How To Deal With Unwanted Ants?

[FrankShore]

I've heard to just sprinkle Ajax (?) around the tires. Is this sufficient? Or are there any other ways to get rid of ants?

[Horizon170]

Cucumber peelings on the kitchen counters have helped us for the inside.

[down_home]

We're taking Home Defense with us this time. Spraying where the tires will land and where the cable and septic line will lay.
We've been fortunate. We saw a Fifth Wheel for sale at Camping World Nashville a few years ago with large bitint ants streaming out of a compartment. Whoever the bought or traded it from, really had an ant problem.
In La at Patriot's Point the fire ants were horrible and everywhere. Rangers came by and put out powder for them then it rained. Finally just brought cans for RVers to put around themselves. they were in the fire pit and around the concrete pad and in the edge of the woods. I've never seen such an infestation.
You didn't dare walk in the grass. This was in January too on our way west and even worse on return trip. Great RV Park.

[usmohls2]

equal amounts of baking power & powdered sugar in a saucer. The sugar atracks them. Ants don't burp or pass gas, so they explode! It's like watching popcorn pop!

[2012Coleman]

I for one, welcome our new insect overlords, and would like to remind them that as a trusted RVer, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves...

[IAMICHABOD]

I have found it at my local feed store.

[derh20]

other than Amazon, where do you get Diatomaceous Earth, food grade. I need this for my home, not RV.

[westernrvparkow]

free radical wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
> How To Deal With Unwanted Ants?


I was completely unaware there was such a thing as wanted ants.

http://m.wikihow.com/Build-an-Ant-Farm

But are those ants actually welcome, or are they imprisoned at a North Korean like labor camp?

[jpjulian]

Don't really know where they came from but after we set up yesterday at a park in Decatur, GA, I went out to the truck for something and there were roughly 2,000 ants crawling all over the front cap of the 5r. They were everywhere. Sprayed the cap with "Windex Original" and killed the ants on contact. Seems they crawled up one of the landing gear. Had to spray again about an hour later. What a mess.

[JesLookin]

Teacher's Pet wrote:
Didn't work for us in Mobile AL this past October. Bought Home Defense ant spray at Walmart..worked great on the ant trails through the Comet we used when we parked.

This is what we use. Squirt it on all points of contact with the ground: power cable, water hose, tires, stabilizers, etc....

[John_Wayne]

Get a squeeze catsup or mustard bottle and use that to lay a line of DE

[FrankShore]

DiskDoctr wrote:
Diatomaceous Earth...

1. Get the FOOD GRADE, absolutely NOT the pool filter stuff. The first is non-toxic.

2. DE is the exoskeletons of tiny sea creatures. Spiny and sharp. It scrapes the waxy coating off insects' bodies, causing them to die.

3. Safe for all mammals, even can be mixed with water and ingested in small amounts. The health benefits are uncertain, but it is non-toxic.

4. It is very dusty! Depending how much you need to spread, use a plastic cup or a larger scoop if needed and spread around by hand. It has the consistency of a very fine and dry clay. Powder-like.

When spreading, try to "Set" it in place instead of throwing or tossing it when using in places where you don't want dust. Use a mask if you're sensitive to dust.

It's used commonly in chicken coops.

5. It is not a barrier. Like many solutions, it injures the pests that die sometime later (I don't know how long?).

Personally, I'd like to use something that would cause the pests to explode into dust-free clouds and make a "poof" or "snap" sound so I could smile during a nap as it worked 🙂

Sounds like that old HeeHaw song, "poof they was gone"

Thanks for the further tips, I did buy food grade, etc!

[DiskDoctr]

Diatomaceous Earth...

1. Get the FOOD GRADE, absolutely NOT the pool filter stuff. The first is non-toxic.

2. DE is the exoskeletons of tiny sea creatures. Spiny and sharp. It scrapes the waxy coating off insects' bodies, causing them to die.

3. Safe for all mammals, even can be mixed with water and ingested in small amounts. The health benefits are uncertain, but it is non-toxic.

4. It is very dusty! Depending how much you need to spread, use a plastic cup or a larger scoop if needed and spread around by hand. It has the consistency of a very fine and dry clay. Powder-like.

When spreading, try to "Set" it in place instead of throwing or tossing it when using in places where you don't want dust. Use a mask if you're sensitive to dust.

It's used commonly in chicken coops.

5. It is not a barrier. Like many solutions, it injures the pests that die sometime later (I don't know how long?).

Personally, I'd like to use something that would cause the pests to explode into dust-free clouds and make a "poof" or "snap" sound so I could smile during a nap as it worked 🙂

[FrankShore]

The problem with Terro is that you're going to attract ants to the bait, which temporarily leaves you floating in ants. I've used Terro outside, way back by the pool/patio and it works great.

Question: Should I also buy one of the dusters, spritzers that Amazon sells? I'd imagine that I'd just get by with a tablespoon and sprinkle around the tires and the water connect, sewer connect and any other way the ants could get onboard. I'm talking about the Diatomaceous Earth now.

Also, how often do you have to sprinkle with the Diatomaceous Earth? Should a 10lb sack last all summer?

Never had to deal with ants on the yacht, so all this is new to me!

Thanks again for the help, it's appreciated!

Frank

[Murphsmom]

FrankShore wrote:
Thanks for the tips on Diatomaceous Earth, I'll pick up a bag a Amazon!

We got it at Home Depot in the garden department. Our neighbor paid an exterminator to come out for the ants in her garage. We got rid of ours faster using DE.