Ants

[pompomgirl]

We currently live in Washington and have never had any problem with ants, mice, or other pests in the RV. We are about to leave to move to Georgia, via Colorado and Oklahoma. At what point should we start to use that ant repellant spray (and what is its name again)? And what about mice - when are we likely to start having problems with them? Thanks!

[rockhillmanor]

RonandConni wrote:
X2 on the Ortho Home Defense. I use it every winter while in Florida. The first year I did not use it and we had ants. Have used it every years since with no further problems.

X3
Have Florida home now also and I spray the perimeter of the house and the MH. That spray is amazing, the no odor priceless for me.

Kills ALL the bugs Florida has to offer! Lasts a year. All I see is little critters with their feet sitting up in the air around the foundation! :B

[stevewise]

Sprinkle a package or two of instant grits around the trailer and on any ant hills you see. I used this in Mississippi and was amazed at how it worked.

Was given the tip by a local.

[Ronandpat]

X2 on the Ortho Home Defense. I use it every winter while in Florida. The first year I did not use it and we had ants. Have used it every years since with no further problems.

[davosfam]

Ants will crawl up your electrical cord and get into your RV. Slather on a ring of vaseline on your cord and the ants won't crawl past it.

[pompomgirl]

Thanks all! We went to Home Despot and found the Ortho Home Defense and the Terro Liquid Bait next to each other and stocked up. We don't use storage bins and feed the dogs inside, so I guess we're set. We'll not worry about mice until we get settled in GA.

[glkids2]

We live in Michigan and usually the worst time for a potential mouse problem is in the fall/winter when they are looking to escape the elements. We put bait out in the storage compartment areas,under sinks, bathroom.

[BeckyIO]

I had ants move into my RV when I was parked long-term in South Carolina, it was because I left food out too long. Your best bet is to be studious in keeping food in air-tight containers and cleaning your dishes promptly.

If (heaven forbid) you do get ants, I used the Terro ant bait stations to kill them off, same thing a previous commenter mentioned.

Good luck! Georgia is a pretty place.

[run100]

pompomgirl,
We had never had an issue with ants unti last year. Our truck camper was unloaded from the truck and sitting in our driveway. One day my daughter spots ants crawling up the camper to go after sap that had gotten on our slide topper. They got unto the camper by climbing up one of the four jacks.

After doing some quick research, I sprayed the awning off with soapy water and put a small bead of grease around the bottom of each jack (they say vasoline works great too). The treatment quickly solved the ant problem.

[navegator]

Ortho home defense, spray the hose for the sewer, the power cable, the water hose, around the tires and behind the tires, the jacks where they touch the ground and anything that rest on the ground and leans on the vehicle, they have one that has a motorized spray wand, it is easier than the manual pump, this keeps the ants at bay for 3 months, I spray every other month at the end of the summer, that is when they start foraging for winter food, the mice is a different story, we have a cat so I have no advice there.

This product is safe for dogs and cats, I spray the area where the cat is fed and wait for it to dry before I feed the cat, it does not smell, it is sold at Home Despot, Lowe's, ACE, etc.

navegator

[rockhillmanor]

I'll just add one more 'important' thing about RV'ing in the south.

Do NOT put your storage tubs outside your RV on the ground.
I did. And the roaches got inside.

These are not your city dwelling roaches attracted by filth.
These are native big roaches that are found in the woods in the South.

Take a look at your storage tub under the handle area. Many of them have HOLES in them. :S
That is how they got in. So if your handles have holes in them tape over them when traveling in the South!

Unknowingly I dragged those darn things all the way back up North. They got in my bays too.

Only good thing was when I dumped the tub on the ground they ran into the woods of Wisconsin. Which when the temps get to anything under 40 they DIE. Take that you stupid southern bugs!:W

[just_me]

I parked next to a tree in Bowling Green Ky. The nest of ants decided to move, eggs and all, down the tree trunk to the ground, up the stabilizer and into my trailer. Took me three years to get rid of those pests. The freezing weather in my area helped a long with ant bate. They were the big timber ants. They loved the garbage can. "Free food".

[ken56]

Ants are the biggest problem in the south. We moved to TN and neighbors said we will need an exterminator for around the house. They were right, it took us a year there to get an exterminator. Between the ants and spiders all over the house it was impossible to keep up with them, a constant battle to keep them out of the house. I park my trailer in my yard and the exterminator sprays around and under my rig in the yard, along with doing the outside of the house. Worth my money, no ants or spiders in my rig. Unless you will live near a field or somewhere that is mouse habitat you shouldn't have to big a problem with them. Keep debris off the ground around the house, no firewood piles against the foundation and look for entry points around the foundation and seal them up. Good luck with your move. There's lots of camping options in northern GA.

[2gypsies1]

Not everyone has problems and you have the same critters in Washington. We've been there. 🙂

All you can do is keep a clean house. Also, don't park with tree branches touching your RV for ants.

More than likely you won't have problems. Have a good trip!

[kayakcrazy]

This recipe really works (Hint - get your boric acid from a drugstore): http://www.food.com/recipe/get-rid-of-ants-ants-ants-203233?scaleto=4.0&st=null&mode=us