ANTS ANTS and MORE ANTS

[majortom]

We had our RV parked at a storage place near a tree and we now have carpenter ants living inside the RV.  I have killed a TON with traps and bait but everytime ( about 2 weeks now ) that I open the RV and vacuum up the dead ones I see live ones.  I was told to set off a "bomb" fogger in there.  Is this a good idea?  Just worried about all the outlets, instrument panel, etc.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Are you using a bait such as Amdro that the ants carry back to the nest and kill the queen?

We've had an unusually pesky ant problem this year ourselves.  Fortunately what we have continually turning up are more DEAD ants, but obviously there are live ones somewhere!

Bengal insect spray is an excellent product with a high residual (avoid spraying it where pets can later get it on their fur) that keeps on killing, but Amdro is the best stuff for killing off a nest of common ants.  (Amdro doesn't do the little grease or sugar ants very well, though. Use the special grease or sugar ant baits for those.)

 

[majortom]

What I believe we have are Carpenter Ants and what I have read is the following:

Q: How do you get rid of them?

A: Killing the visible ants foraging around a home is merely removing the symptoms. 90% of the ants never leave the nests. The nests must be located and destroyed.

This makes me believe the "nest" is somewhere in the walls or roof since we are still seeing live ones even though their are dead ones.  I guess Amdro may work but again what I have read is that you need to find the nest and treat that.

Therefore, since I can't tear down the walls and don't want to remove the air conditioning units off the top to access the roof, I thought I could release a fogger but I don't want to do more damage than good.

 

[majortom]

Here is what I was "PLANNING" on using: http://www.killsbugsdead.com/fop_cdrf.asp

 

[Ron]

As Gary suggested Amdro is good for getting to the nest.  The ants that do come out will get into it and carry it back to the nest for you.  It does work.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You should hope you have some other variety of large black ant because carpenter ants nest in damp/decaying wood (their carpentry tools aren't sharp enough to hollow out sound wood). 

Amdro is designed to let the ants themselves take the poison to the next, so that you do not have to physically locate it yourself.

I don't think a fogger will hurt anything - stick homes have similar furniture, paneling, etc.  If you use a fogger, make sure you open all cabinets doors, drawers, etc, to allow the fumes to fully penetrate enclosed areas.  Check the label to see if you have to wash dishes [or whatever] afterwards, but with most types the poison has a short life in open air and the fogged area is completely safe for humans and pets after a few hours.

 

[edjunior]

And I noticed on the page of your "plan", one of the precautions said to "turn off all gas", etc.  Especially important in an RV I would think.  One little spark could certainly lead to disaster.  Just something to think about with the "bomb".

 

[majortom]

Well, I bought a 3-pack of foggers and did one a day for 3 days.  Tons of dead ants!  I have not seen anymore.  I'm taking it camping this weekend so hopefully I am done with ants. 

 

[John From Detroit]

Two things you need to know about those bug bombs

1: They come in basically 2 flavors, Professional and "Home" grade

2: Home grade you need to bomb, bomb, and possibly bomb, at regular intervals, cause they do not have the staying power to kill the larva whic have yet to hatch so the problem returns in 1-2 weeks... Professional grade might.. See a vet for pro-grade.

 

[rjf7g]

To protect things like electronics when you bomb, get some painter's tape and newspaper...cover the stuff up without leaving sticky stuff every where.

 

[MLCBFarrell]

I started sprinkling the ground under our TT with Amdro, before hubby backs it into place. We didn't have a problem, but ant hills were really starting to bloom in areas around our yard and we thought it would help deter the ants before they found their way inside the RV. We also have a couple of those little black bait things for sugar ants inside some of the cabinets, since the kids always drop crumbs and you never know if you have them all cleaned up. In the winter when it sits, we also put out mouse bait, just in case one tries to climb in and keep warm in there!

LuAnn

 

[The Sofa King]

As i mentioned in another thread i am a licensed pest control expert here in PA...  i dont do much of the actual work but i run the pest contol department her at the factory i work at...  i do do some work on the side for family and friends and this is what i do for carpenter ants..

there are two types of carpenter ant problems... (if indeed they are carpenter ants)

1. Foraging invaders...  these are usually workers that have invaded your home looking for food to bring back to the nest... usually coming from a tree limb touching the roof of your trailer..


2. Colonization, if you have one... then you have water getting in some where...  carpenter ants dont eat dead decaying wood  they live in it because there is a readily available water source causing the decay..... and if you have decaying wood that you must have a leak some where...  find the leak and fix it remove and replace the damaged wood... in doing that you will find the nest... spray the nest with raid or any other commercial pesticide.. problem solved..

one thing you cna do to fid the nest is put down some cookie crumbs and watch an ant pick it up then watch where it goes... crude but effective..