Pest Control

RVs make inviting homes for a variety of pests if we don't take proper measure to prevent their intrusion.   I'm not talking about unwelcome 2-legged visitors, although they frequently qualify as pests.  You're pretty much on your own for managing them.  And, no, the bumper sticker that says "If this camper's rocking, don't come knocking" doesn't seem to to much good at deterring 2-legged pests!   If anything it might present a challenge and a kind of an invitation to curious, prurient, mischievous, or malicious people.  Doing a little skeet shooting might let potential intruders know you are an armed camp and make them think twice about bothering you.  However, insects and rodents are the most common pest problems in camp and when our equipment is in storage.  Both are attracted by the comfortable atmosphere in RVs and tents and by scraps of food or spills or any provisions they can chew their way into.  Sometimes they even like to snack on our clothes, bedding, and upholstery or even tents and vehicle wiring!

Tents can also attract pests.   If there are any organic stains on the tent, sleeping bag, or pack, it may attract bugs and rodents.  You don't have to be s sloppy eater in your tent to leave contamination that attract bugs.  Even crumbs too tiny for US to notice can be a real feast to hungry little beasties.  To be on the safe side, avoid eating in your tent unless bad weather makes it absolutely necessary.   Then be extra careful.  Even without food residues, dead skin cells and body oils left behind on tent and sleeping bad fabric feed a host of tiny bugs, but since we usually can't see them, most of us don't worry too much about them.   However, the larger critters that in turn feed on them do come to our attention.  Eventually, as you move up the food chain, you discover that raccoons and bears find your equipment a good source of food!  To minimize residues, first, avoid getting food or body fluids on your equipment.  Next, set up your tent and vacuum all surfaces thoroughly before you put it way. Clean off any bird dropping or other stains.  A clean, dry tent, rolled tight in storage, usually won't acquire much of a pest problem.  If the fabric is damp when it is rolled up you will invite mold and mildew and produce the most unpleasant and amazing odors.  Rodents usually avoid areas frequently in use by humans but leaving food in your tent while camping can attract various wildlife.  Rodents may be shy when we're in our RVs, but will jump at the chance to explore them as soon as we leave them for a while or put them in storage.   Bears, raccoons, and skunks are common unwanted visitors in camp as well as mice and rats if you leave food in your tent.  Of course any available edibles will also attract ants, roaches and other bugs who aren't so shy, so keep it clean.

To make your RV less attractive to pests, be sure to clean it thoroughly during and after each use. Make sure any spilled foods or open containers are cleaned up and removed from the cabinets and refrigerator.  Remove any provisions that bugs or rodents might chew their way into.   Boxes of cereal and packages of pasta are particularly susceptible.  Howevern even seal foil pouches, like MREs can be victims of chewing rodents.  When we were cleaning and inventorying our supplies at the fire house when I worked as a volunteer fireman we found most of or sealed MREs we had on hand for wildfire expeditions had been chewed into and ruined.  If you're going to keep stuff in your RV or your camp kit, make sure it is stored in tight metal or Tupperware style plastic containers to keep it safe.  Clean the counters, tables, floors, and upholstery to be sure there are no sticky spots or crumbs left to attract unwanted guests.   Check the crevices in your sofa and chairs. It is surprising what accumulates there!  You might even pick up some spare change.   Rodents are more likely to enter your RV when it is in storage, but they might sneak in while you're camping too.  Ants and other bugs can show up anytime.   Keeping your screens in good shape will help keep flying insects at bay.  Watch for wasp nests.  They like to build them wherever there is a protected area, like under your rolled up awning, inside wheel wells, and under the hood.  Keep a can of wasp spray handy in your RV.  Not only might be be necessary to get rid of wasps, in an emergency it can be nearly as effective as pepper spray in deterring an attack from a 2 or 4 legged aggressor.  It also has range of 15-20 feet to keep aggressors at a distance.  And you don't have to have any special training or license to use it.  If you do get insect infestations in your RV, you can use a "bug bomb" to fumigate it.   Close all the windows. Set off the "bug bomb" and let it work according to manufacturer's instructions. T hen open up all the windows and vents and thoroughly clear out the air.  An air freshener (spray or hanging type) can help restore a pleasant odor.  D-con can be used discreetly to control rodents while in storage.

Some easy and inexpensive ways to deter pest infestations include placing dryer sheets (used ones are OK and they're free!) in drawers,closets, and cabinets.  While the fragrance is usually appealing to humans, most pests don't like it and will stay way.  I prefer not to use them in drawers with kitchen utensils since I don't want my food tasting like dryer sheets.  Peppermint oil is a pretty pleasant alternative you can use anywhere and works pretty well to repel unwanted pests.  Dampen some cotton balls with peppermint oil and place them throughout your RV.  Moth balls are another good way to repel many pests, but don't over do it or your whole RV will smell like mothballs for months.  If you use them in closes and drawers where clothing, towels, or bedding are stored, the fabrics will absorb the odor until they are thoroughly laundered and even then is sometimes lingers.  Moth balls are quite effective at protecting clothing and other fabric items in closets and drawers but personally I'd rather not have my clothes or bedding smell like mothballs!

