Stopping ants from entering via shore power cable?

[BobsYourUncle]

Just got back from a 5 day extended long weekend trip.

Everything was going great until I started finding ants inside my TT in various locations. I climbed onto the roof and found a pile of them there, which I promptly sprayed with Raid and got rid of. Not sure how they got there - no trees overhead to drop from or anything like that.

But the problem persisted the entire time, with me finding several of them every time I entered the trailer.

It wasn't until I was packing up to leave that I discovered they were crawling up my shore power cable and entering there. I opened the cable door and there were a whole bunch of them in there. More Raid, lots of it!

When I set up, I sprinkled a liberal amount of Comet powdered soap all around anything touching the ground, including the power cable but it didn't work there. Ants have been known to avoid walking in powder as they don't like it on their legs.


Does anyone have a good solution to prevent the danged ants from crawling up the shore power cable and getting in? I thought of wrapping it in fly paper or something but there has to be an easier way...........

[BobsYourUncle]

I appreciate all the input and ideas everyone has offered - thanks! 🙂

I tried the powder on the cable but it washed off in the rain. I re-applied but it did little, if anything to stop them.

I do like the idea of the Vaseline on the cable. It won't wash off in the rain and won't blow away.

I am not sure how many will climb the jacks and tires and get in that way. I did sprinkle a liberal amount of powder around everything touching the ground but it is difficult to cover all areas, especially the tires.

I went out to my storage today and checked for them. I found one stray on the inside of the screen on a roof vent, that's all. It could have been one left inside the cabinets or something from when I packed up to come home.

I don't want to go through having a nest in the roof again like my last TT - that was a real total PITA to deal with.

Thanks again everyone.

[down_home]

down home wrote:
We keep ant traps in all the compartments and ant powder or granules and sprays in one of the bays. The new ants on the block in Texas and so forth are real bad news, Crazy Ants. I have several small pump up sprayers and one is going in the bay. Intention is to spray the entire site before backing in, if we're going to be there a while. In La the Rangers came around with Fire Ant poison but we take our own. hard to keep ahead of them. They spread every time it rains or more often. Nothing like sitting at the picnic table and all of a sudden being bitten on the ankles especially around straps of sandals.

We have tried to suspend the cable from the pedestal to the coach when we can. they might still be in the pedestal. We put powder on the cord, in addition to above sometimes.

[down_home]

We keep ant traps in all the compartments and ant powder or granules and sprays in one of the bays. The new ants on the block in Texas and so forth are real bad news, Crazy Ants. I have several small pump up sprayers and one is going in the bay. Intention is to spray the entire site before backing in, if we're going to be there a while. In La the Rangers came around with Fire Ant poison but we take our own. hard to keep ahead of them. They spread every time it rains or more often. Nothing like sitting at the picnic table and all of a sudden being bitten on the ankles especially around straps of sandals.

[jjjandrbaker]

Just had my first experience with this last night at Lockhart State Park! Saw one big ant. Ten minutes later saw two. Took a flashlight and found them crawling in the shoreline port! I sprayed and got the ones that where under the dinette where the shoreline is stored. Then I stuffed paper towels in the porthole and saturated them with Raid. I wrapped more towels and saturated them where the shoreline met the ground. That stopped the invasion, but the rest of the night I saw one or two every once in awhile that had gotten in before the battle.

When I got home and parked the camper at the storage lot, I sprayed the interior with Raid. Just as I was locking the gate, the dang carbon monoxide alarm went off. Had to disconnect the battery!

[Jim_Shoe]

Jimmy Durante - my pet anteater.

[AtomicChicken]

Gene&Ginny wrote:
Duct tape. Wrap sticky side out around the cord.

Very simple solution. I like that.

My suggestion to the problem would be something like Spectracide Bug Stop sprayed at a place on the cable. It could be sprayed around the base of your tires and stabilizer jack pads as well.

[Gene_Ginny]

Duct tape. Wrap sticky side out around the cord.

[tsetsaf]

I wrapped a bounce fabric sheet around the wire and tied it on with a piece of string. The current sheet has lasted 6 months and multiple moves.

[woodman1]

All you have to do is get some good quality packing material about 1 1/2 inch thick. Drill a hole 1/4 inch smaller than the cord and cut 1/4 inch larger than the hole on a band saw. Slice one side and put over cord and slide in hatch hole. Mine has lasted over 5 years now.

[Jarlaxle]

I put a couple inches of lithium grease on the power cable.

[BobsYourUncle]

MrWizard wrote:
bug chalk
dry a line all the way around the cord
do it in several places
comet attracts moisture, once it get damps and drys, it becomes solid ground

Bug chalk?
I have never heard of it. Guess I'll have to do a search

[MrWizard]

bug chalk
dry a line all the way around the cord
do it in several places
comet attracts moisture, once it get damps and drys, it becomes solid ground

[Fisherman]

mark5w wrote:
I spray any cable,hose, landing jack,and tires with Raid Ant Killer 17. Works for 4 weeks and has a pleasant smell.

X2 what Mark said, works very well.

[relaxin]

new pet

here is a fury friend that could take care of that issue