Rodent/Wasp Problem

[ryansj04]

I purchased a new Keystone Hideout, Used it several times and 4 months later found the mice had gotten in and made my new trailer their new home. I contacted my dealer who contacted Keystone. I was told that the unsealed hole I found beneath the trailer where the water lines penetrate the black backer material was normal. Even though all other holes on the underneath were sealed, it was normal for this particular hole to be left unsealed. If I lay on my back underneath the trailer I can see the bottom of the kitchen sink!

This is my first experience with a trailer and cannot believe that a manufacturer would say that an open hole that mice, ladybugs, spiders... could use to gain access to the interior of a trailer would be normal.

Is this normal?

[albertr]

I don't have rodents as yet but I do have a couple of unsealed holes around the 5th wheel. One area is where the electrical wirind and hydraulic hoses that come down from the battery, hydraulic compartment go through the frame and the other area is where the landing jacks go through the body. Any suggestions on sealing those? Thanks...Al

[mrxlh]

Don't know if its normal or not. I sealed all of mine with great stuff foam. Also we don't leave anything in the camper to entice the mice or other critters to want to take up residence. Chalk it up to experience with our last RV that we had mice in.

[Ruffus]

We are fulltiming and have had mice in our rig a couple times. If they can get their nose in a hole the rest of them will follow. We normally get them after sitting in one place for a month or more. I have sealed everything that I can see but they still get in from time to time. I keep a live catch trap with peanut butter in it and if it's ever trpped I then set my old faithful wood snap traps like Dad use to use and usaully catch two. Then I normally have no more for a month or so. They'll climb up hoses, electric cables and jacks. You might try a couple things.
1. Rat guards like we use to use on our ropes when tieing up our ships to the docks.
2. I've also found that a mixture of bleach and water sprayed from a pump sprayer every couple weeks will also deter the little devils. Spray around the outside of the trailer and the inside but don't get the mixture to strong. A cup in two gallons of water works good outside and a half cup in two gallons of water inside will do. They don't like the bleach smell.:)

[The Sod Father]

I found a lovely nest inside my last trailer. Momma mouse found the toilet paper, shredded it and made a nest inside one of the galley drawers. It was nasty.

As others have said, seal every hole possible with caulk and/or touch foam. I am stunned at the massive holes that are cut at the factory for water and/or propane lines.

As far as a deterrent, I can tell you that the smell of bleach will NOT deter. My pool shed reeks from chlorine and we get tons of mice in there in the winter. Same goes for moth balls. Someone suggested that the mice hate that smell as well. My garden shed reeks of moth balls and there is still mouse crap in there from the winter. The only thing that works is to eliminate the mice. I use the blue blocks and bait stations. That keeps the mouse population down. :D

[Charlotte01]

I am new to this, but the salesman at the RV Showcase told me that he uses dryer sheets to deter mice. I figured I'd give it a try, though I am not fond of that smell either. The best alternative is to stuff every nook and cranny with steel wool, but those darn field mice can squeeze through a hole the size of molecule.

[Jay D]

When using the spray foam or what ever you use to close the hole, place some steel wool in the openings 1st. They can chew through the foam but not the steel wool. I work in a 100 year old factory and this is what we do when we find a hole that they may get in from. Jay

[The Sod Father]

I am new to this, but the salesman at the RV Showcase told me that he uses dryer sheets to deter mice. I figured I'd give it a try, though I am not fond of that smell either. The best alternative is to stuff every nook and cranny with steel wool, but those darn field mice can squeeze through a hole the size of molecule.
Dryer sheets do not work. I have a friend who found a mouse nest right next to a dryer sheet on one of his bunks.

If you are going to stuff holes, I would suggest brass wool over steel wool since the steel rusts. Brass does not. You can find brass wool in most big box home improvement stores.

At the end of the day, you want to get rid of the mice. I have been using outdoor bait stations with bait blocks and that has helped quite a bit in reducing the mouse population. The only "icky" part is finding dead mice in your swimming pool.

[SteveC7010]

Everyone has offered useful information regarding dealing with mice, etc.

My friends from the Sunline group tell me that Bounty brand dryer sheets are effective while others, especially generic or store brand, are not.

I don't think we can sit back and expect Keystone or any RV manufacturer to supply us with a mouse proof trailer. We need to be proactive. When I put the trailer up for the winter, I use liberal amounts of the D-Con baits. D-Con makes them powerfully thirsty so they seek water. If you plug up all the access points, they'll die inside the trailer. Better to let them exit and die elsewhere.

In the spring, I remove all the baits and replace with fresh ones. During the camping season, I only place baits where the dog can not get at them.

We had one mouse this winter in the new Cougar. He/she industrially transported a lot of the bait material to other locations and promptly died. I cleaned up with the shop vac and only found evidence of the mouse in a couple of places. I'll be adding a few of the sticky traps for next winter.

The general consensus is that no matter how much you seal up an RV, the mice still find a way in. Remember to use baits and/or traps year 'round to keep them under control.

[Halibutman214]

You can use all of the above methods and you may slow them down but don't be surprised to find an occasional mouse. I had mice getting in the trunk of my Camry and for the life of me could not find how they got in. I did a night time light test, had it put up on a rack so I could see everything underneath but they still got in. The best thing I've ever found was keeping a couple traps set just behind the wheels. They will always go for the bait first but you have to be vigilant in checking and keeping the traps set! This is usually where the mice eventually win.

[DCT]

I'm a full time RV'er. Have been sitting in the same campground for a good while. I've now found i have a nest of yellow jackets that have gotten into the area around the sewer line drain from black water tank. This area to my knowledge wasn't sealed from the dealer either. Have been using traps and spray but it's hard to get into and above the solid panel underneath the camper.:confused:

[geo]

The underbelly of these RVs are not sealed and most cannot be sealed. If you have an RV that does not have a slide or slides and does have a underbelly covering of coroplast, then you can probably easily seal every hole/access point possible.

But if you have even one slide, you will not be able to "seal" the underbelly! (Exception being the bedroom-type slide on many units) Go look at the Lippert or other slide mechanism. For example, take the hydralic slide mechanisms found on most of our RVs. You will probably find two toothed rails that fit into a joined cog system to synchronize the toothed rail extension/retraction. The extension/retraction force is supplied by a hydralic piston cylinder and polished rod. There are holes in the I-beam for these toothed rails and polished rod. I would not recommend sealing these openings! In fact, if you want to peer inside the underbelly, just take a small flashlight, sit down next to the slide next to the polished rod, hold the flashlight up and look inside!

Now, this isn't to say that these holes could not be covered when parked. A little foam pipe insulation can go a long way. But do not leave the insulation in place when extending or retracting the slides!

Ron