I discovered ants in my RV

[silvercorvette]

I picked up the RV in FL about 30 days ago, drove it home to SC where it sat for a week while I packed. I spent 5 days in 3 different campgrounds between NC and PA then the holiday weekend in the parking lot of Camping World while I had my A/C worked on. I arrived at LI and parked in the driveway of my mothers house Tues morning and I do not recall when I noticed the first ant. I think I have see about a dozen ants. Maybe the first one I noticed was in NY. I guess it rally does not matter where they came from, maybe they were already in the camper in FL and I just noticed them when I got to NY or maybe they crawled up the electric cord (there is no water hose connected). Could they have gotten in to the camper by crawling up the power cord to get in within a short span of time or is it likely they were already in when I purchased the RV and didn't become active till now?. One of the C/Gs in VA where I stayed for 2 days had a lot of trees with branches that touched the roof and could have been a pathway on to the camper roof.I am going to drive to the supermarket today and pick up some ant poison that comes in little red cans and maybe setting off an insect bomb when I get back home and emptied.

Are there any special things to consider when dealing with this problem in a camper that that would be handled differently in a house?

[travelnutz]

Your ant numbers are probably off some because I killed many thousand's since the first of this year mainy when we were down in far southwestern Georgia - Lake Seminole area. Thousands more when in Florida! Unfortunately, I no doubt misssed trillions more but other people have to help also!

[noe-place]

We were at a really nice RV Resort (unnamed of course) and got a visit from the little varmints when we evidently parked on their property!! Didn't notice it till we got all the way home and it took me about a week to get rid of them. I used a spray every day till I didn't see any movement from them.

[travelnutz]

donpop,

Terro can be purchased at so many stores we've been in. Hardware stores, Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, some Walgreens, WalMarts, Meijers, and other big box stores, Tractor Supply, etc. Bought it in Michigan, Georgia, Florida, Maine, Montana, Colorado, Alaska, and maybe a couple others over the years that I can't recall right now. I just know that we've never had a problem finding it on the store shelves.

Orange box 2" X 4" X 1" thick with a flap having orange, blue, and white on it and the word TERRO in large white letters on the blue and Ant Killer in blue on the white. Looking at the box I purchased in Florida 4 months ago and the cost on the price sticker says $2.99. 1 fl oz. clear plastic bottle inside and it's still over 3/4 full now. Comes out of the bottle as a liquid like thin pancake syrup and over time (weeks or months) any of the square not eaten by the ants gets very thick and sticky. Just add more fresh if needed for ants or throw it away as it's not hazardous unkess a pet finds it.

[westend]

Antweb.org, more than most folks want to know about ants.

Estimated number of ants in Flathead County, Montana= 4,127,732,922,072

Estimated worldwide ant population= 321,035,624,829,901,000

Formidable enemy for those choosing to do battle.

[Lantley]

travelnutz wrote:
Terro works every time! Used it for years in Florida and the S.E area and the east coast for the many different kinds of ants they have in gigantic numbers. Ant hills galore in many areas. Use it here in Michigan every spring in our home and 3 RV's after the ground warms and it kills them all in only a couple days and we never see any more until the next spring. Ant hills are a rarity here in West Michigan as the ants seem to have smaller communities underground and you need to eradicate all of them. Terro does it every time!

A couple drops put on a few of the tearoff little squares that are part of the product's box and place them where an animal (dog etc) can't get to them. We put them in a back corner on the kitchen countertop and put something in front of the square so our dog can't see it. One inside a doored lower cabinet near where we see some ants. Behind the couch area etc where our dog can't get to. Come back a couple hours later and watch the stream of ants enjoying a feast at one or more of the smorgasbord's. Really quite a sight! I enjoy watching them as I know what's going to happen! Next day the stream gets less free-loading customers and lucky to see any the third day. Terro is sugar and borax so it kills all kinds of ants including the bullseye, the queen!

Not that we like ants but sure do like killing them silently. We always have a bottle of Terro in our RV when traveling just incase and have had to use it when in a site for several days or weeks. Cheap and works quick!

Get Some Terro!

[donpop]

My daughter and son-in-law leave thier trailer parked at our country place from spring to fall. Last weekend they were fighting an ant problem. Son-in-law spread Amdro before they left. Is Terro a common item that can be found in most stores. Where do you normally buy it? Sounds like an item I want to get for them to try. Thanks

[travelnutz]

Terro works every time! Used it for years in Florida and the S.E area and the east coast for the many different kinds of ants they have in gigantic numbers. Ant hills galore in many areas. Use it here in Michigan every spring in our home and 3 RV's after the ground warms and it kills them all in only a couple days and we never see any more until the next spring. Ant hills are a rarity here in West Michigan as the ants seem to have smaller communities underground and you need to eradicate all of them. Terro does it every time!

A couple drops put on a few of the tearoff little squares that are part of the product's box and place them where an animal (dog etc) can't get to them. We put them in a back corner on the kitchen countertop and put something in front of the square so our dog can't see it. One inside a doored lower cabinet near where we see some ants. Behind the couch area etc where our dog can't get to. Come back a couple hours later and watch the stream of ants enjoying a feast at one or more of the smorgasbord's. Really quite a sight! I enjoy watching them as I know what's going to happen! Next day the stream gets less free-loading customers and lucky to see any the third day. Terro is sugar and borax so it kills all kinds of ants including the bullseye, the queen!

Not that we like ants but sure do like killing them silently. We always have a bottle of Terro in our RV when traveling just incase and have had to use it when in a site for several days or weeks. Cheap and works quick!

[portscanner]

Make sure you dont have any leaks. Some ants like moist wood and insulation. Dont ask how I know that.

[wcjeep]

We stayed once in a campground that had a terrible ant problem. Local ordinance prevented them from using chemicals. Decided to dry camp at the campground. I was sure they would crawl the power and water lines.

Also try Paprika near the power, water and tires. It's like walking on fire for the ants.

[silvercorvette]

Thanks for the replies they are black, not very large but I have seen smaller ones than these. I am going to try Terro. I parked in this same drive way last year for a few weeks and had to leave before finishing and didn't see any ants. I am guessing I picked them up in VA. I notices 4 more since I posted this thread a couple hours ago.

All sugar is in sealed container except a restaurant style container with a metal top and lid that flips open when turned upside down and is held closed by gravity when upright.

Water is difficult I keep a bowl of water out for the dogs. Dog food is in sealed containers.

[Jloucks]

So long as they are not wood/carpenter ants it should be no big deal. Yes, they can find their way into your camper surprisingly quickly. I get them more often up my front landing gear.

If you have a colony on board someplace, starve them of water (usually drain trap water) and they will go alway.

[dlhusk]

They are more than likely "sugar ants" and we just had them show up in our Modular Home in Florida. Dropped some sugar on the counter top and next day they were there. Had not seen any in years. Best solution, kill the ones you see and remove source of sugar! Years ago I got some like you said at what was then Clarks Hill Dam near Augusta,Ga

Chaplain Dan

[steelpony5555]

It's fun to put out Terro. Just look for their little ant hwys and put a drop in the path. Then watch all the little ants crowd around the drop to drink the Kool-Aid.. like little cows around a trough. In 2 days they will be gone, then check for any other little ant hwys cause there can be several colonies in case you missed getting a drop on all the hwys. It kills all the ants in 2 days.

[ksg5000]

Buy some terro liquid ant bait -- if you have a colony growing inside the rig the ants will carry it back to the queen - colony or not the terro will eventually kill the ants.