Florida

rockhillmanor wrote:
Boy where do I start to help you avoid all what I went thru the first time I traveled south to Florida!

To keep those pesky small ants out of your MH pick up a bag of 'powdered' Sevin. Sprinkle it around all the tires AND each every where a hose or cord comes out of your MH. Pick up the bait traps and put them under all your sink cabinets and everywhere else you can tuck them.

This will keep you ahead of the game because once they get in it takes weeks to get them out with just the bait traps.

AND do not lean anything up against your MH. I put my awning rod against the side of my MH and within minutes they were marching right up it.

I also started using Ortho Home Defense Max and sprayed that around the perimeter of the RV and lawn chair area.

Sorry for being long winded but I wish "I" had had a list of 'how to do Florida' in an RV!

I stayed at a friends house with my MH for a couple of months. I decided to put a couple of my storage tubs outside the MH to make more room in the bedroom.

I made sure I only put tubs that did not have any personal items in it just some pots and pans, tools. etc. They had tight lids and were sealed so I thought it would be ok.

I packed up to head back north and ended up having those big palmetto bugs INSIDE my MH!! Found the source being the storage tubs in the bay.

If you take off the lids and look at where they snap on you will see some of the manufacturers put a hole where the handle snaps on, bugs just walked into all the storage tubs thru the hole.

Sure don't have all these bug problems inside your MH while RV'ing up North it was truly a learning experience for me. Be very proactive and you can survive RV'ing in Florida! :W

. . .
We camp near Sarasota, FL, and had a real problem with Palmetto Bugs . . . Cockroaches. Ugly. Once they get into your trailer it will take months to get them out. Get the palmetto bug traps, and place them around the trailer. Inside and out. Also spray around the trailer as suggested.
Small ants were a problem. We also had 2 mice in our trailer that we trapped out.
As they said above, be very proactive. We have been to Florida for the past 15 winters, and only had one real problem last year with the palmetto bugs. Ech.

Within the first few days of FL, I place about 5 ant traps thru out our Class C. Esp near the trash can. We also grease, using petroleum jelly, any cords coming in the camper. About a foot worth of cord @ entry. I do sweep my floor everyday, esp under the dinette. And keep my counters clear of food crumbs.

I live right now in a Resort in SW Fla. and have lived here in both a S&B and fiver. Anyway In. The S&B I had a company spray the house every 3 months. That is not necessary for the fiver. If you have a problem use Ortho or Bayer or any other brand and spray the area around your rig. The bottle will hook onto a hose and the application will last about 3 months. A bottle will usually cover 5 to 10 thousand sq. feet. This will kill most of the bugs in the ground including fire ants. If you have fire ants buy Ortho fire ant granules and follow directions. It will dispatch the nest in 24 hours or less. I have never had an ant problem in my RV in Fla. but I have had it up north. If you park on concrete or a hard surface you will have even less issues.

We use Ortho Home Defense around the outside of our 5th wheel if we are staying put for more than 3 days no matter what state we are in. It keeps spiders, ants, and almost everything else at bay. I keep the small ant traps in my basement storage area, under the sinks, and in the pantry. We change them out every couple of months. Have never had any type of bugs since we started doing this.

I volunteered in north Florida last winter, was there from early January until early April. Had no bug problems in the RV whatsoever, and I was in a fully shaded wooded site at a conservation center. I was on a concrete pad though which I imagine helped, and as a previous poster said although it was wooded it wasn't swampy.

Thank you for all your answers.

Another vote for Ortho Home Defense Max - works well to keep ants out of the RV and to get any that may get in - also works on fire ant mounds! Beyond that, some insect repellent and a bug zapper do a decent job.

Boy where do I start to help you avoid all what I went thru the first time I traveled south to Florida!

To keep those pesky small ants out of your MH pick up a bag of 'powdered' Sevin. Sprinkle it around all the tires AND each every where a hose or cord comes out of your MH. Pick up the bait traps and put them under all your sink cabinets and everywhere else you can tuck them.

This will keep you ahead of the game because once they get in it takes weeks to get them out with just the bait traps.

AND do not lean anything up against your MH. I put my awning rod against the side of my MH and within minutes they were marching right up it.

I also started using Ortho Home Defense Max and sprayed that around the perimeter of the RV and lawn chair area.

Sorry for being long winded but I wish "I" had had a list of 'how to do Florida' in an RV!

I stayed at a friends house with my MH for a couple of months. I decided to put a couple of my storage tubs outside the MH to make more room in the bedroom.

I made sure I only put tubs that did not have any personal items in it just some pots and pans, tools. etc. They had tight lids and were sealed so I thought it would be ok.

I packed up to head back north and ended up having those big palmetto bugs INSIDE my MH!! Found the source being the storage tubs in the bay.

If you take off the lids and look at where they snap on you will see some of the manufacturers put a hole where the handle snaps on, bugs just walked into all the storage tubs thru the hole.

Sure don't have all these bug problems inside your MH while RV'ing up North it was truly a learning experience for me. Be very proactive and you can survive RV'ing in Florida! :W

Have spent the last 2 winters in Florida and haven't sprayed for bugs or used mosquito repellent once You just need not to camp in a swampy area.

I use Ortho Home Defense Max around the outside every couple months and so far, so good.
I just saw a great news story about the best mosquito repellent for the body and Deep Woods Off was rated #1. Those clip on units and foggers did little to no good at all.
Come enjoy yourself and don't worry about those bugs. They don't eat too much.