RE: solution for no see ums?

[sandykayak]

 
When we camped at Flamingo in Everglades National Park a couple of weeks ago the popup s mosquito netting was useless against the no see  ums that sauntered in and out and ate us up.
 
 Has anyone come up with a solution?
 
 Below is a page from campmor showing a variety of screening options.  I do have the Epco tropiscreen 1 (I added more no see  um mesh so I could wrap the end around a small duffel bag and keep it off my legs/feet).  That would be OK for just me, which it usually is []
 
 But I usually invite at least one gal friend, and frequently two (I m trying not to so as to avoid the dinette set-up/down hassle).  That would mean spending another $60 for two.   Then I have to have something for the doggies...I do have a small baby tent I bought for them, but not sure it it s no see  um mesh.
 
 Then I was wondering if the double mosquito bar ($40 no image available, but see the single sized one) would work.  But it doesn t say no see  um mesh (I could check thought.    But the real question is where could I attach it.
 
 Now I m thinking of ordering several yards of no see  um mesh, draping it over the shepherd s hook, and tucking it around the mattress.  Kinda like a casbah effect.    I could make for the double bunks and then keep the tropicscreen for a possible third person.
 
 comments/ideas?
 
 
 http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/CategoryDisplay?cgrfnbr=73077&cgmenbr=226

[sandykayak]

 sandykayak
just realized that the " draping over the shepherd hook"  method would leave the windows without protection - unless I add " front and back"  side pieces, which would be a hassle.
 
 I used to have a " mombasa"  screen that hung over my hot tub.  I guess I could follow that principle.
 
 I need a ring of sorts (could probably get those things with clothes pins from the dollar store). attach the mesh to that (blocking the " hole"  of course) and then just hang that from the flat part of the shepherd s pole and have the mesh spreading out in a circle.
 
 need ideas for the ring, please.   the mesh is 54"  wide... how much would I need?

[mike4947]

 sandykayak
For the ring just head out to any good fairly large drapery/fabric/craft store. Rinds are available from 1/8"  to well over 3 feet in diamater.
 From the sound of it, If I understand, you want to make a mosquito/no see um net over the bunk like in the movies?
 I know where your coming from, a lot of the Adirondack black flies can crawl right through standard mosquito netting and in August the gnats do the same.
 We just took the extra fine mesh you can no see um cloth and cut out forms to fit over the existing screens. A few basting stiches around the edges and we didn t lose any functionallity in the PU and got to thumb our noses at the black flies.
 
 

[raven339]

 sandykayak
Not sure this will help you but...
 
 Most of them critters enter the camper at night when I leave the lights on, and they tend to gather around the lights. When it s time to go to bed I take a cordless DustBuster vacuum and just gather them all up, and turn out the lights.
 
 They re usually not a problem after that...
 
 Although one of my camp n buddies did ask me what the hell I was vacuuming at 2 in the morning?
 
 Skol...

[topcat7736]

 sandykayak
Sandy,
 
 Save your money. None of the screen alternatives will work. Here s an example:
 We use our AAR every trip out. Last summer, we had one particularly bad bug weekend. By the time the AAR was setup, it was filled with bugs. By the time the door was in place on the popup, the popup was filled with bugs. Every time we openend a door (AAR or popup), they would enter with us by the zillions. Now, the porta potti is in the AAR and Peggy is the one who uses it. Not to be thwarted by bugs, she took the initiative, got a can of bug spray, openend the popup door & sprayed the AAR til it was clean. She then proceeded to de-bug the inside of the popup with the spray.  Well, it worked. We slept bug free, could use the potti relatively bug free, but couldn t open the door of the AAR as we could see them all on the netting. (There were so many that it looked like privacy panels on the screening)!
 
 So, once you re inside the trailer for the night, spray the entire place with bug killer and enjoy a peaceful night s sleep.

[tlhdoc]

 sandykayak
Al,
 
 I would worry about the bug spray damaging the tenting of the PU.  Have you had any problems?  Have you done this very often?

