How to Keep the Ants Out of Your Caravan

How to Keep the Ants Out of Your Caravan

Let alone if they decide to go to your pants drawer. More likely, you will find these pests around your window seals, on your bench tops, in your pantry and in your food supply. It may even come to a point where you get so fed up with it all you may question whether caravanning is still for you. Before you decide to take any drastic measures you’ll regret, we have prepared a list of tips for both ant prevention and ant eradication to help you put an action plan in place and get rid of them for good – hopefully.

Phase 1: Prevention

  • Keep all food in airtight containers. Pegs on packets won’t cut it if you’re serious about keeping the ants out.
  • Clean up any spills straight away. This includes coaster rings and food crumbs. Don’t just wipe your food crumbs onto the caravan floor, make sure you collect the crumbs and wash them down the sink. Or if you need to use the dustpan and brush take the dirt and crumbs far from the van. Don’t put the crumbs into your interior caravan bin.
  • Rinse all of your dirty dishes before leaving them in the sink. Better yet, if you can, wash your dishes straight away.
  • Empty your bin regularly. Use a small bin inside your caravan to prevent the temptation of leaving it too long between emptying.
  • When you are leaving the caravan for a couple of months make sure you empty stored food from the pantry. Give the cupboards a good clean once the food is cleared to remove any sweet scents that may linger.
  • Cinnamon is known for its natural repelling scent, leave some cinnamon sticks in the corners of your cupboards to keep the ants away. Other natural remedies include peppermint oil and tea tree oil.
  • After your time away place ant-kill around the jockey wheel and tyres to prevent the ants from entering the caravan from the ground.
  • Don’t park too close to overhanging leaves and branches. If any leave or branches are touching the roof of your caravan, you are giving a permission slip to the ants to enter your caravan via the roof.

Phase 2: Eradication

  • Sprinkle talcum powder across the visible ant trails. Also sprinkle it near the tyres and anything else that touches the ground. It is a non-toxic way to deter the ants. Good if you have pets and children around too.
  • Head to your local Woolworths or Coles to see what eradication products they have. If your van is infested in the walls you will need something strong to draw them out and get back to the Queen ant. Make sure you read the directions carefully.
  • Wipe down surfaces with vinegar. The scent will repel the ants. If you don’t notice results straight away be patient as it may take a while to encourage an entire nest to move on.
  • Call your local pest control company and see if they are able to apply their household methods to your caravan. Most will be able to assist you and coordinate a specialised treatment plan to suit your problem and concerns. If the problem is quite deep in the structure of the caravan it is worth paying a professional to treat it accordingly. 

We hope you have found some of these tips and tricks useful for keeping your caravan free from those pesky ants and their friends. Try and remember that prevention really is the best cure and doing little things every day will go a long way in ensuring your home on wheels is pest free. 


DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.


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