I've got my van parked in its spot at home for a while now. I opened it up over the weekend to find ants everywhere. How the hell do these little buggers get in, I haven't got the legs down so they must be coming up the jockey wheel or the tyres.
Has anyone got any ideas on how to keep them out.
The annoying bit is the van is completely empty with no foodstuff left in it..
Help and thanks in advance
Ashley
elliemike said
08:01 AM Oct 7, 2014
Ashley
If you click on "search" at the top of the page, then type in "Ants"
It will search the forum for all posts about Ants. You will findsome info in those posts.
Mike
dorian said
08:07 AM Oct 7, 2014
The forum's search facility produces only 4 hits. An advanced Google search provides a lot more.
I let an insecticide bomb off in mine ages ago and it got rid of them. They were coming in from a tree branch leaning against the van.
Dougwe said
08:29 AM Oct 7, 2014
Like Gary I use a "Bomb" and works well. Surface spray is also good but a known branded one. Also and as well even Baby Powder sprinkled around any area where the little buggers will climb, crawl, squeeze into or generally enter in any way. Keep in mind that are are as pesky as wombat
Sorry, that should say wombat's
oldbobsbus said
08:42 AM Oct 7, 2014
I believe if you put a ring of powder around your tyres and anything else that touches the ground it helps to keep the little buggers out..
A couple of drops of Antrid in a bottle tops also does a good job as does a sprinkle of Hovex ant killer inside the van or M/H on a piece of newspaper..
Kaid said
09:23 AM Oct 7, 2014
All of those plus,
I put those ant baits inside the van when parked up for a while
dING said
09:25 AM Oct 7, 2014
WE just sprinkle borax around em
And they soon disappear
the rocket said
10:52 AM Oct 7, 2014
had the same problem.
1. put a bowl under the jockey wheel with a smaller bowl inside it. fill outside bowl with water. not getting any in the inside bowl. the jockey wheel stays dry and the ants won't swim.
2. empty caravan of food and clean all food, including crumbs out of the van.
3. get some gladwrap and place in sink.
4. buy some antrid liquid from woollies and drip it onto the gladwrap..
5. shut the caravan for a few days and do no enter.
next time you go in there will be no more problem. that is if they are sugar ants. some people get ants that like savoury stuff and I have had no experience with them. good luck.
shekon said
04:29 PM Oct 7, 2014
Ashley I have found the best thing is a mixture of icing sugar and bi-carb soda. Mix well through a fine sift, and then sprinkle around like powder and watch the little blighters come in for a fee never to return.
mickm said
06:24 PM Oct 7, 2014
Mix a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of borax then spoon the mixture into bottle tops or something similar and place them around and in the van. The ants will be attracted to the honey and take the borax back to the nest.
Gerty Dancer said
07:59 PM Oct 7, 2014
Ant sand works. They may have been building nests in the walls/cavities of your caravan. When this happened to us we used Ant sand on their tracks, and they were gone in a day.
Put some outside the van near points of entry also anywhere close by where you see ants nests.
Warning: It is toxic to pets.
Jayco Gypsy said
08:57 PM Oct 7, 2014
When I first got my pre-loved van it came with ants. Same as Gary let off a bomb. Solved that issue. Then where it is parked at home we treated the ground with insecticide from a pest control place. Never had a problem at home since. When out I put plastic bread boards under the legs and spray with surface spray. I carry baby powder for just in case. Spiders on the other hand seem immune. I'm constantly removing them from around the clamps of the poptop.
first timer said
09:32 PM Oct 7, 2014
Hi and thanks to everyone.
Thanks everyone for your very helpful hints, I will be trying the ant sand first and see how that goes , if thats not successful I'll review your list of hints to see where we go next.
Thanks
Ashley
blaze said
11:29 PM Oct 7, 2014
we use an automatic dispenser, puts a mist out every ten minutes and we have no insect problems at all. I found most seem to come from the top down, from trees and such. I also do the underside and around vents with surface spray about 2 times a year
c
banjo said
03:07 AM Oct 8, 2014
We picked up ants while camping along the Murray last year, we don't have hollow walls but believe me they can find places to hide and reproduce !
Tried the usual ant rid etc. but the little devils wouldn't touch it, went to a pest control place and they told me there are two main varieties of ant, a sweet toothed variety and a savoury one, we had tha latter.
