Ants..carpenter ants and some small one too..

[strut526]

Well, I have been diligent about using Terro, and homemade mixtures, and I give up. They are coming from a tree that is close to my 5th wheel. I am dreading bombing them, because of the clean up involved and I have a dog. I do know that the propane would have to be turned off. Would bombing from under the rig be worth a try? I am seasonal. 4 years parked and this is the first time I have had this issue with ants all season!

[Iwritecode]

We've dealt with ants both at home and at our seasonal sites. Believe it or not, we've had pretty good luck with the cheap little ant traps that you can buy at Wal-Mart. They come in a box of 4 or 6 and only cost a few bucks but they really seem to work.

It may take a few days but it must eventually take out the entire nest. The trick is to not kill them immediately when you see them. You have to let them take the poison back to the nest and eventually to the queen.

[strut526]

I have used all the different traps, since we opened in May.

[SilhouettePenny]

Hunt down the nest and let 'em drink some of this. Spray the entire trail from point of origin to the camper and hope they have not started a secondary home inside. If so, you've gotta find them. Might be time for some camper mods.

[Toby]

This is what I've been using around the house. It works! I also use it near trees where I've seen activity.

http://www.epestsupply.com/cgi-bin/s...A#.V8gZ15qDmnM

Read the directions carefully for best results. I've placed a few of these near trees (but not too close) or around the house and eventually they are all gone.


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[Flybob]

Different ants seek out different types of food (bait) at different times of the year. Try to identify the specific type of ant and then use the appropriate bait for that ant at that time of year. If you can kill the queen the colony will die or leave.

[strut526]

Definitely Carpenter ants. Thanks for all the suggestions. Heading to camper tomorrow.

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by strut526

Definitely Carpenter ants. Thanks for all the suggestions. Heading to camper tomorrow.

You might not want to hear this but carpenter ants need a source of water (i.e. leak) before they decide to set up residence. If, that is your situation, you need to locate the water source, as in leaky roof, side wall, etc. It may even be a punky log close to your unit, that is the water source, your house becomes their house because of close proximity. Once you have eliminated the water source, the ants will leave.
That is not to be confused with the scout ants in the colony that are out locating food, like sweets, ripened fruits (moisture laden ) morsels to feed on. The hierarchy in the colony assigns certain ants in the group to forage for food, and moist important water, and in certain circumstances, return with the goodies to your unit, to feed the younger and non forage tasking ants.

The way you know this is to observe the carperters you see and crush a few. If you see lots of liquid, they are there to stay, until you either destroy the nest, or better yet, REMOVE the moisture. Less toxicity to you, pets, oh and small children, who should NEVER be subjected to any pesticide, no matter how safe the label tells you it is. Just sayin'

[GreenImp]

My source for information and products for pest control is http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/ The site is packed full of helpful info and the products I have tried have all worked as expected.

[Jim in Halifax]

Go to your local HD/WM etc and buy a gallon of "Home Defense" Works!!!! Even fire ants.....You can also buy a bag of ant killer and spread it over the ground...Put some on the ant hill and tie your pets for a few days..looks like fine brown sugar....We use both at our CG in Fl.....and home ...J

[DouglasReid]

If the ants have not set up home in your camper then you can get rid of them by putting poison around their route into the camper.

Any part that touches the ground is a potential source, tires, jacks, stabilizers, water hose, electrical or cable cables, etc.. Put poison completely around all of them and let them take it back to the nest. They will be gone relatively quickly (a couple days or so)

We carry ant poison with us and if we see ants in the vicinity we put it around all the above and keep them out. we find this better than trying to get rid of them once they have invaded us.

[strut526]

Originally Posted by Still Kickin

You might not want to hear this but carpenter ants need a source of water (i.e. leak) before they decide to set up residence. If, that is your situation, you need to locate the water source, as in leaky roof, side wall, etc. It may even be a punky log close to your unit, that is the water source, your house becomes their house because of close proximity. Once you have eliminated the water source, the ants will leave.
That is not to be confused with the scout ants in the colony that are out locating food, like sweets, ripened fruits (moisture laden ) morsels to feed on. The hierarchy in the colony assigns certain ants in the group to forage for food, and moist important water, and in certain circumstances, return with the goodies to your unit.

I will check the camper out for leaks again, we are diligent on cleaning and waxing every spring. and replacing caulking if needed. i have not noticed and leaks inside. but i will keep an eye out. The is a drip from the faucet/spigot which is about 25 feet from trailer. The tree is about a foot from the side of the trailer..i will have to climb on the roof to see more. there is sawdust under the tree every time we get up there, so i know they are living in the tree, for sure. hope they haven't set up house in my camper! I try to avoid chemicals, i have a dog who camps with me.

[hunterrick]

Regardless how you decide to kill them, the BIG takeaway from the presence of carpenter ants, be it in your home or camper, is that they are indicative of water problems. They do not live in dry wood. If you have them, you have bigger problems.

Good luck.

[kittlecat]

The 2 previous posts about the carpenter ants needing water is totally true. I had an unknown and never located leak that drew carpenter ants so badly we had to have an exterminator come out to the RV park and spray inside and out of the TT. Sounds horrible, and it pretty much was, but it was also a blessing because the damage from the leak was then discovered when my TT went in for service. TT was a total loss but I now know that if I see *carpenter ants* in my TT, there is a HUGE problem. Before the water damage was discovered in the TT, I was basically hauling around a gigantic wet sponge behind my tow vehicle with a flashing neon sign that only the carpenter ants could see telling them the all you can eat buffet had just arrived. We did not discover the leak in my TT until the flooring was removed. Don't mean to be Debbie Downer but good luck. Those ants are there for a reason, whether it is visible or not: they have found a water source which is not good news for you if it is in your coach.

[strut526]

Thanks. Have wanted to pull my carpet out for a few years. This may be my chance to take a closer look, for leaks. Appreciate all the advice