Controlling Pests in Your Camper

You might not immediately realize it when pests decide to invade your camper, but the signs will become obvious soon enough. Bad smells, droppings, nests, and chewed wires all indicate that you’ve picked up a few unwanted hitchhikers. Luckily, this guide from Mattas Marine can help you remove the pests from your camper.

Cleaning

Pests usually make their home in your RV because they see it as a safe and warm place where food is plentiful. Crumbs and spills left uncleaned can leave behind smells, sometimes too faint for humans to sense, that send pests the message that your RV is like a mobile buffet. That’s why we recommend cleaning up these food traces as soon as you can. Don’t forget to store any dry food you have in airtight containers as well!

Rodents

Rats, mice, and other rodents use small holes in your camper’s frame to get inside. That’s why you should perform regular inspections on the outside of your RV. Rodents are great at squeezing their way through tiny holes, so plug up anything that you find. If rats or mice are already inside your camper, use traps and/or poisons to deal with them. 

Insects

What approach you should take to remove insects from your camper depends on the exact type of insect. Roaches are vulnerable to insecticides. Just be careful how you use these substances, as they are typically just as dangerous to people and pets as they are to insects. If ants are bothering you, spray soapy water on the surfaces that they’re crawling on and wipe them down. This will remove the chemical “trail” ants use to guide each other. Another strategy is to vacuum up the ants to dispose of them elsewhere. Just make sure you get the colony! Bees and wasps are trickier to deal with since they can sting. If bees or wasps have created a hive in your RV, you might need to call a professional exterminator to get rid of them.  

Shop campers at Mattas Marine in Grand Junction, Colorado. We’re proud to serve communities like Denver, Cortez, and Lakewood, Colorado, as well as Farmington and Aztec, New Mexico. We also offer financing, servicing, parts ordering, and trade-ins.