# What's French for ant trap?



## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

We have an infestation of ants in the van. 

I've been looking online and apparently the best thing is to get an ant trap, or several, which contains a gel that they like and, crucially, carry back to the nest. And so it kills them all, not just the ones you see. 

I was in an Intermarche today but could see only the spray-type thing but I think that wouldn't do the job of getting rid of the ones I can't see. 

Does anyone know exactly what I should be looking for in France? And where I'm likely to get it? Bricolage perhaps? Tho I did have a look on the Bricomarche website and couldn't find what I was looking for. 

As it gets close to bedtime I'm sorry I didn't get the spray anyway. I woke suddenly at about 1.30am from a very deep sleep, with an ant running round the inner rim of my nostril... Eeeeeek!!!! Needless to say there wasn't much more sleep to be had!


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Not sure how available they are, but what you are looking for are;

pièges à fourmis

Most commonly used is an aerosol spray which puts down a thin foam, the ants die on contact and it is very effective if you can find their entry point - we have that for use in the house when they started to come in under a window... spray, and they die and do not come back again....

Dave


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Thanks Penguin. I'll write that on my shopping list (tho I still haven't managed to track down a 2A fuse!) 

I think I'd prefer the trap. We're on the move so they're not still entering the van. And I did read that they can raise a replacement queen from an egg that's less than 3 days old. So if they're nesting behind the walls, as seems likely, it would be better to kill them all off back there than than target them as I see them. 

They're very interesting and fascinating creatures outdoors - but not in my van!!


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## dlball (Apr 24, 2013)

Hi, we got some last year in Champion I believe,in the garden section, they are quite flat, about a cm tall and pentagon shaped, in packs of two, you snap off a few pieces for them to go in and out of and they did do the trick.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yes they are usually found in the household sections of supermarkets.
Often packaged in 2 or 4 round bright yellow spheres with pop out holes on each or all sides.
They contain something like Nippon ant killer gel and more gel can be bought to top them up.

Quite expensive as I remember at about €10. But we are still using the old ones and get some Nippon brought over by visiting friends.

Ray.


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## salomon (Apr 20, 2011)

They come in all sorts of colours. We have red and blue on the go at the moment. You will find them in suoermarkets and Bricos. Round ish , usually 2 to a pack.
They work very well.


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## Baron1 (Mar 9, 2011)

In Italy a few years ago we had a problem with ants entering the van, a German lady came over with some self raising flour and sprinkled it round our wheels where they touched the ground, no more ants!!
Apparently the ants eat the flour and explode!! Nice. :roll:


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

As an aside.

Do you know that formic acid is secreted by ants?

Formic is derived from the Italian formi and hence the French fourmi, ants.

JWW What you experienced in bed was formication - the sensation of ants crawling over the skin!


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Oh, pippin, I don't think I want to know that!! 

Thank you all for the great information. Does anyone happen to know the brand name? I didn't see anything like that alongside the sprays etc in intermarche.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Well, I managed to get ant traps yesterday - Kapo Expert Fourmis, 4 for the price of 3, about 9€50 - from Bricomarche. 

By the time I found them the ants were much less in evidence, and there was no obvious 'line' of them.

I put a trap down on a shelf under the sink but the few I saw round there didn't seem at all interested. However, as instructed, I just left it there. 

This morning there was a continuous line to and from the trap, and they were entering it. However, I still couldn't see where they were coming from. 

But this evening I haven't seen any around the trap. So hopefully they're all gone. 

I'll leave it in place a few more days just in case. 

Thanks to all for the help. Life is much more comfortable now


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

Is this any use?


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## BillCreer (Jan 23, 2010)

Le trap de ma tante.

That one year of O level French wasn't a total waste of time.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Thanks Keith, it looks like that one is pushed into the soil so it would be good if you were stopping in the one place for a while. 

The ones I got are about the diameter of a digestive biscuit and about 1-1.5cm thick do ideal for setting on a surface in the van. 

Bill, you never know what you might attract! Live in hope!!


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## Rankins (May 1, 2005)

Hen we had an infestation they were living behind the fridge. We took off the fridge vents that were black with ants. I did spray in that area but please bear in mind there is a naked flame there.


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Rankins, you made me feel quite at home there (I'm Scottish). Hen, we had....! Thank you!


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## readyforoff (Dec 28, 2013)

Once they're in they have to be dealt with but the only logical point of entry can be via the tyres so if on sandy ground I spray the lower tyre area. I like the less polluting flour idea though. Does anybody know if it's a genuine solution or piff paff ?


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