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camping and mosquitos, mosquito repellent, RV, RV Camping, RV Life, RV Tips, RVs and mosquitos, tips, Travel Tips
According to the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA, and yes there is actually an association!), there are over 3,000 different mosquito species throughout the world, however, only 175 have been found in the United States currently.
Here are some interesting facts about mosquitoes:
- West Virginia has the fewest species with only 26 identified and Texas has the most with over 85.
- The word mosquito is Spanish for “Little Fly”.
- Male mosquitoes only live for about 10 days while females can live up to 60 days.
- Male mosquitoes find the females by listening to the noise generated from their wings. Females can flap their wings up to 500 times per second.
- After the male mates with the female, she needs blood to develop the eggs.
- Typically both male and female mosquitoes feed on nectar from flowers and plants.
- A female can draw 1.5 times her body weight in blood and then rests for a few days and can lay up to 300 eggs although 100 is typical. The cluster of eggs called “rafts” are laid on stagnant water and only need 1” of water.
- Females can lay up to 3 times before dying. The eggs sit in water for about 10 days and hatch into larvae called “wigglers”. The wigglers feed on organic matter in the water and oxygen in the air and then are encased in a cocoon known as papue. The pague sits for several days then emerges as an adult mosquito.
- Mosquitoes like warmer temperature, above 80 degrees. When it drops below 50, most lay eggs that sit dormant until spring and the female dies, or some specifies actually hibernate.
So, how do mosquitoes know where to find us?
Most mosquitoes can smell our breath! They have receptors that can detect Carbon Dioxide which we exhale as well as certain chemicals or smells in our sweet, skin lotion, and even perfume. Once they find where we are, they use heat sensors to find the warm areas of our skin caused by the best blood flow.
How To Avoid Mosquitoes
- Wear light clothing, dark fabrics retain heat which attracts them.
- Get rid of any standing water. Check out this PDF from AMCA for details.
- Use a fan…mosquitoes are not good flyers, they cannot fight a common house fan.
- Use a deterrent such as a spray or natural plants. The following are suggested:
- Lemon Balm
- Cat Nip
- Basil
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Lemon Balm
Find a spray that works for you! Go Natural!
Most commercial mosquito sprays contain DEET and other chemicals which are still being researched continually for their effects on our skin and health in general. There are some brands that are DEET-free and use lemon eucalyptus such as the Cutter’s Brand plus the internet is full of recipes for homemade and natural deterrents, here are a few from accidentallygreen.com.
- Place leaves and stems of catnip and rosemary into a cup of boiling water and let set for 1 hour. Use the liquid in a spray bottle.
- Mix 10 drops of lemon eucalyptus oil with 5 drops tea tree oil, 10 drops cedarwood oil, and5 drops geranium oil, and 1 oz jojoba oil. Rub it on your skin, but test a small area first.
- Crush parsley with apple cider vinegar and rub it on your skin.
- You can also try your own concoction with the following ingredients: castor oil, cedar oil, cinnamon oil, citronella oil, clove oil, geranium oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, lemongrass oil, peppermint oil and rosemary oil.
- And finally my favorite: Basil, water, and Vodka!
Bug Repellent Machines
Finally, you can try a commercial bug repellent machine. ThermaCELL makes a portable unit for individuals or a lantern that covers about 15’ diameter. It has a small butane fuel cell and burns/heats a treated pad and there is no noise, no smell, and no heat. I’ve used it a few times and it works great.
About the author:
Dave Solberg: Managing Editor, RV Repair Club
For the last 25 years, Dave has conducted RV maintenance and safety seminars, developed dealer and owner training programs, written RV safety and handyman articles, authored an RV handbook reference guide and logged over 100,000 miles on the road in an RV.
RV Repair Club is your go-to online resource for enthusiasts who want quality RV maintenance, repair, and upgrade information – a community where passionate RVers can come together to gather knowledge and share their experiences.
Learn more about RV Repair Club.
Frank P. ~ “I recommend Coach-Net to ANYONE I talk to about RV or road service issues. I have two friends who have signed up as a result of this. Best roadside assistance service available, if you ask me!”
Sticks-and-bricks homes can absorb some neglect over the years, but not RVs. Whether you own a motorhome or towable like I do, ignoring strange sounds, odd smells and unusual moisture can be dangerous or even deadly. Your goal as a proud RV owner is to solve minor problems before they become major RV catastrophes. Pay close attention to these lessons my spouse and I learned and you’ll keep your RV – and your life – out of harm’s way.
