Few things are more relaxing than the great outdoors. But a lovely trip to your favorite camping destination can easily be ruined if your RV is overrun with ants, flies or other annoying pests. RV insect control is a constant struggle, just like keeping them out of your own home.
Read on to learn the best tips for RV insect control by minimizing the reasons they visit and the ways they can enter your RV or surrounding area.
It All Starts with a Clean RV
The best RV insect control tip you’ll ever hear: a clean RV is a bug-free RV. No matter the insect (or wild animal) you want to avoid, avoid giving them a reason to visit your RV and you’ll quickly realize that they’ll find greener pastures to graze. Common bugs you may find in storage or at a campsite are on the lookout for food. If your RV doesn’t have anything that can feed them, they’ll have no reason to stick around.
Regularly cleaning your RV is a good habit to get into for RV insect control and to just help you enjoy your trips that much more. Good RV cleaning includes:
- Wiping down counters after every use
- Dispose of/pack away all uneaten foods
- Pitch your trash in RV park containers whenever possible
- Wash dishes immediately
Ultimately, the more steps you take to keep your RV clean, the fewer bugs you’ll see. Keep in mind that this extends beyond the interior of your RV! If you’re camping and set food out on a park table or just outside your RV, the bugs will come, and they will scour every inch around your RV. It’s already important campground etiquette to keep your campsite clean, but it also plays a major role in RV insect control!
Store Food Securely
If you’re going on an RV trip, you’ll likely be bringing your own food. Everything from cold cuts stored in your RV fridge to dry food packed away in every cabinet you have, any open containers are an invitation to the millions of miniature scavengers that inhabit the parks you love to visit.
Common travel tips for RVs include storing foods in resealable containers with locking or snap-shut lids. Unlike clipping a bag closed or folding a cereal box shut, these containers help keep your food fresh and make it difficult for insects to identify the nearby food source. As an added benefit, these containers reduce your chances of a sudden stop or accident from spilling food all over your RV kitchen!
Shop for Insect Screens
If bugs decide to investigate your RV, one of the most common ways they make it in will be through vents. Your RV likely has several exterior access points that are plenty big enough for common ants, spiders and other annoying pests. Fortunately, RV insect screens exist that can be installed around these access points that make it much harder for insects to find their way in while still letting the vents function safely and efficiently.
Insect screens are available from several different retailers and come in several different shapes. Some of them are designed to be easily installed over refrigerator vents, furnace vents and even your water heater vents. These are often an easy DIY job and will go a long way to helping with your RV insect control efforts.
Minimize Standing Water
Food isn’t the only thing luring insects into your RV – they’re also after easy sources of water. Often, these are some of the most annoying insects you can deal with, like mosquitoes! Any source of standing water will potentially lead these bugs to hanging around in or outside your RV:
- Sinks
- Toilets
- Showers
- Kiddie pools
Even puddles formed from dumping water bottles or a spilled cooler can lure out an army of insects. Do your best to flush away any standing water and try to avoid spills that can create puddles. Of course, never drain any of your tanks anywhere but designated dump stations. Not only is it unsanitary and poor campground behavior, it creates a hotspot for insects and ruins the experience for you and other campers.
Bug Deterrents
Lastly, if you want to keep bugs away, don’t underestimate the value of old-fashioned bug deterrents. It’s common for experienced campers to keep a bottle or two of bug spray in their camping kits. The last thing you want on a long RV weekend is a dozen itchy mosquito bites.
If you’re worried about chemicals, there are other potential deterrents to insects that don’t require bug sprays. Diatomaceous earth is a popular and natural deterrent that keeps insects away. Even better, it can be easily washed away when you’re cleaning up your campsite.
There are plenty of recipes online for potential insect repellents that use anything from lemon eucalyptus to lavender oil. If you know of a good home remedy that’s safe and effective, mix some up and keep it with you on your RV trip! It’s not a bad idea to do a little research into the ecosystem of a campground that you plan to visit – you may learn a thing or two about what bugs to expect and how to protect yourself against them.
Contact RV Wholesale Superstore
The professionals at RV Wholesale Superstore are ready to help you find the perfect RV for you and your family. Visit us in-person at 5080 W. Alexis Road, in Sylvania, OH or call us at (419) 786-1126
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