Help for wasps in the vent

[DeckmanF]

Hello all - my DH passed away in March leaving me with a 24" class C. I'm not ready to part with it and hope to take it on some short trips. I've only done one so far. Friends came along for moral support and that was a great help. It breaks my heart to think last summer's California to Newfoundland and back was the last long road trip I'll ever do. We were so very happy driving across the country.

But, as to my problem...we always left the front covered vent open and now I have a pretty good size wasp nest in there. They can't get inside the rv as there is a screen but I know I need to get rid of them and clean it out.

Is spray the best thing to use? And if so, what is the best time to spray? And how hard will it be to get the screen off to clean it out? And should I keep the vent closed in future? Seems like the inside temp will be even higher with the vent closed.

Any advice will be appreciated. And I'd like to hear from any women rvers out there. I'd really like to be brave enough to take off on my own with just the cat for company.

Cheers!
Dori

[louiskathy]

Glad you were able to get them gone....without being stung.

[bukhrn]

stickdog wrote:
Wasps are beneficial insects and should be left alone unless they pose a hazard.
Their just out earning a living like more folks should do.

Maybe it's just me, but I fail to see the benefit of wasps in your MH. :h

[DeckmanF]

I waited a full (hot) month with the vent closed up. Then I went inside and unscrewed the screen cover. Darned if there wasn't at least one wasp still alive! Good news is he was lethargic - maybe almost dead? It was creepy detaching the nest and cleaning up the mess but it's done.

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I will buy a dog flea collar before opening it next spring. There is a screen on the outside but evidently the holes are too big.

Cheers,
Dori

[TreeSeeker]

Dori,

After you clean it out, you might consider having a vent cover installed. They are screened on the outside so this can't happen again--and you can leave the vent open without fear of rain getting inside.

[DeckmanF]

Update - I just closed the vent and I think there were only a couple of wasps in the nest at the time. Nothing moving in there now but I'm going to wait a couple of weeks till I open it up and clean it out. Hope wasps don't hibernate or go dormant!

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

Cheers, Dori

[TreeSeeker]

I would not use any toxic insect spray since it can last weeks or even years and you don't really want that in your RV, at least I wouldn't.

[Peg_Leg]

Dori, sorry about the loss of your DH. But girl you pack up and go. If you need some help you know how us campers are, just ask. What better way to make a few more friends. If you have questions, you already know where this site is.

Now for the bee's. I've found Sevin dust to be very effective for flying and crawling critters. I don't think it's good in your situation though. It would end up air borne in your living area, not good.

To enable working from the inside I would devise a cover that could be taped over the inside of the vent. Then with it in place, pull a corner down just enough to give them a quick short burst of wasp spray and seal it back quickly. Leave it until the next day and repeat for a couple of days. I would like a clear plastic cover that could be seen through just so I could watch but even cardboard will work. Once your sure there's no activity you can remove the screen and with some heavy gloves remove the nest and drop it into a plastic bag.

Some of the idea's on this thread are truly creative. Leaf blowers, vacuum cleaners and CO2. My experience was to run over a nest of Yellow Jackets with a bush hog. A one legged guy, pulling the kill switch, jumping from a moving tractor, trying to run through a corn field while pulling bee's from his hair is not a pretty picture (quit laughing). Over a thousand bee stings, some baking soda paste and a shot at the emergency room, never felt a bit sick (just stupid). I would not recommend this procedure.

[louiskathy]

We had a mess of wasps get into the furnace. they came through the round exhaust hole (We have put screen material over those holes since.) Just saw a few flying in and out one day. Went inside and started the furnace - well, tried to start the furnace but it wouldn't start. (God is Good.)