Last month when the weather became warm enough for us to run our RV air conditioner, I noticed an unusual electrical smell. Exhausted from running errands, we simply said “Well that’s weird.” Then we turned off the air conditioner, opened the windows and forgot about it. Little did we know the danger lurking inside our home.
One hot, sunny July afternoon as the Arizona sun baked my brain, I forgot to tell my handy husband about moisture in our RV basement. The next day, a neighbor knocked on our door and said “Hey there’s water coming out of your basement!” Jim dug around and noticed that a plumbing connector had loosened in transit. Eventually, the compartment dried out but sadly, my failure to point out the problem resulted in permanently damaged fiberglass siding.
Something unusual happened this past winter that rarely happens here in Vancouver. We found ourselves in a snowy deep-freeze. Although most of the rest of Canada and many areas of the United States would find our 15-degree Fahrenheit temperature and 3 feet of snow laughable, it is something that rarely happens here on the West Coast. We normally enjoy fairly mild winters with very little snow, in fact, it is uncommon to get much below freezing.
Make sure you have propane in your LP tank instead of butane. While propane will continue to vaporize down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, butane condenses at around 32 degrees Fahrenheit so it will start to become ineffective below freezing. If your RV is equipped with electric heat such as heat strips or a heat pump, use it as much as possible and minimize furnace use. Although electric heat is less efficient and doesn’t work well at very low temperatures, it is effective as a supplement to gas heat and will save propane. NEVER use your stove or oven to heat an RV.
In 
Loosening of the spring tension is manifested as the awning not properly or fully retracting due to the torsional force on the springs being too low. Occasionally one or both of the springs will break, but this is not as common. The springs are located at each end of the awning roller tube and are attached to the end caps. Re-tensioning is not technically difficult, but due to the high spring force that can easily result in personal injury, self-repair is not recommended. If you suspect that your awning has lost spring force, consult your local RV repair facility. Re-tensioning the springs is not an expensive procedure, as it should take a certified technician only a short time to perform.
It is a well known and obvious fact that RVs are self-contained units. However, they are not self-maintaining. What I mean by this is some people create problems for themselves when they neglect to pack some basic and/or otherwise useful objects when they set out on the road. By properly preparing, you may find that you avoid some expensive, time-consuming, or even trip-stopping repairs or maintenance.
There aren’t actually many tools that you will need on the road unless you plan on performing mechanical chassis repairs. In this case, be sure to pack a set of mechanic’s tools and never attempt repairs you are not comfortable with. For the purposes of this article, I will discuss tools for house repairs only. Purchase a reasonable quality digital multi-meter (DMM) for performing electrical troubleshooting. These are required for everything from testing fuses to measuring voltage and current. It is a good idea to also carry wire cutters, strippers, crimpers, extra wire and fuses, electrical tape, and crimp connectors at the very least.
In addition to tools, there are other items which can be extremely useful. Some of these are common items such as dish cloths, towels, and rags. Make sure to pack plenty of these, since they make cleanup a breeze and if you have a lot of them you don’t have to worry about rushing to the laundromat. The moral here is, pack way more kitchen linens than you think you need for dishes. Don’t forget to pack rags, which ensures you don’t ruin your good 
The happy RVers left Kansas with their brand new fifth wheel in tow, but by the time they ascended into the Rockies, they knew something wasn’t right. With every twist and turn the truck was losing power and as the husband did his best to stay calm, he remembered what the sales guy said on the showroom floor: “Sure, your truck can pull it!” At that moment, he knew he should have done his research before buying . . .
There’s only one way to get your RV weighed properly: go to a professional RV weigh station. Many RVers think that CAT scales will do the job (and save money too), but those “platform” truck stop scales only weigh the load over each axle. That’s fine for big rigs, but the average RV weighs much less than a Freightliner and our tires are much smaller. For RVers, measuring the load over each wheel is far more critical in determining a safe load distribution.
Professional RV weigh scales can be found around the U.S. From the non-profit 
One thing that trailer owners don’t have to worry about is transportation once they set up camp. In other words, when trailer owners want to run errands or sightsee, they simply use their tow vehicle. Owners of motorhomes don’t have it so easy. Historically, the most logical choice was to tow a vehicle behind the motorhome. However, as society changes, so to do the number of options motorhome owners recognize when choosing how to commute while camping.
