Ant Issue

[ronheb454]

I believe I picked up some ants from a campsite we stayed at last month. I thought they were gone however it seems whenever some food items are not left in sealed container we find ants. I never had this before. What is the best effective way to get rid of them and is their a way to keep them out. I guess too because we had so much rain in the northeast they look for dry ground. I did spray ant spray several times but they are still around. I was thinking of removing everything in the storage compartments and getting some type of bomb. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks much.

[kaypsmith]

Here is the most informative web page on the subject that I have found. https://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/

[ronheb454]

Thank you very much, quite an informative site, sounds just like what I need, appreciate your response.

[ronheb454]

Just curious if you used any of the ant products from the web site? I believe I found the nest or home. I was repairing a ground for my lights and I saw a steady steam of ants going across the front frame cross member. It appeared they were all headed for under my chassis battery. I would have never thought to look there. Naturally I sprayed the heck out of them. I will look into purchasing one of the ant killers on the web site to make sure they are gone. Just thought I would pass this on.

[kaypsmith]

Here is the actual brand that I use and have been most successful with. https://pfharris.com/products/ants/ 

I was not at home with the link info on the first response. I also highly recommend their roach tablets also. No I do not have any affiliation with that company, but my brother inlaw was a pest control tech for 20+ years, and he put me onto this.

[ronheb454]

Thanks much Sir, I will give it a try.

[elibedarn]

An alternative.........

 

[ronheb454]

Thanks much.

[hermanmullins]

A product I use at home around the house is called "BUG STOP" it is made by Spectracide. About once a month a spray the perimeter of the house and have no bug issues in the house. I also use it on Fire Ant Beds and it kills them. If an insect crawls across it they die. We found it when we had a bad issue with crickets. I don' know how but it works. I carry a spray jug of it in the coach to spray all my hoses when we park and hookup. 

Just a tidbit I thought I would throw in.

Herman 

[ronheb454]

Thanks much Herman, good to know.

[nitehawk]

I found Ortho's Orthene for fire ants kills ants "right now!"

Available almost anywhere down south where fire ants exist.

Regular ant poison up here in northern Wisconsin seems to just make the ants move to a different location a few feet away from their first nest.

[ianbullock]

We often get ants while traveling in fact just spent time south of Atlanta last week where the sites were a mix of sandy gravel.  Lots of ants! Invaded the MH in no time. 

We always us Hot Shot liquid ant bait stations. I just place them around the MH on the counters, floors, and within a day, most ants gone. Or dead. 

This product is inexpensive at less than $4 a box and readily available at any Walmart. 

We always carry 2 boxes with us, ready to exterminate pesky ants when needed!

 

[floydfowler]

We found a few ants in the MH while at a campsite and my wife used her favorite ant bait to get rid of them. It is "Terro ant killer". It comes in a very small 0ne 0z.bottle and I think she found it at Ace Hardware.  A few small drops of the clear liquid on a small  piece of  paper or index card and it draws the ants right in and they share it with their friends along the way. We use it  at home in the same way so we will not have other chemicals all around the kitchen.

[ispjs]

I know this was an older post, but last month we stayed at a CG in Anniston AL for 3 nights and picked up ants.  It was off I-20 (Good Sams Campground Of Oxford-Talladega).

I didn't notice anything when breaking camp.  When we arrived in eastern Tennessee at our next stop and I opened the wet bay door there were thousands of ants crawling all over.  I had about half of a one gallon jug of insect spray so I removed the top and splashed the whole jug inside the bay.  After hooking up we went to the store and purchased 16 ant traps and 2 cans of ant spray.  

8 of the traps went inside the coach and 8 was spread out in different basement compartments.  I used a whole can of spray inside the coach around the baseboard, behind pantry shelves, under the sink, etc.  For the next couple of days I found a few slow moving ants in the storage bays.  By the 3rd or 4th day I only found dead ants and we haven't had an issue since.

As a preventive measure I have left most of the traps in place plus I added about 20 dryer sheets to the basement storage areas.  I know from past experience that dryer sheets are good for keeping mice away but someone told me they help with ants also.

Beware of that CG we stayed in off of I-20 though, there were other reviews indicating there has been an ant problem there for awhile.

[jleamont]

10 hours ago, ISPJS said:

I know this was an older post, but last month we stayed at a CG in Anniston AL for 3 nights and picked up ants.  It was off I-20 (Good Sams Campground Of Oxford-Talladega).

I didn't notice anything when breaking camp.  When we arrived in eastern Tennessee at our next stop and I opened the wet bay door there were thousands of ants crawling all over.  I had about half of a one gallon jug of insect spray so I removed the top and splashed the whole jug inside the bay.  After hooking up we went to the store and purchased 16 ant traps and 2 cans of ant spray.  

8 of the traps went inside the coach and 8 was spread out in different basement compartments.  I used a whole can of spray inside the coach around the baseboard, behind pantry shelves, under the sink, etc.  For the next couple of days I found a few slow moving ants in the storage bays.  By the 3rd or 4th day I only found dead ants and we haven't had an issue since.

