How do you keep creepy crawlies out of your trailer

[foobar]

How do you keep creepy crawly critters such as ants, spiders, cockroaches (the insect kind, not the human ones) out of your trailer when camping?

Do you spray your wheels, stabilizers and tongue jack pole with some sort of repellent? Do you sprinkle boric acid powder around your wheels? Diatomaceous (spelling?) earth powder ? Etc, etc.

[foobar]

Maybe I put these questions in the wrong category. No response so far

[uncle_bob]

Hi

We use "bait traps" for thins like ants. They get shoved here or there in the trailer. We also use them when in storage. In particularly hostile environments, we spray the campsite with something relatively benign. Permethrin is our current goto product.

There is an advantage to staying on the "less aggressive" side of things. When the neighbor or camp host inquires after the fact, they are less likely to go nuts .... ( I have empirical data on this ....). The camp host also got what was left in the jug

Bob

[foobar]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

We use "bait traps" for thins like ants. They get shoved here or there in the trailer. We also use them when in storage. In particularly hostile environments, we spray the campsite with something relatively benign. Permethrin is our current goto product.

There is an advantage to staying on the "less aggressive" side of things. When the neighbor or camp host inquires after the fact, they are less likely to go nuts .... ( I have empirical data on this ....). The camp host also got what was left in the jug

Bob

Thanks for the response Bob, I was thinking of scattering some roach and ant traps around the trailer.

My parents used to deposit a line of boric acid powder (environmentally benign) on the ground around their tires, stabilization jacks and the tongue jack at each campsite they visited. They claimed that it kept ants from getting in the trailer. No clue how effective it really is in terms of deterrence.

I've also heard some folks use diatomaceous earth in the same manner. No direct experience myself, that's why I'm asking for the accumulated advice/experience of others.

How did you apply the permethrin? I assume it is in liquid form and you used a manually operated spray bottle to apply it? Where do you apply it?

[Silvr_Bullet]

We use this with great success for sweet or sugar ants, carpenter ants are a different problem. It takes a day or two the ants bring the laced foodies back to the nest for their last meal.

TERRO T300B Liquid Ant Killer, 12 Bait Stations https://a.co/1dDXT6d

[369goose]

Originally Posted by foobar

How do you keep creepy crawly critters such as ants, spiders, cockroaches (the insect kind, not the human ones) out of your trailer when camping?

Do you spray your wheels, stabilizers and tongue jack pole with some sort of repellent? Do you sprinkle boric acid powder around your wheels? Diatomaceous (spelling?) earth powder ? Etc, etc.

Comet from the $ store around anything that comes in contact with the ground, stabilizers, hose, surge protector, etc.

[SouthForkAS]

D. Earth never worked for me. I guess it's the process.

[Boxite]

Boric acid will kill insects that eat it….(delayed action)…, permithrin…kills later… in other words they Kill…eventually…..but do not “repel”.

I accidentally discovered a product that also does not officially “repel”…. but it kills so quickly and effectively that I use it sparingly around the wheels, jack, stabilizers….just a very light dusting is all that is required and is relatively safe around pets, etc.

(I discovered this stuff when carpenter ants entered between the wooden-panelled walls of a hunting lodge. The exterminator couldn’t schedule for a week and I wanted them DEAD. NOW.
So I drilled a 1/4” hole in the lid and stuffed a 1/4” piece of flexible tubing down inside the plastic bottle and by squeezing the sides of the bottle I “puffed” some of the white, powdery product into the wall thru a 1/4” hole drilled behind some trim which I was able to remove/replace to hide the hole. That colony was DECEASED within minutes. No more problem.)

Anyway… this stuff is amazing against ants and other little critters: available at Lowe’s: only a tiny amount kills a huge pile of Fire Ants also:

[Boondocker]

I find smearing the inner side of the neighboring rigs tires with peanut butter does wonders. Honey works in a pinch.

[foobar]

Originally Posted by Boondocker

I find smearing the inner side of the neighboring rigs tires with peanut butter does wonders. Honey works in a pinch.

Hahahahahahahahaha!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by foobar

...

How did you apply the permethrin? I assume it is in liquid form and you used a manually operated spray bottle to apply it? Where do you apply it?

Hi

It comes in a couple of "flavors". The one we mostly use hooks up to a hose and you spray the water + stuff over the area under the trailer and the nearby parts of the campsite. The main target for us is mosquitos. It also takes care of the other bothersome stuff.

If the only objective is stuff crawling in, a spray bottle with the diluted version in it would probably do fine. We use that approach if there is no water at the site.

Why spray all over the place? For whatever reason, bugs seem to love the area under the trailer. Come out in the morning and you are greeted by a swarm. We got started doing this based on advice from a couple of Airstreamers down in Georgia.

Bob

[foobar]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



It comes in a couple of "flavors". The one we mostly use hooks up to a hose and you spray the water + stuff over the area under the trailer and the nearby parts of the campsite. The main target for us is mosquitos. It also takes care of the other bothersome stuff.



