​How to Remove Wasps and Bees from Your RV: A Complete Guide

DUSTYTRAILRV CONTENT BATCH 4 SEPTEMBER 2

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Chances are, if you’re looking into how to remove wasps and bees from your RV, spring is shedding off the last few remnants of winter.

Flowers are blooming, the weather is heating up, and… you’re getting stung by flying pests?

A wasp sting is no fun, but when it comes to RVing, you can’t always choose what new challenge is presented to you.

The good news is you can take steps to remove a bee or wasp infestation from your RV quickly and effectively– if you’re willing to do the work and experiment to find what works.

There are lots of possible remedies that RV owners cite work on one or both bees and wasps, but you’ll likely have more luck with one remedy vs. another, so you’ll need to try a few things.

To help save you time and energy, below we’ve organized some of the best methods for removing wasps and bees in your RV.

Each is lauded by RV owners across the country, so you’re likely to find at least one which is effective for you. 

How to Remove Wasps and Bees from Your RV

Here are some of the best and most often cited remedies for handling flying pests, including:

  • Wasp species such as mud daubers, paper wasps, red wasps
  • Honey bees, meat bees
  • Yellow jackets

These tips cover both in and around your RV from removal to prevention:

1. Perform an insecticide fogging to kill nests

BLACK FLAG Fogging Insecticide

Insecticide is an effective wasp killer treatment for removing bee or wasp nests that may be hanging around your RV (often under or around wheels), especially the hard-to-reach underbelly. 

You can buy Black Flag’s fogging insecticide treatment as well as their (or several other brand’s, provided it’s compatible) propane insect fogger.

BLACK FLAG Propane Insect Fogger

The insecticide is safe and easy to spray outside and is great for reaching under your RV and in other nooks where a hive may be hiding. 

2. Cover exterior openings

I know, this one might sound obvious, but I’m talking about all those places you likely haven’t thought of covering up yet. 

Such as:

  • Fridge vent
  • Water heater
  • Furnace vent
  • Etc. 

These are all places where wasps and bees could be entering from. Fortunately, it’s easy and safe to cover these openings with a mesh cover and only takes a few minutes to do.

3. Spray your vents

Raid Wasp & Hornet Killer Spray
Raid Wasp & Hornet Killer Spray

While you’re at it, get a wasp spray (like Raid’s Wasp & Hornet spray) or some WD-40 and spray it around these same vents to remove any stragglers and ward them off moving forward.

4. Try a natural vinegar trap

If you rather use an all-natural solution and want to avoid bug spray of any kind, one option you can try is a vinegar trap.

A vinegar trap involves mixing water (one cup), vinegar (one cup), and sugar (two cups) together to create a solution that attracts bees and wasps and then kills them. 

The only issue with this remedy is that you need to place it inside something and set it down near the wasp nest itself, which might not be possible depending on where the hive is. 

In addition to that, while some say it worked for them, many report that this just doesn’t do anything. So, you’ll need to try it for yourself if you’re looking for a natural remedy. 

5. RESCUE! VisiLure® TrapStik

RESCUE! VisiLure® TrapStik for Wasps Product

Another great option is RESCUE!’s VisiLure TrapStick, a wasp trapper that uses an attractive color pattern to wasps combined with a sticky adhesive to draw in and kill wasps.

RESCUE! VisiLure® TrapStik for Wasps Showcase

They’re easy to set up, safe to use, and pretty convenient as they can be placed just about anywhere.

What Smell Best Gets Rid of Bees and Wasps?

Rather than drawing bees and wasps away with a smell they dislike, the best method is to draw them in with a smell they do. 

Bees are easily attracted by sugar or anything that smells sweet, so a vinegar trap using sugar and water is said to be an effective method of attracting and killing wasps.

With that said, you can also try citronella, which you can get as a plant or distilled into an oil. Bees and wasps are said to dislike the smell of the plant, so it helps ward them away. 

Does Vinegar Kill Bees and Wasps?

Some report vinegar mixed with water helping kill bees. However, for every one person that says it worked for them, there are five that say it just didn’t do anything.

As with any remedy like this, it’s hard to know if vinegar effectively kills bees and wasps because it could be some entirely different factor contributing.

If you’re looking for a truly effective way to kill bees and wasps, it’s best to use a bug spray or fogger of some kind that is specifically designed to kill them.

Keep Bugs and Rodents Out

Now that you’ve handled your bee or wasp problem, check out our guides on removing other little critters out of your RV for good:

This post may contain affiliate links. Check out our disclosure for more information.

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