prevents spreading of bugs if they already contain them. Insert a couple of BAY LEAVES when doing this.

3. If weevils are already there, either MICROWAVE the offending food item for five minutes or DEEP FREEZE for two hours. Then, when clear, insert the BAY LEAVES (or VACUUM PACK (CRYOVAC) if this is possible). This is for pasta, flour, muesli, rice, biscuits etc., all grain products.

4. BUY AND CARRY a RAT TRAP on the boat, but if there are rats on the wharf, prevent them running up the lines by putting a FUNNELS OR FLOUR POTS upside down on the boat lines (close to the boat not near the wharf if the line can drop into the water - the rats can swim around it).

5. To kill cockroaches, forget the commercial products – they only kill a few. Mix BORIC ACID AND ICING SUGAR, roll into balls and drop everywhere all over the boat, especially into all lockers and dark corners. They will eventually dissolve, but if you want to retrieve/replace them later, put them on small pieces of alfoil.

6. MOSQUITO COILS, available in all mosquito prone areas of the world, will last overnight, and keep away all mosquitoes or midges from the most sensitive skins. They should be burnt upwind or at the hatchway or other boat entrances.

7. DO THE SHOPPING: rat traps, zip-lock bags and/or air-tight plastic containers; Bay leaves, lots; Boric acid; icing sugar; alfoil; funnels or flower pots; mosquito coils.

Simple! – Do the shopping, obey the Quick Rules, and you should have a bug-free cruise.