I ended up spraying the whole van including storage areas, with a proprietary spray, smelled awful but cleared them out. I now carry David Greys ant and termite killer and if ants are around near us I spray all around the van and legs and touch wood never had the problem since.
I also carry Mortein pro surface spray and treat all my underfloor storage areas, it is residual and stops them re infesting for around 12 weeks.
Prevention far outweighs trying to get rid of them.
Jonathan said
06:28 AM Oct 8, 2014
.. like some others here, I've found Ant Sand very good as an initial prevention .. A light sprinkle over the awning and and around the perimeters of the roof also disperses the "drop-in" and winged ants that do make their presence known ..
I've been happy with Ant Rid inside .. has always worked for me when required.
PeterD said
11:42 AM Oct 8, 2014
An open container with vinegar in it prevents them entering the body. If they are in the walls you need the powder barriers around every part of the van that touches the ground. During periods of high infestation, combine these measures with your favourite borax mixture or ant rid.
-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 8th of October 2014 11:43:27 AM
Hi guys
I've got my van parked in its spot at home for a while now. I opened it up over the weekend to find ants everywhere. How the hell do these little buggers get in, I haven't got the legs down so they must be coming up the jockey wheel or the tyres.
Has anyone got any ideas on how to keep them out.
The annoying bit is the van is completely empty with no foodstuff left in it..
Help and thanks in advance
Ashley
Ashley
If you click on "search" at the top of the page, then type in "Ants"
It will search the forum for all posts about Ants. You will findsome info in those posts.
Mike
The forum's search facility produces only 4 hits. An advanced Google search provides a lot more.
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=ants+site:thegreynomads.activeboard.com
Like Gary I use a "Bomb" and works well. Surface spray is also good but a known branded one. Also and as well even Baby Powder sprinkled around any area where the little buggers will climb, crawl, squeeze into or generally enter in any way. Keep in mind that are are as pesky as wombat
Sorry, that should say wombat's
I believe if you put a ring of powder around your tyres and anything else that touches the ground it helps to keep the little buggers out..
A couple of drops of Antrid in a bottle tops also does a good job as does a sprinkle of Hovex ant killer inside the van or M/H on a piece of newspaper..
I put those ant baits inside the van when parked up for a while
WE just sprinkle borax around em
And they soon disappear
had the same problem.
1. put a bowl under the jockey wheel with a smaller bowl inside it. fill outside bowl with water. not getting any in the inside bowl. the jockey wheel stays dry and the ants won't swim.
2. empty caravan of food and clean all food, including crumbs out of the van.
3. get some gladwrap and place in sink.
4. buy some antrid liquid from woollies and drip it onto the gladwrap..
5. shut the caravan for a few days and do no enter.
next time you go in there will be no more problem. that is if they are sugar ants. some people get ants that like savoury stuff and I have had no experience with them. good luck.
Mix a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of borax then spoon the mixture into bottle tops or something similar and place them around and in the van. The ants will be attracted to the honey and take the borax back to the nest.
Put some outside the van near points of entry also anywhere close by where you see ants nests.
Warning: It is toxic to pets.
Hi and thanks to everyone.
Thanks everyone for your very helpful hints, I will be trying the ant sand first and see how that goes , if thats not successful I'll review your list of hints to see where we go next.
Thanks
Ashley
c
Tried the usual ant rid etc. but the little devils wouldn't touch it, went to a pest control place and they told me there are two main varieties of ant, a sweet toothed variety and a savoury one, we had tha latter.
I ended up spraying the whole van including storage areas, with a proprietary spray, smelled awful but cleared them out. I now carry David Greys ant and termite killer and if ants are around near us I spray all around the van and legs and touch wood never had the problem since.
I also carry Mortein pro surface spray and treat all my underfloor storage areas, it is residual and stops them re infesting for around 12 weeks.
Prevention far outweighs trying to get rid of them.
.. like some others here, I've found Ant Sand very good as an initial prevention .. A light sprinkle over the awning and and around the perimeters of the roof also disperses the "drop-in" and winged ants that do make their presence known ..
I've been happy with Ant Rid inside .. has always worked for me when required.
An open container with vinegar in it prevents them entering the body. If they are in the walls you need the powder barriers around every part of the van that touches the ground. During periods of high infestation, combine these measures with your favourite borax mixture or ant rid.
-- Edited by PeterD on Wednesday 8th of October 2014 11:43:27 AM