If you were in Maryland at any point last summer, you probably saw them: flat, gray, nasty little critters that invade every small crack and gap and your home, your car, everywhere. If you haven’t already guessed (and the title didn’t give it away), we’re talking about stink bugs. And the bad news for RV owners is that they can skitter onto your unit and in some cases can cause big problems. Fortunately, the technicians at Beckley’s have lots of experience with stink bugs to know exactly how to handle these annoying little pests.
Where do stink bugs like to hide in your RV?
Stink bugs love to crawl into small, dark crevasses…dark crevasses such as your RV water heater’s burner tubes, for instance. In certain cases, they can get so bad that they completely block your RV’s burner tubes, causing the water to heat incorrectly and potentially starting a fire in the water heater compartment! We’ve seen burner tubes on ranges clogged full of the beasts as well, which can cause LP to build up under the stove and ignite it all at once – needless to say, this is not something you want to deal with! Stink bugs can also sneak into the check valve on your black water tank flushers, potentially causing leaks in the cabinet and wall. We’ve actually found that if you turn off the water, wait a little bit, then try the flusher again, they’ll all have been driven out of the check valve. So far, we haven’t seen any of them get into RV furnaces – furnaces most commonly have sealed chambers that the stink bugs can’t get into. But they would if they could!
So how do you keep stink bugs OUT OF your RV?
So what’s the best way to keep stink bugs out of your RV? It’s very simple. Every nook and cranny needs to be caulked up tight. When you start prepping your RV for this year’s camping season, you’d be well-advised to stay close to your RV when you first light up your appliances and when you put water in your unit in the springtime. Look closely for those little stinkers – if you notice some gaps in your siding or weather stripping or windows – you’re probably going to have stink bug problems again this year. Pay extra special attention to your water heater – light it and make sure it is burning properly and there are no stink bugs camping out in it. If you can tell that you have a real stink bug problem, call Beckley’s and we will help fix it.
If you’re worried about another big stink bug-filled camping season, bring your RV into Beckley’s Camping Center before you get ready to take it out onto the road. We can help make sure your RV is sealed so no stink bugs can get in, and we’ll check for stink bugs in all the places they like to hide. We never thought we’d be saying this but at Beckley’s – we’re the stink bug experts!
