Ants!

[JDHoge]

Members,
I saw a few ants in the tail light recess on the right side this past week and nuked them with an ant poison before sealing things up again.

Well guess what? They moved under the mattress of the rear bedroom, which we just discovered this evening while getting ready for bed.

Honestly, we've seen a few ants in several places but always attributed the problem to our own neglect such as crumbs left on a table top or some dog food that escaped the dish when it was put into the refrigerator.

But now I'm thinking that we may need to take some extra steps to kill the ones that still inhabit our MH and deter any future invasions.

What products and procedures do you all recommend?

Obviously sealing everything up (foods that is) and wiping down all food preparation surfaces are essential. Also making sure that there are not open entry pathways under the coach seems obvious.

But are there products or other procedures that seem to be safe and effective?

Just thought I'd ask...

John
Athens, GA

[FW28z]

A trip up north in mid January would kill them...

Otherwise, can't think of anything that would eradicate them yet not damage fabrics, wall coverings, etc.

Maybe one of those whole-house foggers might work if you can find one that does not damage anything.

[fhenn]

Home defense and ant traps

[KNMIB]

Terro ant killer. Comes in small bottle and put a couple drops on pce of cardboard and they take it back and kills the whole bunch. Get it at hardware stores. Works in house so should work in MH.

[JDHoge]

My thanks to all of you. A trip to the frozen North isn't going to happen in January, so I think I'll try the Terro product. I recall that my sister and her husband used it in their RV successfully and they are from the panhandle of Florida.
John
Athens, GA

[blw2]

Go to a local do-it-yourself pest control store.

I bought some of this at one

http://www.amazon.com/Demon-Max-Inse...ords=Demon+Max

It's the same stuff the professional bug people use to spray houses, except "last year's model"....actually several years now....
The similar stuff I bought many years ago as a similar store was even better I think against some bugs, but I ran out of it and got this one a few years back....this one is rated for exterior application too, so it must have some level of resistance to water....

One bottle of this stuff will last you a long time...... I mix up a gallon every six months to a year or so and treat my whole house.
When I parked my RV a few months back, i sprayed the under sides, concentrating around the suspension components and frame members that a big might like to crawl on.... and inside around baseboards and in cabinets....

[Nomads]

If you want a more safer way to kill ants us baby powder. It is SAFER for you and pets....

If you know where the ant hill is put a circle of it around that, if not or just put the baby powder around places that ants cam climb on the rig. How it works is it gets in to the lungs and also takes it into the ant hill and kills them. Cost a lot less and does really work used for years.

[JDHoge]

I'll give it a try! Never heard of this before. A Youtube video showed a person recommending baby powder for lubricating the rubber seals on slides, so I've got some in the motorhome.
Thanks for the tip!
John
Athens, GA

[stokescr]

I use Ajax Cleaner and just put a circle of it around anything on the RV that touches the ground.....i.e. tires, jacks, water and sewer lines......no more ants!!! Good luck

[doubravsky]

diatomaceous earth works well too... its the stuff you put in your pool filter. non toxic and does a good job of killing them.

[Beacher]

Fire works really well. Use a Harbor Freight propane weed torch wherever you see'em!


Or, if you are concerned with charring the interior of your 31F, ant bait, (as mentioned above), works too.


Years ago, in my PopUp, we came back from an afternoon of sightseeing to find our galley infested with the little critters. I had inadvertently setup on the campsite with the slide-out in direct contact with a bush, and that's how they got in.


I cleaned up all that we could find. And used bait traps to make sure. No more ants ever seen again. And I didn't even need to roast my camper.

[hondavalk]

Originally Posted by KNMIB

Terro ant killer. Comes in small bottle and put a couple drops on pce of cardboard and they take it back and kills the whole bunch. Get it at hardware stores. Works in house so should work in MH.

X2

[Nursx2]

terro!!!!!

[gmadams]

Originally Posted by KNMIB

Terro ant killer. Comes in small bottle and put a couple drops on pce of cardboard and they take it back and kills the whole bunch. Get it at hardware stores. Works in house so should work in MH.

X2 on Terro! We used it in our MH and a friend used it in their S&B house. It works!!

[Nursx2]

I used it in my basement two years ago - had a huge infestation due to dry dog food spillage. It was amazing to see the line of ants from the outdoors to the dog food. Almost felt bad feeding them poison (Terro). Disappeared in three days - never to return. Yet!