Wasps and mud daubers

[War Eagle]

Spring is just around the corner here in the south, and with it will be coming this year's wave of wasps and mud daubers. Outside of completely wrapping the camper in cellophane, what is the next best solution for keeping such winged vermin out of the inner workings and underpinnings of a camper?

[madjack]

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...insect+screens
I have the 2 water heater and the 2 sets of Dometic fridge insect screens...they have worked well so far...on the AC, I take the shroud off(before spring), remove any mud dauber or wasp nests...I then spray the uncovered inside of the AC unit with bifen ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )...it is a long lasting pro grade insecticide...after a bit, the wasps and daubers go elsewhere...I also spray exterior compartments and use some roach pills and d-con spread around in those compartments as well...no buggies so far
madjack
p.s. I also use LHC's shore power bug guard... Store | Little House Customs ...............mj
p.p.s. also use black duct tape placed over holes in end of bumper caps to stop the waspies from entering all sneaky like..............mj

[War Eagle]

Thanks, Jack, for your quick feedback and helpful suggestions.

[pholloway]

I also put the guards from LHC on for my furnace and hot water heater. For my bumper I put these on. Camco No Insect RV Bumper Cap Sewer Hose Storage Cover RV Camper Travel Trailer. I bought them off of Ebay.

[BobH.]

On our Scamper 13 Std. ( no water heater of frig)I put aluminum tape over the furnace vents. Keeps everything out. When I need the furnace I pull the tape off.

BobH.

[JessieJanet]

We bought pet flea collars and put them on the shroud of the a/c, and in the w/h box. We have not had any issues with them, at all. When we bought our 5th wheel, there were even dauber nest under the window protector screens. We check them periodically for problems, but so far, none! We have had Mae West (our curvaceous Scamp), for almost 2 years. Probably time to replace the collars! Thanks for the reminder!

[stude]

Originally Posted by madjack

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...insect+screens
I have the 2 water heater and the 2 sets of Dometic fridge insect screens...they have worked well so far...on the AC, I take the shroud off(before spring), remove any mud dauber or wasp nests...I then spray the uncovered inside of the AC unit with bifen ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )...it is a long lasting pro grade insecticide...after a bit, the wasps and daubers go elsewhere...I also spray exterior compartments and use some roach pills and d-con spread around in those compartments as well...no buggies so far
madjack
p.s. I also use LHC's shore power bug guard... Store | Little House Customs ...............mj
p.p.s. also use black duct tape placed over holes in end of bumper caps to stop the waspies from entering all sneaky like..............mj

: any of those mean bugs and I mean never, then again in BC the only bugs we get here are Mosquitoes, maybe a wasp or two but not in Campers. Another item that might work for you guys is the newer type of screens that snap together once you go through it?? that way bugs don't get much of a chance of getting inside. I use on shot on Wasp Nests as it lets me stand 20' away and I get them every time, they do not stay around once I've hit them a time or two.
I was once told that the Mud daubers like getting into Fridge Screens or screens similar but never had that problem and I been just like song says Everywhere.
Stude

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by War Eagle

Spring is just around the corner here in the south, and with it will be coming this year's wave of wasps and mud daubers. Outside of completely wrapping the camper in cellophane, what is the next best solution for keeping such winged vermin out of the inner workings and underpinnings of a camper?

When hooked to shore power there's usually space around the cord coming out of the trailer. We have found a cheap 2 inch piece of pool noodle around the cord and pushed into the hole keeps everything out while camping. It doesn't fit all the way around but keeps the hole completely covered. Whe we break camp we just put the little piece in with the cord in the compartment. When it gets yucky we just cut another piece off of the one at home and sometimes carry a second one just in case we lose one. You can make many out of a $1 store pool noodle.

[mary and bob]

I agree with Madjack on the LHC shore power cord bug guard. Seals the opening real nice.

[Glenn Baglo]

Wouldn't a rag seal the opening just as well, and serve dual purpose since you can use it to wipe the cord when putting it away?

[madjack]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Wouldn't a rag seal the opening just as well, and serve dual purpose since you can use it to wipe the cord when putting it away?

...yeah, but it wouldn't look near as purty...if the cord was nasty enough to need wiping down, I would probably have gloves on...or just wipe my hands down my jeans(they were made for that...doanchano).......
madjack

[madjack]

Originally Posted by stude

: any of those mean bugs and I mean never, then again in BC the only bugs we get here are Mosquitoes, maybe a wasp or two but not in Campers. Another item that might work for you guys is the newer type of screens that snap together once you go through it?? that way bugs don't get much of a chance of getting inside. I use on shot on Wasp Nests as it lets me stand 20' away and I get them every time, they do not stay around once I've hit them a time or two.
I was once told that the Mud daubers like getting into Fridge Screens or screens similar but never had that problem and I been just like song says Everywhere.
Stude

Stude, we are pretty tropical down here, if it crawls, slithers or flys and bites or is annoying, we have 'em...and for about 10mos out of the year, if not year long...we haven't had any hard weather this winter and the skeeters(state bird) have never gone away...the turkeys are very skeeeeered
madjack

[steve dunham]

The best repellant I have found for unwanted insects is snow and cold weather . I shoveled out my trailer the other day and did not encounter any insects except for a few harmless snow fleas .
Snow and Cold ; cheap and environmentally safe.

[madjack]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

The best repellant I have found for unwanted insects is snow and cold weather . I shoveled out my trailer the other day and did not encounter any insects except for a few harmless snow fleas .
Snow and Cold cheap and environmentally safe.

Steve, down here, snow and cold are neither cheap or environmentally safe...quite the opposite in fact!!!
madjack

p.s. we do know about the snow snake dangers y'all face...while bad, they aren't quite in league with rattleback cotton moccasins.........mj

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by madjack

Steve, down here, snow and cold are neither cheap or environmentally safe...quite the opposite in fact!!!
madjack

p.s. we do know about the snow snake dangers y'all face...while bad, they aren't quite in league with rattleback cotton moccasins.........mj

When I was a kid , I was taught that good things come from places that are cold like snow ,elves and Santa Claus and bad things came from places that are hot like the Devil and Hell .
So far in my nearly 70 years of life the above parable has held pretty true.
Never seen a snow snake but we are going to be in the upper 30's today ( Heatwave) so the snow fleas will be out in abundance but don't worry they don't bite

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by madjack

...yeah, but it wouldn't look near as purty...if the cord was nasty enough to need wiping down, I would probably have gloves on...or just wipe my hands down my jeans(they were made for that...doanchano).......
madjack

A rag would seal it maybe but if it rains it will wick the water into the electric compartment. You want something that is water resistant or waterproof.