Bugs at Campsite & then Inside Oliver ~~~

[Steve-Gwenne]

[attachment file=20180930_174103.jpg]

 

When we arrived at Jekyll Island State Park, a swarm of flying termites settled under our door mat. The Camp Host stated he would have someone spray & they may have but in the meantime we had left for dinner. Upon returning that evening we had several of the termites in the camper. It appears I had inadvertnely left a screen open a wee bit. We eventually got rid of the termites. BUT, then we had ants!! The day before we left another camper stated that they had been told to spray for ants around the outside of their camper. We immediatley went out & got some spray. However, that left the ants still inside the camper. We seem to have gotten rid of 99% of them. :)))

 

So, has anyone had a bug problem & if so, how did you did eradicate the buggers?? I had communicated with Jason, service guy, about the termites & he said some folks put boric acid powder down in the lower shell. Has anyone done this & if so, what is the "lower shell" & how do you access it?

 

Regardless of the above, Jekyll Island SP is beautiful --- the tall live oaks with spanish moss shade the entire campground; except for Section A, where we were placed. :)))[attachment file=20180930_174103.jpg]

[SeaDawg]

I've heard that ants love termites... but I thought they followed subterranean termites. Never thought about them following swarming buggers...

 

You don't have a lot of concern with the termites in a fiberglass camper, though I'd still spray if flying termites  got into my interior, because of the wood drawers.

 

The ants are easier... My favorite is ant gel. Or, if you have pets, the ant traps with ant gel inside. Several companies make them. COMMAND is good. So are most.

 

You can start by wondering the entry trails. I was told ants follow the trail left by others. The windex helps to confuse them.

 

Amdro granules on the ground outside the trailer are also helpful, if you have a campsite with ant problems. Ants take it back to the colony. I've never carried or tried an ant spray.

 

Many of us in Florida have treated interior wall cavities of homes with a boric acid powder puffer. Never really considered it in the camper. It's a powder. Don't  know how much good it would do if it gets damp with condensation.

 

I'm sure some good gel traps or gel at points of visibility and entry will resolve your issues.  All the ground dwellers  have been driven up with the rain. It's your camper, or drown....for them.

 

Sherry

[SeaDawg]

I've heard that ants love termites... but I thought they followed subterranean termites. Never thought about them following swarming buggers...

 

You don't have a lot of concern with the termites in a fiberglass camper, though I might still spray if a huge swarm of flying termites  got into my interior, because of the wood drawers. But don't go crazy if you can't.  There's not a lot of food source for termites in an oliver.

 

The ants are easier... My favorite is ant gel. Or, if you have pets, the ant traps with ant gel inside. Several companies make them. COMMAND is good. So are most.

 

You can start by windexing the entry trails. I was told ants follow the trail left by others. The windex helps to confuse them.

 

Amdro granules on the ground outside the trailer are also helpful, if you have a campsite with ant problems. Ants take it back to the colony. I've never carried or tried an ant spray. It kills too many things I don't want to kill...

 

Many of us in Florida have treated interior wall cavities of homes with a boric acid powder puffer. Never really considered it in the camper. It's a powder. Don't  know how much good it would do if it gets damp with condensation.

 

I'm sure some good gel traps or gel on wax paper or foil at points of visibility and entry will resolve your issues.  All the ground dwellers  have been driven up with the rain. It's your camper, or drown....for them.

 

Sherry

[Geronimo John]

I'm not so sure that "ants love termites".  What I do know is that after a termite colony is eliminated, that ants LOVE to take over the tunnels that termites make in your wood.  It not only saves them a huge amount of effort in making their colony, but it also provides them protection as well.  Since termites tend to reside where there is a water source, the ants have almost all of the elements they need to thrive.  The last is food, and that's easy to find where we humans live.

 

I do not recommend spraying for pests inside a trailer.  Especially an Oliver as it is a very well sealed environment (Four season reason).  Hence we are encouraged to open windows and/or use our MaxFan.  What I do recommend is trapping (Mice, rats etc.) and baiting (Ants, termites, etc.).  Trapping (Sticky boards, spring traps, or enclosed traps) mice and rats "captures" the body thereby preventing a poisoned and dying critter from hiding in an impossible location and stinking up our trailer.  Better to know where he died (in the trap) and removing him with the trap verses looking for hours for the source of the stink.

 

For ants, I recommend Tarro.  Ants take it back to their nest and in short order it dies too.   I have found that some ants will ignore Tarro.  In such cases, try another brand.  But the best overall inside use first choice is always Tarro.

 

 

[John E Davies]

what is the “lower shell” & how do you access it?

 

Jason means inside the main hull. There is an upper and lower “shell” that are bonded together along the center. When you look inside any interior compartment, you are seeing the inside insulation of the lower shell.

 

Even with all human sized openings secured, small creatures can still crawl up into the interior through the dozen or so half inch drain holes underneath. I don’t have this problem here, but if I were you I would consider plugging all those “weep holes” with a very fine mesh, perhaps a 3M Scotch Brite red pad, cut into tiny squares. I don’t think they should be left in over the winter though, you definitely do not want them to freeze up solid and block the drains... ... https://www.amazon.com/Scuff-Pads-Scotch-Brite-Brand/dp/B00MBPT0F8

 

While you are under there look at all the drain hoses sticking down, and make sure they all are sealed properly to the hull. Add sealant where needed to block that point of entry. Bugs don’t need a lot of room... Don’t worry about them crawling into the inside of the hoses themselves. A hose may possibly get blocked by a nest but the bugs cannot get inside the hull by that route.

 

John Davies

 

Spokae WA

[mountainoliver]

The lower weep holes (at least on my Oliver) have screen glued inside. As far as ants are concerned, we had them last spring in our travels. I got a small bag of Seven powder and sprinkled it around the outside everywhere something from the trailer touched the ground to prevent any more ants from getting inside. I also sprinkled a little all around the edges inside the main cabin. We have “wall to wall” indoor/outdoor carpet so the powder wasn’t in the open. I later just vacuumed the powder up.

[Geronimo John]

The only problem I have had is when camping in grass or weeds that reach up and rub on the steps into Ollie.  My solution was to stow the steps, turn our outside mat 90 degrees, and slide it under the area under the steps.  Step on it a few times to crush the grass/weeds down, re-deploy the steps and pull the mat out a bit for wiping our feet of debris.  This eliminated the ant superhighway into our Ollie.