If the only objective is stuff crawling in, a spray bottle with the diluted version in it would probably do fine. We use that approach if there is no water at the site.



Why spray all over the place? For whatever reason, bugs seem to love the area under the trailer. Come out in the morning and you are greeted by a swarm. We got started doing this based on advice from a couple of Airstreamers down in Georgia.



Bob

Thanks for the additional information Bob.

I apparently only exist in order to feed mosquitoes, lol.

Typical conversation with my wife at a campout...

Me: "jeez, I am becoming anemic from blood loss via mosquito bites".

Wife: "what mosquitoes?"

So mosquito control is high on my list of concerns.

[Saluda372]

Originally Posted by silvr_bullet

we use this with great success for sweet or sugar ants, carpenter ants are a different problem. It takes a day or two the ants bring the laced foodies back to the nest for their last meal.

Terro t300b liquid ant killer, 12 bait stations https://a.co/1ddxt6d

x 2

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by foobar

Thanks for the additional information Bob.

I apparently only exist in order to feed mosquitoes, lol.

Typical conversation with my wife at a campout...

Me: "jeez, I am becoming anemic from blood loss via mosquito bites".

Wife: "what mosquitoes?"

So mosquito control is high on my list of concerns.

Hi

Our most basic line of defense against mosquitos are Thermacell's:

https://www.thermacell.com

We started off with the butane fired version and they really did not suit us very well. The rechargeable versions seem to work better for us. If we are in a "problem area" one goes out on each side of the door to the trailer. Yes, one should be great for a giant sized area .... more are better.

No, they aren't cheap. Those fluid cartridges cost a bit. At least so far, nobody we've been with has complained about them being "stinky" or had other issues with them. I think we have about a dozen or so between the trailer and the van.

If it's happy hour, everybody gets one to put under their chair .....

Bob

[foobar]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



Our most basic line of defense against mosquitos are Thermacell's:



https://www.thermacell.com



We started off with the butane fired version and they really did not suit us very well. The rechargeable versions seem to work better for us. If we are in a "problem area" one goes out on each side of the door to the trailer. Yes, one should be great for a giant sized area .... more are better.



No, they aren't cheap. Those fluid cartridges cost a bit. At least so far, nobody we've been with has complained about them being "stinky" or had other issues with them. I think we have about a dozen or so between the trailer and the van.



If it's happy hour, everybody gets one to put under their chair .....



Bob

Thanks. Not familiar with these. I will take a look at them.

Are they able to handle the intense swarms of the state bird of Alaska (mosquitoes)?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by foobar

.....

Are they able to handle the intense swarms of the state bird of Alaska (mosquitoes)?

Hi

That's why we have a dozen of them ....

Yes, at least in the areas we stopped in they did an adequate job on the mosquitos (and other flying bugs) in Alaska, Canada, and the lower 48. They are not a 100% solution. However they will take a trailer window that is packed with mosquitos down to one or two. We saw it happen in a number of locations. ( no, the Thermacell(s) was not inside the trailer. The window just made them easier to count).

Without them, it was difficult to go in and out of the trailer without a pretty major swarm invading .....

Bob

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by foobar

Thanks for the additional information Bob.

I apparently only exist in order to feed mosquitoes, lol.

Typical conversation with my wife at a campout...

Me: "jeez, I am becoming anemic from blood loss via mosquito bites".

Wife: "what mosquitoes?"

So mosquito control is high on my list of concerns.

Hi

They also make the stuff in a version you can spray on your jeans or your shirt. We do that at the start of each season:

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Produc...st_sto_dp&th=1

There's also a repellent you can put on your skin called Picardin. I have a terrible time keeping the two names straight ....

Bob

[GetawA-S]

These are apparently an import from Europe. They were certainly new to me.
Imagine coming back from the shower house in your PJ’s to find a 1.5” stinging thing slamming against the step light, your flashlight, or anything that moves.
You just know that it would LOVE to get inside the brightly lit interior and threaten your nearsighted spouse…
So you just need to unlock both locks, crack the door open, and fling yourself through before the tiny insect brain catches on…
Not my favorite pest. We have encountered them in three NC and VA parks in the last month.

[foobar]

Originally Posted by GetawA-S

These are apparently an import from Europe. They were certainly new to me.

Imagine coming back from the shower house in your PJ’s to find a 1.5” stinging thing slamming against the step light, your flashlight, or anything that moves.

You just know that it would LOVE to get inside the brightly lit interior and threaten your nearsighted spouse…

So you just need to unlock both locks, crack the door open, and fling yourself through before the tiny insect brain catches on…

Not my favorite pest. We have encountered them in three NC and VA parks in the last month.

Not sure what you are referring to?

[GetawA-S]

It was in the subject line - Cone Hornets. If you ever meet one, you will not soon forget the encounter. You can google the term for a more complete explanation.
It is a bit of a departure from the original topic. I did not mean to hijack your topic.