How to Deal with Mosquitos a Vanlife & RV Guide

Introduction

Like it or loathe it, mosquitoes and insects are dangerous microorganisms and germs that live in your van. Since you live on the road, you would be exposed to these microorganisms compared to when you were home. While some of these insects carry dangerous diseases, others are harmless but still unsafe to live in your van. For the female mosquitoes, these small flying insects have a long piercing mouthpiece. With the piercing mouth, the female mosquito bites the skin to consume blood. Unlike the female mosquito where blood brings protein for their eggs, male insects don’t feed on blood. 

Over millions of deaths are caused by mosquito-borne diseases annually all around the world. About 450,000 people died of malaria, one of the most common diseases known with mosquitoes, in 2015. You get to see the bite of a mosquito with dark spots that look like bruising, redness, or swelling, as well as small blisters in place of hard bumps. In rare cases, it is believed that a mosquito bite might cause anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening condition that causes wheezing, fairness, hives, or throat swelling. This post serves as a comprehensive guide on how to deal with mosquitoes and insects in your van. It also contains the mosquito repellent ideal for warding off mosquitoes from campervans.

How to Deal with Mosquito and Insect in your Van

Dealing with these small and dangerous creatures requires several strategies, supplies as well as hard work. Here are a few tips to help you ward off mosquitoes from your van. 

Parking Site

There is a general saying that says prevention is better than cure. This is why the parking site is one of the essential tips to deal with mosquitoes and insects. It is safe to move your van somewhere with little or no bugs. Even if you have to camp on the banks of boundary water Minnesota, you can take advantage of the campervan that you live in and move it far away from the water. Bugs, insects, mosquitoes, and many other microorganisms find it comfortable to dwell in areas with water. Therefore, it is safe to park your RV in regions with no stagnant lake or river. Aside from water, mosquitoes also love dense forests of trees.

Since it is rare to find insects in deserts, van travelers can move their items and campervans to places like this. Lands with no undergrowth or any flowing rivers are also ideal places to avoid mosquitoes. Hardly will you find insects or mosquitoes in mountainous terrains and thin air. It is also safe to have your van in a cool or cold place. 

Get or Construct a Mosquito Trap

With a mosquito trap, you can easily lure insects away from your van. However, the trap must contain a yeast blend as well as sugar. You would have no difficulty building a mosquito trap. All you need to do is to cut the top off a 2-liter cool drink bottle. Then, you place it inside the container by turning it upside down, so it looks exactly like a funnel. In the box, you mix a teaspoon of yeast, a cup of water alongside a cup of sugar. 

Afterward, you combine the sugar mixture with just one cup. You then pour the mixture in the funnel you made and attach the two parts of the bottle with tape. Make sure you have this homemade mosquito trap in a dark and humid area for not more than two weeks. The contraption should be replaced with another one after two weeks.

Plaster up Gaps and Cracks

By sealing up cracks and gaps in your campervan, you are preventing hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes and insects into your van. When you are inside your motorhome, make sure you close your windows as well as doors to keep insects out of your trailer. However, many van travelers find it difficult to keep these tiny creatures out of the RV, especially in summers. This is because campervans can get extremely hot at night, and the only way to keep your van fresh is to open up windows and doors. So, every camper needs to have bug nets as one of the essential items for their road trips. 

However, big nets can be costly since you did not prepare to buy it before you set for the trip. Magnetic insect meeting is an excellent alternative for van lifers with little or no budget for the big nets. Make sure there is not a little bit of hole in the big net for the mosquito to penetrate. Also, the windows should be closed down during the day. 

For van travelers who are ready to pay more for their comfort and convenience, there are a slew of brands that produce mosquito nets designed for vans and campervans. However, you hardly find these units in campervan stores, and when you see, they can be too expensive for your budget. These luxury bug nets are built with high-quality materials. They seal up the gaps and cracks in your van, thereby allowing you to open the windows and doors of your trailer for fresh air for the night. 

Always stay protected

This tip focuses on how to keep yourself covered up at critical periods. Apart from the fact that the tip wards off insects from you, it also protects your van from these tiny creatures. You need to protect your skin from these germs by covering up every time. However, many van travelers find it difficult to do this, especially if the weather is warm. Nevertheless, there are many lightweight clothes to put on to protect your skin from mosquitoes. Make sure these clothes are treated with a Permethrin spray for 100% effectiveness. 

Since these tiny creatures also feed more on the ankle regions, it is essential also to keep these areas covered up at critical times. Therefore, you need to get in-built insect repellent properties with a pair of good hiking socks. The critical period to stay covered while on the road is during the dawn of the day when mosquitoes are most active and the hours of dusk. You can always put on a pair of bugs pants if you must wear shorts somewhere with hot temperatures to ward off the bugs. A big head net is another essential supply to have on your van life trip to deal with mosquitoes and insects. 

