Ants in the Bathrook

[btuinstra]

Has anyone had an ant problem. I saw some wood sawdust and found black ants. How do you get rid of ants?

[Protagonist]

Raid deep reach foggers.
https://www.raid.com/en-us/products/...p-reach-fogger

To keep ants out of your Airstream in the future, surround all points of contact with the ground (tires, jacks, cords, hoses) with Comet cleanser. Comet not only repels ants, but because of its color, you can tell when it's time to apply more. Works well to keep ants off picnic tables, too, just surround the table legs with it.

[wave man]

Like a house, sprays and powders could do it, but if you want the trailer to be more pesticide free I'd recommend a bait that's poisoned, they can be pretty tidy.. You just need a positive ID of the ant type then get the appropriate poison bait and put it near where you see them and maybe in places you don't. ID of the ant is a big deal because there are different tastes to cater to to be really effective!

"Terro" is a brand that worked wonders on the little black sugar ants in my home. Pharaoh Ants I think they were technically... Good luck

[btuinstra]

Thanks for the tip on comet. I will try the diggers
Thanks.

[btuinstra]

Thanks

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Termites and carpenter ants are a bit bigger deal than "normal" ants (you mention sawdust ....). Spend some time time on the web to be sure you have the ID correct.

Bob

[sallye]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Termites and carpenter ants are a bit bigger deal than "normal" ants (you mention sawdust ....). Spend some time time on the web to be sure you have the ID correct.

Bob

Carpenter ants are large. If you have sawdust, suspect carpenter ants. But carpenter ants attack wet wood, so if you see large ants and sawdust inside, suspect a water leak. Get rid of the leak and the ants will go away.

If they are smaller "sweet" ants: "Mix 1/2 C sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp Borax, and 1.5 C warm water. Soak cotton balls in the mixture, and put them out near the mess of ants. The sugar attracts the ants, and they'll take the Borax with it back to their home."

[JCWDCW]

Carpenter ants do not chew good dry wood as noted.
The good thing about Carpenter and and Sidewalk ants (Smaller black ants) is that they do not reproduce in large numbers and a colony may be limited to 50 100 ants. They are fairly easy to kill with ant bait which you can buy in Michigan (not so for us here in Ontario) The sugar-Borax formula works really well for small ants...never tried it in larger ants. I mix it up in about a tablespoon amount, fairly thick syrup, and drip it around the trail or the ant hill. More sugar and less borax is very attractive and it does't take much Borax to contaminate an ant nest. I use powdered sugar
JCW

[RJJ]

Originally Posted by btuinstra

Has anyone had an ant problem. I saw some wood sawdust and found black ants. How do you get rid of ants?

Crushed bay leaves work like magic at repelling ants. Used to have a real problem in the summer with ants coming in and trying to take over the kitchen. Crushed bay leaves in their path took care of them. Put at the point of entry or, if it is not evident, put in the place you see them the most. Of course sweep up and change periodically.

[drrob]

I like using Murphy's Oil Soap to clean and wipe down interior. For some reason Murphy's is not a favorite of ants.

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

Carpenter ants do not chew good dry wood as noted.
The good thing about Carpenter and and Sidewalk ants (Smaller black ants) is that they do not reproduce in large numbers and a colony may be limited to 50 100 ants.
JCW

I have found a nest in a old farm house under the fridge and linoleum floor covering that had thousands of full size carpenter ants.
I believe the size of the nest depends on how much room they have to expand.
Fortunately there is minimal wood in a AS, but that also means that if it is damp enough over a large area, they will destroy every inch they can chew through.
The way we found the nest in the old house was when all was quiet one night, you could hear them chewing the 2" thick pine floorboards. They ate about a 10' x 15' section of floor.

[JCWDCW]

Re Wayne G...nest size....WOW...and thanks
My info came from internet research, and pretty much aligned with my findings in an old trailer down south. I was able to knock out a colony of pavement ants in about 2 weeks of baiting in the heating ducts in-floor using the local ant bait available in the hardware store.
We have super-colonies of little black ants here in Tillsonburg. I use the powdered sugar/Borax formula. You can knock out a nest or a group of nests and the rest of the colony simply comes back and occupies it at a later date
JCW