Escapees November-December 2022

draw mice to the area. I do use mouse traps, the simple wood and wire snap traps work well and are so cheap you can throw them away after one use. Peanut butter works great as bait, and a few traps placed in dark recesses or along walls will usually catch any mousey intruders. I’ve also used traps in engine compartments with good results. I always have some with me. While mice seem to be common just about everywhere, in my expe rience they are more a nuisance than something that does signi fi cant damage. Rats, on the other hand, seem to be more of a rarity. That’s a good thing, because they can be highly destructive, especially under the hood of a vehicle. Rats like to chew wiring, and a single rat can easily disable your vehicle in a single night. If you notice that the vehicles around your campsite all have their hoods open, that’s a sure sign that people in the area have had issues with rats. Opening the hood helps prevent nesting activity, as mice and rats prefer dark enclosed spaces. I’ve never had a rat problem in all my years of boondocking, but I did have a rat chew up my truck wiring pretty thoroughly at my home in Livingston. If I fi nd that I’m camped in an area with lots of rat activity, I move somewhere else!

Skeeters and Biting Insects Let’s face it, mosquitoes are a fact of life almost anywhere outdoor activity takes place. Apparently, I am classi fi ed as “mosquito candy,” and I get bit even if no one else does! This has led me to embrace a number of mosquito-control products and I use them a lot! I always carry a couple of ThermaCell mosquito repellers with me. For those who are unfamiliar with Thermacell products, the repellent is contained in a replaceable wafer that lasts for about four hours. The wafer is heated by a small butane-powered burner and releases a vapor that creates an approximate 15'x15' mosquito-free zone. The vapor is not offensive to my nose and is most effective in relatively calm conditions. And, yes, it really does work! I prefer the Backpacker, but they make lamps, hand held and even rechargeable devices. Check them out at Thermacell.com. See the RV gadget box reviews online (gadgetbox. escapees.com) where you can fi nd several of my ThermaCell reviews. Less effective, but more fun, is the hand-held bug zapper. Looking like a small tennis racket, it has an electrostatic charged grid that zaps skeeters with a delightful pop and fl ash. It also works on wasps, fl ies and no-see-ums. It vaporizes smaller insects, and stuns big ones so you can step on them. You can get them cheap at Harbor Freight, but they have a multi-layer grid. Buy one like this: www.amazon.com/ gp/product/B000MU2MJA It has a single-layer grid of parallel wires and works a lot better!

Arm yourself with mosqui to-control products such as the hand-held bug zapper and ThermaCell mosquito repellers.

Finally, I always have a can or two of mosquito spray onboard. I’ve been a big fan of Off Deep Woods 30% DEET spray, but always hated the oily residue and the way it smells. Recently, I discovered Picaridin, and when

all my DEET is gone, that’s what I’m buying. Picaridin (pronounced pih-CARE-a-den)

is a synthetic compound developed from a plant extract. Studies have shown picaridin to be as effective as DEET in repelling

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ESCAPEES Magazine November/December 2022