Use a Mosquito Racket

There are many times you would want to put your camping chairs out and read your favorite tale in coziness. You might also choose to relax your stressed-out body in your hammock hanging between trees. Since you can’t take coal to Newcastle by spraying into the air, you will need a mosquito racket to ward off these tiny creatures. You can also get the mosquito racket to wave insects away from your face, especially when they get terrible. 

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of mosquito rackets on the market today. So, van lifers will have to choose from the numerous units available on shelves. It is an excellent idea to opt-in for rechargeable rackets. Apart from the fact that rechargeable rackets are built with high-quality materials, they are also easy for you. These units are durable, so you can wave away mosquitoes from your sink as long as you want. You don’t always need to spend extra bucks to purchase replacement batteries. All you need to do is to recharge the racket for an extended period in the day and ward off insects while you relax in your hammock. 

Use Adequate Airflow

These tiny creatures often find their way into the campervan even if you cover the whole windows and doors with big nets. You tend to feel some bites even if you shut down every window and door of your van. Having a 12v vent fan keeps insects away not only from you but also from your campervan. So, you can sleep in the night without feeling any bite or sound of these mosquitoes. 

Mosquitoes, as well as insects, often move in an area with a high concentration of C02 that our bodies produce. So, we can easily let out some of the C02 with proper airflow. With adequate ventilation, the C02 that the body produces spread so the mosquitoes won’t be attracted to your body or can. These tiny creatures are also waived off by the drone of a fan. 

Always Smoke Nearby

Do you know mosquitoes and insects hate campfire smoke? Yes, they do! More than 80% of these tiny creatures can’t survive at the sight of smoke. So, building a smoke will help you ward off mosquitoes when you don’t have big nets handy, or you have to camp on the banks of boundary waters Minnesota for an extended period. 

By building a long-lasting campfire, you can stay outside late into the night without any sight or sound of bugs. Building a campfire also allows you to relax in your hammock, even in areas with endless summer pest problems. You would have no difficulty building a smoke near your van. Meanwhile, it should not be made near your van. So, build your campfire far away, take your camping seat or hammock there, then return to your trailer when you are done. 

Also, highly flammable items should not be taken near the fire. You must also keep the light off immediately when you are ready to return to your RV. 

Spray Bug Repellent on Open Skin

The heat that comes with summer can be too harsh, especially if you have to explore cities in the Northern region of the United States of America. I remembered when I went camping in Arizona State. Most of the time, I was forced to stay outside for an extended period with short and light clothes. Some of these clothes neither covered my ankles nor my hands. But Arizona State has a lot to offer van travelers with a plethora of activities to enjoy and beautiful structures as well as wildlife to see. So, I made inquiries on my smartphone, and I found out that bug repellent helps to protect the skin from these tiny creatures. 

For the rest of my days in the city, I survived on the repellent. DEET is one of the most effective bug repellents you can apply on your skin. With just 50% of DEET, your skin is safe from these tiny creatures. However, there are numerous stores with 100% DEET products. But it is essential to know that having too much of this repellent on your skin can cause damages and patches on your skin. So, it is safe to have a little amount of this chemical on your skin. Apart from the DEET, Sawyers is also another effective bug repellent on the shelves today. Unlike DEET, Sawyers contain only 20% Picaridin. 

Moving on, other effective items to spray on your exposed skin includes the natural essential oil remedies. Not only are these remedies great for use on delicate and young skin, but they are also one of the safest repellents in the world today. These units are built with no harmful chemicals or substances. So, you can apply them on the skin of your kids with no fear of skin damages or patches. Nevertheless, the natural essential oil remedies are not as effective as the DEET or Sawyers repellents. Also, it is necessary to take an instant shower after applying the DEET repellent on your exposed skin. 

Citronella Candles

Citronella candles are also one of the effective ways to deal with mosquitoes and insects in your campervans. Many van travelers love these candles because of their pleasant smells. The candles are used to put off a citronella smell that attracts mosquitoes and insects. Citronella candles ward off these tiny creatures in areas with limited air movement. However, they aren’t effective in open spaces. 

Conclusion

Not only has a fear of these tiny creatures discouraged thousands of people from living on the road, but it has also sent some back home prematurely. Like other problems with living on the road, here is a comprehensive guide on how to deal with mosquitoes and insects in your van. Make sure to keep these tips to heart and keep your self free from the insect hordes!

 JUSTVANLIFE