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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Little Visitors

We love to have visitors to our Journey, just like we enjoyed visitors to our stix-n-brix when we owned one.

Sometimes, though, there are little visitors that we don’t welcome into our motorhome.  We’ve had several types of these visitors.

The first one that we’ve been fighting for over a year now is the Stink Bug.

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We used to store our motorhome in a County Park in Northern Virginia, which was heavily wooded.  It was also infested with Stink Bugs.  They worked their way into tiny openings in the Journey and set up shop.  All the RVs that stored there got them.  We noticed that in the cold winter months, they were unseen, but as soon as warming began, out they came.  The only resource we’ve had to deal with them is TNT, a tissue-n-toilet.  We give them the “Royal Flush”.  We found it is not good to squish them because they leave behind their stinky odor.

We’re making headway on them, we went from seeing bunches everyday crawling on the windows to maybe one a day, we call it the “Stink Bug of the Day” (SBOTD).  Hopefully, we’ll get the very last one and be free of them.

Then there’s the other little visitors, the Sweet Ants.

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So far this year we haven’t seen any inside the Journey (knock on wood) but the warmer weather is just starting.  To fight them, I spray the ground around my tires and leveling jacks with ant spray, and then on my electrical cable and sewer hose I put a one inch band of petroleum jelly around them just before they enter the Journey.  So far that has worked pretty well, but I have to reapply the ant spray after rains.

We had a very unwanted little visitor and were shocked to see it.  Fortunately we were able to catch and kill it right away.

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It was a cockroach.  Marti found it in the bathroom sink one night.  We have no idea how it got in the Journey.  We have two theories, one is it came up inside the sewer hose via our gray tank, we leave the valve open when we have full hook ups.  The other idea is maybe it came in with a grocery bag.  Either way, we’ve been keeping a sharp eye and we haven’t seen anymore.  Hopefully we got this only one before it brought more friends.

We have some little visitors that we want to come our way, we’ve even put out invitations, but so far, none have showed up.  We’ve put a hummingbird feeder out on one of our windows, hoping to encourage visits from them.

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We did have a special little visitor last night.  A first for us and we were so happy to see this little visitor.

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Little Anabelle came to dinner and she brought her mommy and daddy.

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We had a nice meal outside under the Journey’s awning.  Anabelle sat on the table and watched all the goings on.

Of course, after dinner, she had to get some cuddling time on Mimi Marti’s shoulder.

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We’re looking forward to more visits from this little one. :c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

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16 comments:

  1. The stink bugs were down to just a couple a day by the time we were ready to leave the Smokies. Now that we're back, we'll see what happens. Today's count - so far is 3.

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  2. At most RV suppliers they sell Screens that are specially made for the Furnace Exhaust, The Hot Water Tank Door, and The Vents for the Refrigeraters. The Existing covers have small enough openings that they can enter the cavities of the walls only to come and go as they please. So for about $30.00 that will help decrease even the amount of mosquitoes that enter the coach. Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. Thanks Rick,

      I have those screens in place, but they have not stopped the stink bugs. I think the worm their way in around the slide seals.

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  3. When I moved to VA, one of the hardest things for me to get used to was the cockroaches. They seemed to be everywhere. But that last little visitor just gets cuter and cuter.

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  4. Our visitors are the LADYBUGS! We get infested with them during our visits to Ohio. I used to take the battery vacuum sweeper and suck them out of all the windows... they are really that bad. And do they ever stink!!!! I think we've carried them to half the States in the Union! And to think we used to buy packets of ladybugs when we had an organic farm! But... those were a different strain. Anyway... right now we've got ants, what I call June bugs, flies, mosquitoes, lizards and snakes... so... what's a stink bug or two when we're looking at the big picture? ;-)

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  5. Anabelle is darling...is she ever growing...we escaped the 'stink' bug relay..but we did have to deal with the tiny sugar ants..we were infested with them in Florida..even tho we were parked on cement etc...we visited wallyworld one nite at 11pm and got the spray and the drops for the cardboards which we slid under the slides..it worked in about 3 days..thankfully..in one park the place was full of fire ants..now theres destroyers...luckily none got in the rig..but the poor fur kids had some bites on them...good luck and stay safe folks...

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  6. Knock on wood..the stinkbugs seem to be leaving us alone. We get an occasional one here and there, but not to the extent of before. George has been spraying for ants too, so far nothing in the RV!

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  7. I love to try to guess what your blog is going to be about from the title. I'm nearly always wrong but it's fun anyway. This time I thought your grandsons from S.C. might have come up to see Annabelle and they were the little visitors. Boy was I wrong.......stink bugs, ants and roaches....YUCK on all counts.

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  8. after many months we seem to be finally rid of the stinkeroo bugs...

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  9. Yes, there are definitely visitors that you want to leave and visitors you want to stay. Anabelle is one that you want to stay. Isn't family time grand?

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  10. The Grandkids, Pretty Birds and Butterflies would be our vote for little visitors!!

    Anabelle is growing up before our eyes....she is precious:o)))

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  11. We've had stink bugs and the sweet ants. Yuck to both of them.

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  12. Roaches can fly, so it may have just come in when a door was open. Glad to see Anabelle out visiting her family!

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  13. Pest in the RV wow I never thought of that. Gonna have to do some research and consider that as I prepare for mine and my husbands trip. Thanks for posting. And, sweet baby! Don't ya just love um?

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  14. Are you sure that is a cockroach? It looks like a woodroach. If you are in a wooded area, that may be the culprit. Woodroach is a nussance, but is not an indication of or attracted by food. I used boric acid tablets around the house and got rid of them

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  15. I've had good luck using cinnamon powder for ants. Smells good too!!

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