The following comments have been gleaned from RV
discussion groups. The first comment is lengthy and fairly comprehensive. The
others are shorter...
(1) "Sounds like carpenter or bull ants. They like sweet stuff, and forage
at night. They are common around oak trees, and nest there.
The 20 Mule Team Borax is a good , safe answer to get the ones inside. It works
well as long as it does not get wet. You can make little bait traps with it by
blending it with Karo syrup and heating it up, then let it cool down a little,
and pour it into jar lids, or bottle caps. These will last for a good while.
On the outside, they come from the ground, or occasionally will drop from an
overhanging tree limb. Mix the 20 Mule team with some Vaseline, and smear it on
the surfaces where you suspect entry.
This is a little safer than spraying bug spray on your water line, or anything
else that you are going to handle bare handed.
The weak point in the total seal of a camper is the A/C. Watch those
overhanging branches when parking. The bottom of the unit could develop, over
time, areas where bugs could enter. Easy to fix with a can of automotive
undercoating spray along seams and joints.
Once one worker ant locates a food source, it returns to the nest leaving a
phemerone trail for the others to follow. Some ants only forage at night,
making them a little more difficult to detect.
The worst thing that could happen is that they nest in the walls or frame of
the camper. Baits are the safest way to get them then. In the last few years,
ants surpassed the mighty cockroach as the #1 structural pest in the US.
The key to controlling them is identification of the species. Then you will
know what control measures to use. Before using any pesticides, read and
understand the label. Believe it or not, its federal law.
(I am a licensed pest control operator in Fl.)"
additional comments by others:
(2) Go to Wal-Mart & pickup a bag of ant
Killer (granules) and lay a good amount around your trailer tires and
everything that comes in contact with the ground. For the Ants inside, buy a
spray called Hot Shot.
Another product for indoor use would be "Terro Ant Killer". I don't
know if it's even still available but when I still lived in the south I had an
ant problem and it worked great for me. It's the consistency of clear KAYRO
Syrup. Once you find where they're coming in, just put some of this stuff on a
cotton ball, place it in their path and they take it back to the nest and share
the poison with their buddies and pretty soon your problem is over and you
don't have to spray aerosols in your camper.
Hope you can find it. Knowing my luck though, it was found unacceptable by the
EPA and has been banned. :-)
.........
(3) I found this on the web somewhere (?) A safe and effective non-poisonous
ant bait.
1 teaspoon of boric acid powder
6 tablespoons of sugar
2 cups of warm water
Mix all ingredients together. Fill small yogurt or fruit cups with cotton that
has been soaked in the solution. Cut 4 small round holes in the bottom (just
big enough that the ants have access.) After 3 days, no more ants. I know it
will be difficult to watch the ants come and go, but don't interfere, in about
3 days time they will have taken enough of the solution back to the nest to
kill out the entire mess. Re-soak cotton as needed.
........
(4) I have made a solution with boric acid, karo and a little water. Heat to
help dissolve and mix. Place a little on a business card and place where ants
travel. It works like the cotton solution. In a few days no more ants.
.........
(5) Here's a quick fix we've used. Just sprinkle something like Ajax cleaning
powder around where they maybe trying to invade the unit. I've sprinkled it
around the tires, water line, power line, anything that touches the ground and
for some reason said ant's disappear. Not a permanent fix, just temporary until
we move on to another campground.
.......
(6) We've got lots of ants where we go camping. We just pickup a box of Borax
or two at the supermarket and pour it around our tires in a continuous ring. It
kind of looks like the lines on a football field. We boondock so there are no
power, sewer or water hookups to do this to. We have seen others make the
circle around the entire campsite including the coach and picnic tables. We
haven't had any problems yet.
........
(7) The borax treatment works really well and it can be used at home also. It
will help control other critters such as scorpions from coming into your house
uninvited. Just put a ring on the ground around the house.