user 23166
Active member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2018
- Messages
- 44
- Reaction score
- 0
Anyone have any real world proven experience repelling scorpions, spiders, mice, etc... from your vehicles?
critters
- Thread starter user 23166
- Start date
Help Support Van Living Forum:
Don't feed them.
Seriously, if stationary for a long period late in the year in cooler climates, some of those critters are looking for a place to spend the winter. Move the vehicle off the dirt roads into a concrete parking lot for a few days. Better yet, rotate onto concrete until the first frost if possible.
Scorpions, no idea why they would want to be inside a vehicle.
Spiders, most build webs and want live flying insects. Some spiders love to consume other spiders others know crumbs attract lil crawl/fly/wiggle sects and that's another reason to prepare and thoroughly clean up after yourself.
Don't feed the spiders next meal.
Mice are attracted to smells first then search for any food left out anywhere.
Setting a trap with anything like peanut butter, which they love, will only increase the number of mice looking for the great treat you put out for them. So, set those traps away from your vehicle, don't invite them inside.
just my 2¢ worth
Seriously, if stationary for a long period late in the year in cooler climates, some of those critters are looking for a place to spend the winter. Move the vehicle off the dirt roads into a concrete parking lot for a few days. Better yet, rotate onto concrete until the first frost if possible.
Scorpions, no idea why they would want to be inside a vehicle.
Spiders, most build webs and want live flying insects. Some spiders love to consume other spiders others know crumbs attract lil crawl/fly/wiggle sects and that's another reason to prepare and thoroughly clean up after yourself.
Don't feed the spiders next meal.
Mice are attracted to smells first then search for any food left out anywhere.
Setting a trap with anything like peanut butter, which they love, will only increase the number of mice looking for the great treat you put out for them. So, set those traps away from your vehicle, don't invite them inside.
just my 2¢ worth
Repelling them no, the secret is keeping them out and that is done by using screens and having good tight gaskets on the doors and windows. If you are the type to hang around in camp with the doors wide open and no screens then you literally have an open door policy saying come on it little critters.
But there can be small cracks and voids that you are not aware of. Put a bright light inside the vehicle and when it gets to be dusk or early morning when the outside is not light crawl under your vehicle and look for light leaks. If you see light fill up that void.
But of course you typically do have some weep holes in the bottoms of your doors to let out water than comes in through the window channel. You do not want to block up those or your doors will rust out. So you are going to end up with at least a few small voids but you can get rid of any voids that are not water drains.
But there can be small cracks and voids that you are not aware of. Put a bright light inside the vehicle and when it gets to be dusk or early morning when the outside is not light crawl under your vehicle and look for light leaks. If you see light fill up that void.
But of course you typically do have some weep holes in the bottoms of your doors to let out water than comes in through the window channel. You do not want to block up those or your doors will rust out. So you are going to end up with at least a few small voids but you can get rid of any voids that are not water drains.
user 23166
Active member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2018
- Messages
- 44
- Reaction score
- 0
wow, what a great idea, thx Maki
lenny flank
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2016
- Messages
- 2,458
- Reaction score
- 13
My view is perhaps a bit biased, since I have kept spiders, tarantulas, scorpions and snakes as pets and I like them. 
But critters of all sorts need food and water. If they cannot find either in your vehicle, there's no reason for them to stay there. They're not stupid--they won't stay where they can't live.
But critters of all sorts need food and water. If they cannot find either in your vehicle, there's no reason for them to stay there. They're not stupid--they won't stay where they can't live.
CoachOnTheRoad
Well-known member
I've been in a mini-van full time for two years with no problems, until this year in Flagstaff AZ I got a mouse in my engine. Usually I'm the "live and let live" type, but I couldn't take the chance of chewed wires etc. I set out a mousetrap in cardboard ( so the mousetrap wouldn't fall into the engine) and got it the first night. Never had a problem after that. I've heard all kinds of ways to repel them, from leaving hood up at night, a light on inside the engine, or ammonia sprayed on the tires.
Spiders are a part of this life for sure, I can't be around toxic chemicals so that's out ... I just try not to bring them in lol! I brush my clothes off before going into the van if I've been under trees or another spidery place. I've had a few spiders in my van but nothing poisonous.
Scorpions, not likely they'll get in the van unless it's a hitchhiker, don't leave shoes outside, check for hitch-hikers on anything you're bringing back into the van.
The little insects are more aggravating ... flies, mosquitos, bees, knats ... make sure you have a good flyswatter lol!
~ Mary Ellen
Spiders are a part of this life for sure, I can't be around toxic chemicals so that's out ... I just try not to bring them in lol! I brush my clothes off before going into the van if I've been under trees or another spidery place. I've had a few spiders in my van but nothing poisonous.
Scorpions, not likely they'll get in the van unless it's a hitchhiker, don't leave shoes outside, check for hitch-hikers on anything you're bringing back into the van.
The little insects are more aggravating ... flies, mosquitos, bees, knats ... make sure you have a good flyswatter lol!
~ Mary Ellen
Dingfelder
Well-known member
rokguy said:
How does that treat the rubber or whatever you might have functioning as a sealer?
Ticks, ah yes those pesky critters. My advice, burn everything within 100 ft or more if possible that is a grass or weed of where you are going to park. Then again running around in the nude works too, to notice them before they get too far.
