If you have lived or vacationed in the Deep South, at some point you’ve likely encountered some pretty wicked wasps and bees. It doesn’t take long for a scout wasp to find that protected crevice, exhaust vent, drain opening or closed bay in your RV to make a nest.
Wasp species that make different nests
Take mud daubers, for instance. While they are good at catching spiders and other insects, their nest can be a problem to get rid of if left unchecked. Yellow jackets, paper wasps and bees don’t need a lot of space to gain access. Just one female can quickly reproduce and, before you know it, you have a major problem.
Easily protect your RV’s vents
So how do you protect your RV’s vent openings? Mesh covers like these will keep the invaders out, especially if you store your RV for months. But do yourself a favor – secure with a lightweight wire as their springs easily break and can fall off if bumped.
There are other mesh bug screens for other parts of your RV, too. Check out all these options here.
Don’t forget to seal up any other entry points, too.
The best time to kill the colony
According to bee experts, if you see wasps or bees flying around a vent, they may only be scouting. If they’re flying in and out, you already have a nest to destroy. If you spray insecticide on a vent or opening, that may initially steer them away. But, as the spray wanes or rain washes it away, you’ll be back to square one. For some species, spray just after dusk when the wasps will be in the nest and less likely to chase you and attack.
##RVDT2450
screens are relatively expensive and can be time consuming to install – and worth every penny and minute.
Thank you, RV Travel! 🙂 Great advice; thank you! 🙂 Have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Our first motor home – unbeknowenst to me was full of mud dauber mud nests. Mostly inside the engine forward of the radiator to the front cap. I had never seen anything like this in ND. The motor home, a 1985 El Dorado Encore was previously owned by a relative of Dolly Parton and spent most of its life in the South. The furnace vents also had them. All our current motor home vents are screened due to wasps and bees.
Screens on furnace,fridge..etc..made a believer out of me after I cleaned out old nests. Most people are either too lazy to install them or could care less.
Thanks for the comment about the springs. I installed these and I figured that someone had stolen them for some reason. Maybe it was just the cheap springs. I will now try extra wire.
After replacing the furnace in our motor home, I noticed the fine print said installing screen covers would void our warranty. I don’t understand this.
Yup, that is my understanding also. I believe the reasoning is they cause some (slight??) back pressure to the exhaust and may cause damage.
I did have one over my water heater vent for a while but noticed the vibration was wearing the paint on the lid and the silicone seal was starting to fall apart which would lead to metal on metal contact. So, I went back to just installing “pet flea collars” inside the units once a year.