Waited until dark. Took a heavy see-thru plastic bag, sprayed wasp spray inside the bag and secured it over the furnace exhaust vents. That was really tricky to get it tight up against the RV. We barely managed to get it secured and the wasps swarmed out of the furnace into the bag. It took two days for the noises to stop. They just kept coming and coming. They were hatching out from inside, I think. After four days we pulled the bag off and took the blower out of the furnace. There were two 5" dia wasp nests secured inside the blower. I am not kidding. The wasps were still hatching out of these as we dismantled the nests. They weren't in there over the winter. We full time in our MH. They built that during the summer when we didn't use our furnace.

So work at night - when all the wasps are in their nest.
Use a bag to cover the vent that's been sprayed with wasp spray.
Don't be in a hurry to remove that bag. The sunlight on that bag the next morning will help kill them but you should leave it alone a few days until "all the buzzing stops".

Wasps are able to sting more than once. Bee's sting and die.
You don't want to be stung. So be very careful. As soon as they sense
noise and movement they will come out of that nest so have a plan and work fast.

[stickdog]

Wasps are beneficial insects and should be left alone unless they pose a hazard.
Their just out earning a living like more folks should do.

[eabc5454]

I am allergic to bees and wasps, so I can't help you much with that.

I can tell you that we are two women traveling together. I get a kick out of the big burly men who say "You drive that?" Well, yes I do - who else would be driving? You can, as well. I would take a few precautions as a woman traveling alone (we have pepper spray), but hit the road and see where it takes you!

Elizabeth

[HeeHawHoney]

The way my friend tells it, she pours about 1/3 Cup of dish washing liquid into a large plastic cup and fills it with water. She splashed it up on the nest and within 3 seconds every single wasp on the nest was dead and the nest detached from the blow from the water.

[bukhrn]

I don't know how cold it gets in the Bay Area, I would guess, it gets much colder than SoCal, as long as the wasps can't get into the RV, I'd wait till the dead of winter, then deal with it.

[DeckmanF]

Yikes! I think I'm going to pass on the last suggestion!

But I thank you all...I'm going to think about it for a day or two and will let you know the outcome.

Cheers, Dori

[gotsmart]

If you're not allergic to bee stings, AND are stupid like me.....

(this post is for entertainment purposes only. If you're dumb enough.... well, just make sure somebody films it)

Buy a 4" plastic putty knife and a 1" plastic putty knife
Buy 1 (or 2) cans of compressed air at WallyWorld.
2 six foot long pieces of 1x strapping
roll of duct tape (or if you prefer: duck tape)
eye protection - to protect eyes from the dust created by the can of compressed air when held upside down

preparation: tape each putty knife's handle to the end of a piece of strapping. You now have long-handled putty knives.
Put the extension tube on the nozzle of the can of compressed air and use a small amount of duct/duck tape to secure it and to keep it from flying off.
Clothing: wear long pants, turtle neck (or dickie), and a sweat shirt. Tuck the sweat shirt into your pants and use duct/duck tape around the bottom of the pants. Put on the work gloves. Pull the sleeves of the sweat shirt over each glove and tape each sleeve to the glove. taping around the neck is optional - just don't choke yourself in the process.

When you hold a can of compressed air upside down and squeeze the trigger, out comes super-freezing-cold CO2. That's unbreathable carbon dioxide.

-On a night in the high 40s (about 8C), crank the vent all the way open and let the bees chill.
-From inside the MH, put goggles over eyes and hold the can with the nozzle-end at a downward angle so that it sprays CO2. Then blast the heck out of the hive. Great fun! Use the 2nd can if needed.
HOLD YOUR BREATH during sprayng. CO2 is very dangerous to breathe.
-go up on the roof with your 2 long-handled putty knives. Use the 1" putty knife to release the hive from the vent and use the 4" putty knife as a shovel.
-If bee activity is a non-issue at this point, remove wooden handles from the putty knives and continue with close quarters combat.

WARNING: You're 10+ feet in the air. If you get stung, suffer it. There is no place to run. There is no place to hide. If you run you will likely fall off of the roof and break multiple bones.

This post was inspired by the Red Green Show.