E X T E R I O R & I N T E R I O R CA R E - 3
CAY M A N 2 0 0 7
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If there are signs of rodent infestation around
the motorhome, place traps or poisons in
suspected areas. Keep the traps and poisons
safely away from pets and children. Cheese is
not the best bait for a rodent trap. Use peanut
butter or chocolate in small amounts. Place
the bait on the trigger of the trap to induce the
rodent to climb onto the trigger to reach the
bait. Rodents do not limit invasion to unused
vehicles.
Insects:
Eliminate insects when signs of infestation
appear. If you are unable to identify the type of
insect, purchase sticky traps from the hardware
store and place the tape where the insects
have been seen. Once a sample is caught, seek
assistance in identifying the insect to determine
what will be required to remove the infestation.
Regularly inspect the exterior of the
motorhome for signs of a budding wasp nest,
and promptly destroy small nests before they
become too large.
Spiders can be in any structure. Immediately
remove spider webs. Some types of spiders
like to nest on top of the diesel tank and
around the diesel hoses. Dispense of spiders
using a vacuum. Use care to capture the
spider and egg sacs. Throw the vacuum bag
away in a sealed bag.
Fruit ies invade the motorhome by attaching
to fresh fruits and vegetables. Determine what
food items are generating the ies and discard
those items in an outdoor trash receptacle. Fruit
ies can be eliminated with a homemade trap.
Pour a few ounces of vinegar into a cup and
cover the cup with plastic wrap. Secure the wrap
with tape or a rubber band and poke a ¼" hole in
the plastic. Place the trap in the area where fruit
ies are present.
Ants live in colonies. Only a fraction of the
ant colony will leave to seek food. Spraying
pesticides will only kill the ants that are away
from the colony. The colony must be destroyed
to eliminate all ants. Keep ants away from the
sewer hose by spraying the hose ends with a
soap and water solution.
Fleas can be removed by properly treating pets
with a veterinarian approved treatment and by
thoroughly cleaning the motorhome. Vacuum
vinyl areas and tile oors to remove dust, ea
larva and ea eggs. Follow by thoroughly
washing those areas with soap and water.
Carpets must be vacuumed and treated with a
residual ea control product labeled safe for
indoor carpet and furniture use. Perform the
cleaning treatment daily for three days to ensure
that all eas have encountered the treatment.
Flying outdoor insects are attracted to
bright light. Yellow porch light covers on the
motorhome work to discourage insect invasion.
During nighttime hours insects will be attracted
to docking lights, or other bright exterior
lighting.
If the presence of moths is detected inside
of the motorhome, usually by holes appearing
in material, clean the affected clothing and all
other items stored in the same area. Follow
by completely cleaning the closet, dresser or
storage area. If cracks are detected, seal the
cracks and treat the area with a properly labeled
indoor pest control product.
Birds:
Even birds can be considered pests,
particularly when the motorhome is parked in
the ight path of a ock. Bird droppings are
hard to remove and will leave stains. Prevent
permanent staining to the motorhome roof by
regularly cleaning the surface to remove all bird
droppings.
Damage from Pests:
Lizards have been known to crawl into the
inverter and short out the circuit board. Lizards
can be captured using glue traps. To remove
the lizard from the trap, dissolve the glue with
vegetable oil and release it outside and well
away from the motorhome. A scorpion will
glow blue-green in UV light. If the presence
of scorpions in the motorhome is suspected,
investigate with an UV black light during the
nighttime hours.
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