Insect invasion

[Tim D.]

Our 1991 Bigfoot 17 cannot natively repel insects. The soft parts of the sliding windows have gaps. Also, the window draining weeps allow insect ingress. Of course the no-see-ums come right through mosquito mesh. I can take being outside with annoying insects but I refuse to tolerate being bitten in my little house. I also refuse to use insect repellant on my body or on my window screens.

To keep the critters out I have installed removable no-see-um mesh over the insides of the window frames. 3M 5200 adhesive does a pretty good job of adhering sew-on Velcro to the aluminum frame and a very good job of adhering the same to the no-see-um mesh. Fabric ribbon backs the 5200 where it oozes through the mesh. The mesh I bought from Seattle Fabrics.

With these defenses installed over windows and vent openings mosquitoes and no-see-ums cannot enter. Ventilation is poor, but a powered fan like a MaxxFan helps a lot. For a personal fan, the Caframo 12-volt fan is powerful and quiet.

So, bugs cannot enter when our defenses are up. The problem is that we must occassionally exit and enter our Bigfoot. During those moments that the door is open, more insects enter than you might think when they are swarming outside.

To deal with the interlopers, for years we have used the paddle bug zappers commonly available for about $5. They work just fine on mosquitoes, especially those resting on curtains and screens.

Where these paddles fail is with no-see-ums. The no-see-ums tend to spring through the paddle without contacting the electrified mesh. I have found a paddle that zaps the no-see-ums much more effectively than the usual paddle. It seems much more powerful than the typical paddle and can liquidate some insects, leaving no visible remains. I have had some success nailing mosquitoes in mid-air.

The paddle is BLACK FLAG bug zapper Model # ZR-7936 and is still available. I have no connection with this product, I just believe it works better than the others. I have a little problem with the spring-loaded power button sticking at times. I can live with that.

[Borden]

Will have to check it our
Thanks

[Jeffrey F.]

Warrior Supreme, $20 on Amazon. 4000 volts, runs off 2 C size batteries. Used it at night in Alaska, looks like a sparkler going thru a cloud of mosquitoes. Works great on no-see-ums.

Kind of big to use inside the trailer, and you can't kill them all using it outdoors. Does explain why a lot of times no one camps next to us. Driving up and seeing a crazy guy swearing and running around swinging a tennis racket tends to make a lot of people drive on.

Yeah, your probably better off just sticking with the Black Flag paddles...

Jeff