Are you getting ants inside your caravan?
No matter how many times you spray them, do they keep returning?
Did you know, it could indicate a leak in the structure of your van?
Quite regularly, when we carry out re-sheeting of a caravan (where we remove and re-clad the side or end of a van), we will find a relatively large infestation of ants living in the sidewall of the van. Normally, their nest is located in a damp area where there has been, or is a leak, allowing a small amount of water to enter the wall of the van. No matter how much you spray ant killer inside the van, it won't reach their nest.
The best prevention is cure – by having your seals regularly maintained as part of your annual service. But, if you do suspect an ant infestation, there's a few options.
- Find the source of the ants – follow their tracks and see where they disappear through the wall of floor. See if you can see a trail leaving the van and going back to the ground. Somewhere between these two points will be the nest. Most commonly the nest is in the lower part of the frame as this is where water pools.
- Spray insecticide into the wall of the van. How do you do this? Well, you need to drill hole(s) into the interior wall of your van, then inject the spray through it. These holes can normally be repaired easily, and if done in inconspicuous places, are really not noticable when patched.
- FIX THE PROBLEM! Killing the ants is only a temporary solution. You need to fix the leak. Normally leaks are caused by insufficient sealing around the edge mould (the joiner strip that connects the roof to the side wall). Much of the time, sealing the edge of the edge mould is not enough, you need to remove the edge mould, clean off existing sealants, and install a new edge mould with correct sealants underneath.
- Using a moisture probe can help identify wet areas quickly.
