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Old 05-27-2020, 05:47 PM   #1
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Ants !!

And I don't mean Uncle's wives.

I always laugh at mouse threads because I always mouse-proof and haven't had them in 34 years of owning an RV trailer. But this year is different - we have ants.

Jayco 195RB - 2015 model.

The wife saw a few inside so it required a little investigating. I saw a few on the outside of the trailer and one on the roof.

I only see 2 possible points of entry - a small crevice on the bottom of the door / screen frame, and a possible opening on the roof vent above the side mounted AC.

All the exterior vents - HW heater, fridge vent, furnace - were screened from day one. They can't get in there.

Any comments, suggestions? TIA.
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Old 05-27-2020, 05:52 PM   #2
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I get them from the power cord believe it or not. I still have my factory cable setup on mine and they climb right up and in through the plastic door. This time of year, I just give the cord and the ground around a shot or two of bug spray. Eventually, I'm going to add a cord disconnect to eliminate that point of entry.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:00 PM   #3
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I have never had that problem but from what I have heard you have to "powder" around anything that touches the ground. Tires, landing gear, stabilizers etc. That might mean the power pole also.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:04 PM   #4
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I get them from the power cord believe it or not. I still have my factory cable setup on mine and they climb right up and in through the plastic door. This time of year, I just give the cord and the ground around a shot or two of bug spray. Eventually, I'm going to add a cord disconnect to eliminate that point of entry.
We have a fixed port - no door and no point of entry.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:05 PM   #5
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I have never had that problem but from what I have heard you have to "powder" around anything that touches the ground. Tires, landing gear, stabilizers etc. That might mean the power pole also.
That sounds like what my plan was. What "powder" should I buy?
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:10 PM   #6
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That sounds like what my plan was. What "powder" should I buy?
Ant powder or diatomaceous earth. Messes up the exoskeleton critters.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:11 PM   #7
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We have a fixed port - no door and no point of entry.
About a foot of some sort of grease like vaseline will stop them dead on the cable.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:18 PM   #8
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About a foot of some sort of grease like vaseline will stop them dead on the cable.
We don't have a pull-out shore cable. There is no hole for the power cable.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:24 PM   #9
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I started using the Pest spray on the tires, stabilizers and the tongue jack. If it touches the ground I give it a quick spray once the campsite is set up. I don’t let the cord touch the ground and I give the pedestal post a quick spray too. At home I do a “once around” every couple months in the ant season as well. We stayed at a campground once that had the huge black ants that fall from the trees. That’s a whole different subject lol.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:26 PM   #10
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Terro ant bait is some of the best out there. They make a granular version that you can sprinkle outside but there is a liquid that you can place inside at various points. Only downside is it takes a few days to work.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:27 PM   #11
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any tiny crack or crevice will do. Most will come to sweet baits that include borax and take it back to the queen and kill the nest. Takes 2 to 4 days to work but is the only long term one I have found. Sprays will help but rain or dew will remove it and back to killing them.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:28 PM   #12
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I started using the Pest spray on the tires, stabilizers and the tongue jack. If it touches the ground I give it a quick spray once the campsite is set up. I don’t let the cord touch the ground and I give the pedestal post a quick spray too. At home I do a “once around” every couple months in the ant season as well. We stayed at a campground once that had the huge black ants that fall from the trees. That’s a whole different subject lol.
You might be on to something there. We ARE in the woods and they are the biggens.
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Old 05-27-2020, 06:38 PM   #13
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You might be on to something there. We ARE in the woods and they are the biggens.
Yeah we kept finding them in the trailer and I realized they were coming from up top. I went up the rear ladder and big ole black ants everywhere. I think they were either coming in a roof vent or crawling down the sidewalls and then coming in somewhere lower.
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Old 05-27-2020, 07:06 PM   #14
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If they are the "black ants" check for leaks too since they go after wet wood. Comet or Ajax also works around the tires and leveling jacks as a deterrent if you have little ones or pets and don't want to use any poison.
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Old 05-27-2020, 07:32 PM   #15
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Had ants get into my unit once fairly early on. Had it parked on my cement slab next to the house. I had the stabilizers extended that one time. After that I never dropped the stabilizers and never had ants return. I do keep the power cord off the ground when plugged in.
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Old 05-27-2020, 07:35 PM   #16
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I've used this with good success. It's supposed to be safe around pets. I bought it at Tractor Supply. You can also use borax but I'm not as comfortable with it around pets and kids. The Terro liquid baits work well inside the camper where they can be put out of reach for kids and pets.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...b?cm_vc=IOPDP2
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Old 05-28-2020, 04:00 AM   #17
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We use Bayer Advanced at home and at camp. While we where at one camp ground I noticed a train of black ants crawling up both corners of the front of the camper an on some of the stabilizers. Sprayed those corners top to bottom an the stabilizers an never saw another ant on the camper for the next 3 days we where there. No residue either. We also spray it around the back door at the house because of black ants gettin in lookin for water an it keeps them out for months.
It"ll kill what you spray then keep them away.
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Old 05-28-2020, 05:47 AM   #18
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Quote:
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I get them from the power cord believe it or not. I still have my factory cable setup on mine and they climb right up and in through the plastic door. This time of year, I just give the cord and the ground around a shot or two of bug spray. Eventually, I'm going to add a cord disconnect to eliminate that point of entry.
I do the same. I spray my tires, leveling jacks, sewer hose, power cord, etc. with some ortho home perimeter bug spray.
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Old 05-28-2020, 06:06 AM   #19
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put some cheap foot powder around everywhere something touches the ground. Jacks tires wires. they will not cross it.
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Old 05-29-2020, 06:10 AM   #20
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Beware of "Big Old Black Ants"

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Yeah we kept finding them in the trailer and I realized they were coming from up top. I went up the rear ladder and big ole black ants everywhere. I think they were either coming in a roof vent or crawling down the sidewalls and then coming in somewhere lower.
If you find "Big Old Black Ants", they are most likely carpenter ants and they live in wet wood so you likely have a leak and a rot problem. They will create tunnels destroying the structure. Most ant baits won't work on them. You have to eliminate the wet wood. Carpenter ants spread by generating a lot of queens which leave the nest and fly to surrounding areas, so they don't need touch the ground to get on your RV.

Before trying anything you should figure out what type of ant you are dealing with.
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