Man's strange find in caravan divides Aussies: 'INFESTED'

An Aussie man was left baffled after he discovered small black mounds that looked like dust and debris around his caravan.

“Any ideas what this is?” the bewildered man asked in a post on a Facebook group for campers and caravan owners this week.

Members were quick to chime in, with many sharing their speculations on what kind of infestation it could be, while others suggested the find may actually be something less menacing.

“Not sure, but it appears to be swarf from drilling holes in metal during construction. Vibration from driving has caused the swarf to accumulate in heaps around the caravan,” one person opined, which was seconded by others.

The small black mounds seen in the Aussie man's caravan.
One Aussie's discovery in his caravan has baffled a number of people on social media, with many speculating it was some form of infestation. Credit: Facebook

“Is it spider eggs?” another member asked, while someone guessed: “Daddy long legs (eggs and poo)”.

“Frame rot I’d say … we had the same,” one person suggested, while another joked: “Someone got a lot of lotto scratchies for Christmas.”

Other members suggested the infestation could be caused by termites, while some chimed in saying it could be the work of mosquitoes or beetles.

Many members of the group however, were convinced that the man’s caravan is infested by ants.

“My guess is you’ve got a colony of ants in your walls,” one person wrote, while another shared: “I would say it is ant dirt. I had it in my old caravan and it in the walls and gets shaken down [sic].”

“Yep, it’s their tiny little dead bodies,” someone else chimed.

What the experts say

Warren Bailey, Director for ABC Pest Control, confirmed with Yahoo News Australia that the mound is indeed an infestation.

“The image appears to be the work of native Australian Black Ants,” Bailey validated, “It’s actually quite common this time of the year, especially if the caravan has been locked up and it’s scorching.”

“The main cause of this infestation is due to the summer weather. The ants appear to be looking for food sources to build a home,” he explained. “Although these ants do not bite or sting, they can multiply quickly becoming a hazard to food sources,” Bailey said, but explained further that ants do carry bacteria due to places they travel, and can therefore be unhygienic.

To prevent black house ants from breeding, Bailey advised to call on expert pest control.

“If professional Australian Standard pest sprays and or gels are applied the problem should be rectified within a week,” he recommended. “The spray is applied and the ants will cross over the path of the spray and will take it back to the nest. In relation to professional gels the ants will eat the gel and again take it back to the nests.”

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