[Opie431]

 sandykayak
We had them bad last year several nights in Kentucky in September. I am going to take something yellow to put over the lights, I have not quite decided on what I am going to use, probably lightweight fabric that has a fire resistent spray on. I do not know if it will work or not but it is the best and easiest thing I can think of.
 We sprayed just before we made a final trip to the bathrooms and turned out the lights so we were not bothered with them at night. We went to bed as much in the dark as we could.

[GeneF]

 sandykayak
I would agree with Tracy about using bug or hair spray inside of the camper.
 
 Check your manual on this and I think you might find a warning about using different sprays on or near the tenting material.
 
 
 
 

[topcat7736]

 sandykayak
We ve used bug sprays since 2000 and haven t had any problem with the Sunbrella tenting. We turn on the lights & spray it toward the roof area once the bugs congregate and clean it off before closing up. Occasionally, although it does eliminate the little bast@rds, Peggy has gone nuts & put enough into the air to choke a horse.
 
 Amber lights might not attract every bug, but they do attract giant ones that look like mosquitos on steroids and a wealth of other ones.
 
 (People + bugs) = camping! [][][]

[sandykayak]

 sandykayak
tsk...tsk...y all are slipping...I was expecting some REALLY brilliant solutions.[&:]
 
 i did think afterwards that it would require a lot less no see  um mesh if I just cut out panels to cover the existing netting, but you basted it??? wasn t that hard?
 
 then you just leave it in place all the time?
 
 i did spray the netting...that did diddly squat....you could see a gazillion black dots parked in the netting holes.
 
 question:  do you people up " north"  HAVE no see  ums?  they re about the size of a pinhead...naw.......maybe 50 of  em would fit on a pinhead.

[Miller Tyme]

 sandykayak
sandy-
 Haven t really noticed any no-see-um s around here. Maybe I m not paying attention. But we have a lovely little bug up here- the lake fly. I ll be darned if I know what this insect does-it doesn t bite even though it looks like a mosquito, and it s only purpose is to annoy people and feed the fish in the local lakes.
 Take a drive along some of our lakes-they cling to everything, houses, telephone poles, even hang like dark clouds over the road. That s where the fun is. After about two trips through a swarm, you vehicle needs a wash, because their dead bodies will eat the paint off if not removed promptly[:@]

[dee106]

 sandykayak
we have a bug zapper, that runs on ac/dc, (rechargable batteries)and is a great night light too. its a small table top but also can be hung, we use lemon grass oil on our skin when we are outside, smells nice but its a oil, so it feels like sun tan oil. but it helps keep them from eating you alive. we put the zapper in the camper an hour before we go in for the night with no other light on inside and it normally get those suckers, as far as the yellow lite, i think they are attracted to them, we alway have bugs around the yellow door lite, i fine colored christmas lights work better, never see them around the red and green and darker blue ones!

[mike4947]

 sandykayak
Sandy it was a little work attaching them to the regular screens but since I get allegic reactions to black flies, gnats and no see ums It was worth the two days I spent redoing the PU.
 The basting mainly consisted of me on the outside, DW on the inside and passing the needle back and forth between us around the edges. About an inch between stiches made it tight enough to hols it to the screens without gaping.
 My other bug solution is also carried in large quantities, Raid Yard Guard.
 While we don t particularly like spraying the inside of the PU with it. The outside is fair game. In fact it the first thing out of the PU when setting up after one fateful day when backing into a pine needle covered site on fine day and having litterally cloud of bugs swarm up out of the needles when we walked/drove over them.

[topcat7736]

 sandykayak
Click [link=http://pelotes.jea.com/flinsec.htm]HERE[/link] to learn about no-see-um s.
 
 I noticed, in the description,  that the males are nectar drinkers and the females are blood suckers & biters. Hmmmmmmmmm......where have I heard this before? Hmmmmmmmmmm......  [][][&:]

[Opie431]

 sandykayak
Here in lower Michigan we have very few of them but much further up-north at the bottom of Hudson s Bay there were so many that we said we would never go back.