If you suspect a rodent problem or live in a rural area where rodents are prevalent, strategically place D-con or another mouse bait in your RV.  The advantage of D-con over traps is it desiccates the dead bodies so they dry out and don't smell as they decompose like they would if killed by a trap. Traps are messy and you have to check them, empty them, and reset them regularly for them to effective.  One of the fastest ways to tell if there is a rodent problem is to look for their droppings as well as looking for chewed packages. Things that look like black gains of rice in cupboards or on counters mean you've got mice.  If the droppings are more the size of beans, its rats or other larger animals.  There might be a rodent problem even if you don't see droppings.  Using D-con whenever your RV is in storage is a good precaution against them getting a foothold in your fortress.  I've seen rodents destroy wiring and upholstery in unprotected vehicles in storage.

Bugs and rodents often enter RVs by climbing up the shore power cord so make sure the hole where it exits your RV is tightly sealed.  Mice and rats can squeeze through surprisingly small openings.  You may be able to deter the invasion by sprinkling insect repellant all around the vehicle, especially around anything that touches the ground, like tires, hoses, and electrical cords.  Ants, roaches, and other bugs that do make it inside can usually be controlled with a commercial bug killer like Raid or a "bug bomb".  Bug bombs are do it yourself extermination systems.  You usually set them off inside the RV then skedaddle out quickly and shut the door.  The toxic fumes infiltrate everywhere,killing bugs in places you can't see and might not even know about.  Don't re-enter the RV until after the waiting period given in the instructions or YOU could get seriously ill, then open up the vents and windows and it air out thoroughly before you occupy it again.

I recently saw an "RV Pest Kit" that claims to be all natural and chemical free.   The $25.00 kit claims to deter all kinds of rodents and insects and to be adequate for any sized RV.  Its a little pricey but if it works, it is well worth it.  For more information see RV Pest Kit.

Don't leave perishable foods in your RV or in your tent camping bins.  Make sure an non-perishable provisions are stored in sealed containers. Wipe any spills off bottles like syrup, honey, and cooking oil and make sure they are tightly closed.  You probably don't want to leave cooking oils in storage too long or they'll get rancid.

Birds can become pests by building nests in vents and other sheltered places.  Sometimes you can keep them away by installing streamers that blow in the wind.  Get rid of any nesting materials as soon as you discover them.  Nests in refrigerator vents are quite common and present a definite fire hazard.  Nests in sewer vents can cause odors to back up inside the vehicle.  Birds also leave droppings that are unsightly, unpleasant, unsanitary, and can damage the finish on your RV.

There are screens you can install over furnace vents to inhibit insects from entering and building nests.  However, some furnace manufacturers advise against installing anything that will interfere with the air or exhaust flow.  Using screens on these may invalidate your warranty and could prove dangerous.  Installing screens during storage should not be a problem, but to be sure you comply with manufacturers recommendations, remove them before use.  If you don't use screens or even if you do, inspect the furnace and refrigerator vents and the external compartment of the hot water heater before each trip and remove any evidence of infestations before igniting them.  Infestations can interfere with performance, may create nasty smelling smoke,  and could even cause a fire.

Speaking of screens, you'll want to keep your window screens in good repair so you an have fresh air in camp without inviting a lot of unwanted visitors in.  Damaged screens are fairly easy to repair with nylon screen readily available at any hardware store or home center.  You may have to buy a tool to install the spline that secures the screen into the tracks around the frame.  You should be able to buy replacement spline if yours is brittle or has gotten lost or damaged.  To remove the old screen find one end of the spline and pry it loose with a sharp object like an ice pick or pocket knife.  Then simply pull it out and remove the old screen.  Cut a piece of new screen slightly larger than the frame and lay it over the frame.  Make sure the channels for the spline are facing up.  Then, using the appropriate roller tool, roll the spline into the channel to secure the screen.  That usually stretches the screen just enough to make it taut unless you have wrinkles in it when you lay it out.  Don't pull it too tight or it will distort the frame so it doesn't fit back in the window properly.  Then trim off any excess screen and put the new screen back in the window.

Something about propane attracts certain types of spiders who build nests just inside the orifice of the burners on gas appliances.  You will want to use insect sprays around the vents and access doors to discourage them from entering.  Then, be sure to clean the burners and orifices when you get your RV out of storage again.  Sometimes the spiders will get too large to exit through orifice after building a web inside and you'll find their dried up bodies in the tubing along with the web.  Kind of revolting, but pretty much harmless.  There are special brushes on springy shafts that can be used to clean the gas tubing on appliances.  You may need a needle or a tiny drill bit to clear the openings on orifices, but be very careful.   The orifices are precisely engineered and hard steel needles or drill bits may alter the size or shape and render them ineffective or even dangerous.  Try to clean them first with compressed air and to loosen any deposits with a wooden toothpick before resorting the metal tools.  And don't forget to check your portable BBQ and any other propane appliances you may have.  Speaking of BBQs, the food residue left on uncleaned grills can rot and if it isn't burned off before the next meal is laid on it, contaminate whatever you cook next.  Residue on the grill and droppings beneath it also attract insects and rodents.  Its all too easy to forget about lanterns, camp stoves, and portable catalytic heaters that may not be used very often until you get an unpleasant surprise when they don't work when you try to use them, which will probably be when you're cold and wet and least in the mood to deal with cleaning them!   Regularly check and clean the orifices and, where appropriate, the tubing on all propane appliances.

Be pest free.