Here in the Southeastern US, red ants are a fact of life. Over the last 2 years I've sent several wings off for repairs and the shop said it was really strange, but they saw dozens of micro holes. I wrote it off to our other nemesis and wing threat, the sand spur.
Yesterday my Naish 5M Matador LT held air but went soft. Been using the 6M most of this summer so it's been at least a months since I've used it.
Did the soap test and was grateful the leak was only a foot from wing tip.
Pulled the bladder and all I saw were these micro holes, barely discernible to the naked eye. In the end, 10 we're marked for Tear-Aid repairs.
Then I started seeing the dead fire ants and they were INSIDE the damn bladder. It occurred to me I'd let my wings dry inside the garage a few times and later saw red ants around them, but didn't think anything of it. Until...today.

so the ants did it?

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stanley71 said..
so the ants did it?

I remember a fishing/camping trip when I was around 10 years old.

My old man had made a stew and left it on the camp fire.

We went out fishing for a few ours and on return the ants had invaded the stew on mass.

They weren't red, but the old man was fired up with rage and proceeded to while away a few hours boiling up water on the fire and tipping it down ant holes around our camp. Been laughing about the episode for years.

I would get a pest guy in and give them ants hell.

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stanley71 said..
so the ants did it?

Absolutely...added to my list of wing things..sand sharp foil edges, avoid sand spurs and now..don't leave the wing on ground in garage or the fire ants will make a home out of it.

Could you move further north where it would be mostly blue ants, which might be less aggressive?

Here in Australia, there is a weed that grows in grass called Bindies with tiny razor sharp spurs.
I use to press hard down on the wing to deflate on the grass and had bladders with micro punctures
needing replacement.
So it's not just ants !!

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winddoc said..
Here in Australia, there is a weed that grows in grass called Bindies with tiny razor sharp spurs.
I use to press hard down on the wing to deflate on the grass and had bladders with micro punctures
needing replacement.
So it's not just ants !!

I hear ya, we have sand spurs all over the beach in fall, especially if you rig in the grass. Our beaches are beautiful but also full of sharp shells. And of course, I've had a couple rolls in the surf where foil and wing meet. But wasn't even thinking those buggers would crawl in the inflation port and then try to bite their way out. Of course 9 psi will do that to ya.