Eventually, we had upgraded to a late-model Class A diesel pusher and I realized it was finally time to think about towing my car behind the RV. Many people purchase commuter vehicles that can be flat-towed behind RVs so that can make use of the convenience of tow bars. However, my Prius can’t be flat-towed so I had no option but to use a tow dolly. After doing a lot of research, I decided to purchase an Acme tow dolly (
The best option we have found to get around while camping is to use our bicycles. We have purchased electric bikes, which allow us to ride for long distances, and up hills, without worrying about fatigue. We normally use our bikes in “non-electric” mode, which means we pedalthem without the assistance of the motor. If we encounter large hills or have to ride long distances, we use the motors to assist. The added benefit of the bikes is that we get great exercise and more often than not encounter great trail systems in or near the RV parks. Cycling is a great way to keep in shape, explore the world around you, engage in family activity, and simply get around!
Gadgets come and go but there’s one that will never fade into culinary history: the pressure cooker. Even for vegetarians like me, RV cooking with a pressure cooker is always easy as pie.
If you think pressure cookers are just like crock pots, think again. Pressure cookers do so much more than cook meat and make stews. Once I received mine I tried 
Speaking of boiling water: since all of the cooking is done inside a pressurized environment, your rig won’t turn into a sauna when you use this appliance. The only time it releases steam into the RV is when cooking time ends and you open the release valve. To minimize RV humidity during this process, just open your door and aim the valve opening outside.
It’s no secret: RVers have a well-deserved reputation for being thrifty. Many say that’s why we take our homes on vacation; we’re too cheap to pay for hotel rooms! All kidding aside, I have to admit many RVers like me really do possess a flair for frugality. On rare occasions however, we surprise everyone, including ourselves, by opening our wallets to be a bit more comfortable. After doing so the inevitable question follows: “What took us so long?!” For example, here are three of the best RV upgrades we wish we did sooner:
Some RVers set up camp with all the accoutrements. Not us. We started full-timing in a 24′ fifth wheel with zero room for unnecessary gizmos like twinkly awning lights and telescoping flag poles. We refused to carry items we thought didn’t add much value to the RVing experience, like sewer hose supports and plastic leveling blocks. Living without a sewer hose riser has never been a problem and even sloped campsites never bothered us too much in our smaller rig. But since upgrading to a longer and wider fifth wheel, uneven ground is more annoying than ever. Our rig lacks hydraulic levelers, so last Christmas our practical-minded gift to one another was a $35 set of leveling blocks. After using the blocks from California to Texas, we’re on the level and loving it! Gone are the days of cabinet doors smacking us in the face whenever we open them, or worrying about damaging our refrigerator when we’re unevenly parked. All we have to do is actually remember to use those blocks and everyone’s a happy camper.
Like many RVers, we’ve had our share of costly brake issues. From burning out brakes in the Rockies to getting ripped off by bad mechanics, trailer brakes have been the bane of our full-timing existence – and our bank account. Finally after eight years and 140,000 miles, we opted for an electric over hydraulic disc brake conversion on our new-to-us rig.
Adequate solar electric power systems start with a careful energy audit of your power consumption. Better solar electric power systems end with your willingness to commit a little more money to the project. Our first system was woefully inadequate mainly because our small rig lacked battery storage space – but mostly because of our reluctance to spend more cash. For seven years the system barely met our needs as we limped along during cloudy days. When we finally upgraded to our 27′ fifth wheel, I eagerly surrendered a storage compartment for a bigger, better battery bank and inverter. Cutting the check wasn’t quite as easy but now we can enjoy camping luxuries like running the microwave and our vacuum – a must when you live with a German 
Use the brush and standard automotive washing soap to wash the sides and back of the RV. You may choose to place a wash mitt over the brush for a softer touch. Pay particular attention to seams and interfaces such as lights, fixtures, trim, moldings, etc., as these are areas where dirt tends to accumulate. Scrub hard enough to get the dirt off, but not hard enough to damage the silicone sealant. Don’t use high-pressure water or cleansers containing solvents for washing or rinsing, as this can damage graphics, gel coats, and seals. Avoid spraying water directly at the fridge, water heater, or furnace vents.
The undercarriage, wheels, suspension, etc., can be cleaned using a pressure washer and/or stiff brush. You can use a wire brush and touch-up paint on rusted areas. Finish with an application of dry lubricant, especially on the slide-out and step mechanisms. Tires can be treated with a UV protectant and mags with metal polish. Clean the glass and condition window, door, and slide-out seals with a seal lubricant.