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Carpenter Ants
Yahoo Message Number: 23324
Have any of you ever had to deal with carpenter ants that found their way into your LD and built a nest?  If so, I'd love to hear how you remedied the situation.
Thanks...wcm
Re: Carpenter Ants
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 23325
Quote
Have any of you ever had to deal with carpenter ants that found their way into your LD and built a nest?  If so, I'd love to hear how you remedied the situation.
Thanks...wcm
I can only think of one good solution - and I can't say it without a smile - you'll have to 'tent' your m'home. You might consider removing as much easily removeable upholstery and all possessions first, to make cleanup an easier task.

Some other solutions might work, such as LN2 spraying by a pro or 'bombs', but I think I would go for the whole cover, just to be sure.

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Carpenter Ants
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 23327
Quote
Have any of you ever had to deal with carpenter ants
WMC, As a matter of fact we have!  On a recent spring outing in south Georgia we were about to turn in.  As I pulled one of the beds out there they were....hundreds of them.  We began smashing the little critters with paper towel before we were able to hook up the vacuum.  After clean up we discovered that some had retreated to the street side bay under the bay.
Since that incident we have taken a number of precautions.  It seems that these ants have a habit of foraging for water and food especially in the spring.  They were not carpenter ants. If they are truly carpenter ants they are attracted to the other little creatures that live in rotting wood.  If you don't have rotting wood, I suspect they are not carpenter ants.  Our pest control service suggested to place boric acid in the suspect locations within the LD.  Placing boric acid around the tires is ineffective once the acid is subject to dampness.  We also sprayed the bay with ant killer and placed ant bait in strategic places in the coach.
Some say that Ajax around the tires is effective.
So far, no more ants.
Good luck.

Malcolm
2002 Mid Bath
Re: Carpenter Ants
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 23347
"It seems that these ants have a habit of foraging for water and food especially in the spring. Our pest control service suggested to place boric acid in the suspect locations within the LD. Placing boric acid around the tires is ineffective once the acid is subject to dampness. Some say that Ajax around the tires is effective."
 I only ran into an ant problem once--in Allaire State Park, NJ--but it was pretty much as you described. I parked there on a spring day, and within minutes ants were streaming up the tires and into the coach. Ant baits (which I always carry just in case) were ineffective. Scouring powder around the tires was better, but I hated to leave that kind of toxic mess behind--the high chlorine concentration will kill just about anything it touches. Besides, for it to really work you have to make a complete ring of powder around each tire, and that requires crawling under the coach--very awkward!
 After I got home, I found out about AntWall (http://www.antwall.com/pages/ 558036/>). It's a nicely made wheeled aluminum dingus that rolls a trail of ant deterrent around your tires. It has a long, collapsible handle so that you can easily get the stuff all the way around the tires without crawling underneath.
 The AntWall applicator is designed so that you can simply drop a can of scouring powder into it, but they also sell a nontoxic ant repellent--a mix of limestone, garlic, cayenne pepper, ginger and salt. (If you were in an experimenting mood you could try making up your own, but it's cheap enough that it hardly seems worthwhile.)
 I wish I could report on AntWall's effectiveness, but since I bought it I haven't run into an ant problem again, so I haven't had to use it. I do take a look around when I park to see whether I'm on top of any anthills, though! ;-) Still, for the modest price I paid ($23.95) and the little space it takes up, I'm glad I have it.

Andy Baird :-)
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
 
Re: Carpenter Ants
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 23356
We haven't had any ant problems in our LD to date. As others have mentioned if you do actually have carpenter ants you may have a leak problem somewhere as they tend to nest in damp areas and are attracted to damp and rotting wood. They don't eat wood but they can be the sign of a worse problem.

Here are some web sites for ant and other insect deterrents and problem solvers, most are realtively safe and easy to use. There are several non-toxic biodegradable items that deter ants and are safe to use around pets and kids.
 http://eartheasy.com/live_natpest_control.htm

http://www.thebestcontrol.com/bugstop/control_ant.htm
 Boric acid or borax is one of the most effective things to kill ants and keep them away. There are some bait "recipes" at these sites that give about a 5% concentration. This often kills them too fast to pass throughout the colony to kill all the ants and queen. Many suggest only a 1% concentration if you want to eliminate the colony altogether but it does take longer to stop seeing foraging ants when that's done.

Mike R.