As a preventive measure I have left most of the traps in place plus I added about 20 dryer sheets to the basement storage areas.  I know from past experience that dryer sheets are good for keeping mice away but someone told me they help with ants also.

Beware of that CG we stayed in off of I-20 though, there were other reviews indicating there has been an ant problem there for awhile.

We use peppermint oil for Mice, supposedly works well for spiders and some other insects, I keep them in all year. Cotton balls soaked and placed in Dixie Condiment cups with holes punched in the lids. 

Joe I also keep an arsenal of sprays around. Depending on what I see when setting up ill spray my utilities coming up to the coach and around the tires.    

[ispjs]

We have had really good luck so far with what we have used.  Of course I'm always open to suggestions because we are determined to stay mouse, snake, and insect free.

My regular routine is to use the gallon spray jug of Home Defense around the RV if we are going to be on a site for a week or longer.  I even spray my jacks, water hose coming in, and my shore power coming in.  Any visible ant hills within 10 feet of the RV get destroyed and sprayed also.  Then just as it turns dark about every 3 or 4 nights I will arm myself with a can of spider spray and a flashlight and hunt any of those critters hanging new webs.   In SW Florida I toss a bag of moth balls under the enclosed trailer and under the coach to keep snakes from traveling through our campsite.

[rayin]

From all the remedies suggested, only Diatomaceous Earth cannot harm infants/children or pets. Since we have neither, I use the Bug Stop Herman recommended. There is a more potent residual spray available, however Bifen i/t must be used according to the SDS to prevent side-effects. That brings us to another issue, spraying potent bug killer onto  ground owned by someone else, controlled by local ordinances ; probably best to ask permission first.

[manholt]

Dr. "T's" Snake Repellant, sold at Wally World (Wall Mart).  Rain tolerant.  Sulfa Powder also work for Critters, but washes away!  We have a large outdoor bird house and Dr. T keep the snakes away. 

For mice and rats, we sprinkle Mice Away in all coach compartments...green, granular, & available in Ranch & Feed Stores...You don't need a Licence to buy it, we use it in all our storage buildings, barn and shed.

Herman's is good for house, coach and all buildings.

Moth Balls is a potent product & we will not carry it in coach!  JMHO.

[ispjs]

I never "transport" mothballs, even though you could if you left them in the double wrap that Lowe's sells them in.   If at our SW Florida site I just go pick them up and use them while there.   Had a native Floridian tell me about moth balls and snakes when we bought our first home in Cape Coral.  He said you can spend $30 for snake repellent for around the outside of your house to keep them away or $7 for a double bag of mothballs.  

[wayne77590]

I hate busting bubbles but the amount of naphthalene in moth balls really don't deter mice or rats. Also, consider that the scent rises and mice and other rodents are close to the ground/floor.  Placing anything by their nest will disturb them and they may go a few yards away and make another nest.

For humans, mothballs are dangerous, as for other domesticated animals.

Be careful.

[rayin]

I would discourage putting any chemical on your fresh water hose, plastics are permeable and can absorb the chemical, then transfer it to the water flowing through. Sure it may be a remote chance_but.

[ispjs]

Well crap, too late Ray.  I wondered why I grew that third nipple last year!   Seriously, if AO (agent orange) ain't done me in yet insect spray on my stinky slinky and water hose probably ain't going to do it.

[wayne77590]

Keep them off the ground. Use the pedistal's arm, if it has one, and wrap the hose around it and then tighten the bay side. use the sewer supports for the slinky.  Borax works well around the jacks.

[richard5933]

Lots of conversation and helpful advice for getting rid of ants once they get in. Wayne mentioned a few ways to help keep them out. From what I've learned over the years, if there are ants coming in it's in search of one of three things: water, food, or shelter.

First thing I look for when I see ants is open food or traces of food. Ants may have a preference for sugar, protein, or grease, depending on the type of ants. Doesn't take much food dripped on the floor or cabinet bottom to attract them either. All food in our pantry is in sealed containers to try and avoid this problem.

If I can't find any food they could be going after, next search is for water. Usually I'm not looking for standing water - more like moisture that's settled into the woodwork from a leak or condensation on pipes or dripping from them. At home, there was one time that ants under the kitchen sink alerted me to the fact that we had a very slow drip in the plumbing - the ants found the moisture and proceeded to make a parade to come and get it. Judging by the number of posts about rotting floors in RVs I've read over the years, moisture getting in is a fairly common problem.

The shelter part involves keeping up with caulking and sealing outside entry points. I worry about this more for mice than I do for ants, but it's on our list to check possible entry points a few times a year.

[manholt]

Whole Bay leaf's, work well in cabinets & drawers for ants and roaches!  Dry or fresh of the tree, works.  We now have 2 small trees growing at the ranch, from cuttings that I brought up here, last year, from my tree on Galveston Island.