Crawling / Walking Bugs

Simplest way – Keep them out in the first place!!  It’s easier than dealing with them once they get inside. How:

Plug holes and gaps with caulking or flexible foam available at hardware stores.  If you can see light it’s a point of entry for bugs; they’ll find it.

Bug repellent/killer around likely points of entry:

I spray those areas where the RV comes into contact with the ground; levelers, jacks, steps, etc., even hoses and electric lines as the bugs can follow these up and into your RV.

While I have the sprayer I also spray the seals around and under the slide-outs to keep out flying bugs.

Rather than an aerosol can which tends to produce a cloud which can get on my skin and I wind up breathing, I use a pump up sprayer with the nozzle set to produce a stream of liquid that I can direct about 6 feet away from me.  And, I wear plastic gloves during the process.

Spray the risers, not the footpads, if your steps touch the ground.  You will stop the bugs when they try to go up but neither you nor your pets will get insecticide on your feet.

Shade – While the shade will help keep your rig cooler, make sure when parking that no branches or vines touch the rig as that is a highway for bugs.

Don’t bring them in accidentally:

Check for bugs on the bottoms and sides of coolers, check the plates of food you are bring back into the rig.

Even your outside storage areas are technically “inside” your RV.  Once there they will find a way into your living areas.  That includes your outside food storage areas if you have that on your RV.  Traveling with firewood is a huge problem. You may be better gathering or buying it at your destination and keep it outside.

Bugs on windshield & paint

The sooner you can remove the bug residue from your windshield and painted bodywork the better.  At a minimum the process should be performed once a week to prevent discoloration or a “shadow” forming on your paint, or worse.  You paid a lot for your vehicle!

When some types of bugs are squashed, such as Love Bugs, Black Flies, etc. their bodies secrete an acid that bonds to the paint. The longer they are allowed to stay on the surface the harder they become to remove. There is a product on the market that can remove this residue with little effort called Bugs Off Pads-The Love Bug Eraser and they last years & years and are the only product safe for the paint, glass, decals, plastic headlight covers; your entire vehicle.  In addition to the bugs a Bugs Off Pad can also clean off dirt, grime, diesel exhaust, possibly smoke from forest fires, etc. that you picked up while driving.

You also need to remove the bugs from the upper areas of your vehicle, not just the lower areas.  For this you need a ladder or a product that you can attach to a pole to clean those high, hard to reach areas.

Be very careful using cleaning products that may harm your paint and/or remove your wax or clear coat.  I have heard of people using the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser but it is an abrasive product (the manufacturer, 3M, states so) and can remove wax, clear coat, and even scratch paint. It also wears out right away.

Dryer sheets (if you can grasp them) will also scratch paint.  They are nylon and not made for painted surfaces.  They are made to go in the clothes dryer!  Ask your vehicle manufacturer (who painted your vehicle) if he recommends them.  I don’t know if they work.

Bug & tar removing liquids are made to work on your paint, not your windshield.  You put them on with an applicator to remove bugs, then scrub, then you need to wash the remaining bug & tar remover off the surface.  They also remove the wax so be sure to re-apply wax to protect your vehicle.

Windshields are easier to clean.  They are harder to scratch but can scratch if you use the wrong products such as certain grades of steel wool, metal scrappers, etc.

Much as we would all hope so, a heavy rain will not clean your windshield of bugs!  Some of the recent ones may come off but you are stuck with the others. If the bugs are dried on then you are also shortening the life of you wiper blades because of the abrasion.

A clean windshield is important so your vision is not distorted and bugs can make a gooey mess.  It becomes worse if you turn your wipers on and you have bugs on the windshield. Now you have a streaky, gooey mess across all your windshield.  Talk about distorted vision!  You would probably have to pull over and clean the mess off your windshield before proceeding.  I use my Bugs Off Pads on the windshield every time I stop for gas or food just in case I run into a storm.

Flying bugs

Not much you can do about flying bugs; a few will get in.  Best you kill them with a flyswatter rather than spray insecticide in the enclosed space you are living in.

There are a few tips to keep them from coming in though.  Run your fingers through your hair and hand brush your clothes before entering your rig.

Use your hand or a cloth to brush away around the door before entering.  RV doors open out which creates a vacuum when opened that will suck a bug into your RV.

If possible, turn off your outside light near the door about 5 minutes before entering.  Bugs are attracted to light and will swarm there, then you open the door and they come in.  If possible, switch to a motion activated light by your door.