Moth attack

[GordSanClemente]

first night dispersed camping, fine. Second night about 100 moths.
After closing all vents and windows, still got about 3 new ones every 5 minutes.
Went to bed at midnight, closing off the bedroom from the rest of the coach.
Next night moved to a national park 20 miles from dispersed. (Serrano in CA)
Sat outside in evening, very pleasant. Sure we would not have the same problem.
Enter coach, turn on main light, about 100 moths. F@?k!
Same routine. They continued to come in.
This is our first warmer season camping in this new to us coach.
I cannot figure out where they are coming in.


2019 Thor ace 30.3


We don’t have this problem(yet) with flies and mosquitos.

Thoughts?


I am hoping another ACE owner knows the magic bullet, but any ideas for unusual entry are appreciated.
Thanks g

[cpmath]

Are you sure they are coming in from outside or are they hiding somewhere inside your coach and coming alive with the warmer weather. Perhaps they have been hibernating throughtout the winter and it's time for them to wake up. You might have to fumigate the RV with one of those bug bombs, they do a great job of getting rid of all sorts of pests.

[OldWEB]

I am no bug man, but is there a chance that eggs may have been laid inside and they are just hatching? Moths only find an easy way in and RVs are typically sealed tightly.

Stay cool


Edit: Maybe one of the slide seals is not sealed (or maybe missing?).

[Bob Denman]

Try putting out some cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil.
It doesn't smell bad to us: but to bugs...
They don't like it at all!

[lwmcguire]

Pan of water near a light helps capture them

some moths migrate this time of year so are really out

[GordSanClemente]

Originally Posted by cpmath

Are you sure they are coming in from outside or are they hiding somewhere inside your coach and coming alive with the warmer weather. Perhaps they have been hibernating throughtout the winter and it's time for them to wake up. You might have to fumigate the RV with one of those bug bombs, they do a great job of getting rid of all sorts of pests.

More data:
These moths appear full grown. A little over an inch. And really “juicy” when you smack them.

We live in a cool area, but the coach is stored inland. I have been to the coach when it is over 80 and it has been over 90 when I wasn’t there. The temp here in the mountains isn’t over 85.

After my initial post I spoke to other coach owners around me. All complained of moths.
Wide variance in how many got inside. Seems I had the worst. They were mildly irritated. I, on the other hand, was witnessing a seen from an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

We are back to the dispersed camping area. We will see what happens tonight

Thank you for the suggestions so far.

[Bob Denman]

Keep an eye out for. Mothra...

[TurnerFam]

we've had our share this spring, too, and there's no rhyme or reason as to 'where' or 'when' they come - but usually it's right in the middle of a good show and they fly continually around the TV.. : /

[Mr Sunshine]

Try a portable vacuum instead of squishing them. Just be sure you clean the vacuum after each use.

When you are away from the coach, are you leaving all the lights off? Outside lights too. Keep the inside temp as cool as you can stand it.

Since your neighbors are getting them too, you need to inspect for any possible entry point. Have your passenger check for drafts when you are on the road. If bugs that big can get in...

[Dragon70]

I’m on board with the theory they are coming from inside and yes they can be full grown. Had this happen on my ship once when in the Navy and we were hundreds of miles from land. Hundreds of moths! They can hatch out of any sort of ground grain.

[Trae urban]

I do not have an ace , I do have a 2019 Thor challenger, look under the hood towards the front cal or windshield. I found there was gaps 6 to 8” long 2 “ wide along under side of dash I could actually see pavement from on top looking down, I took dash out and foamed the whole dash as far I I could without getting wire harness, stope bugs and the best benefit stopped a lot of the v10 screaming noise ! It was just open to engine compartment!

[Noodge]

This happened to us in our old 5th wheel at the KOA in Ft. Collins Colorado where even their laundry room and store had moths everywhere. One poor family trying to sleep tent packed up and left it was so bad. After a couple of hours into it we figured out they were coming in through the bedroom somehow. We went out and looked and realized part of the slide seal under the bed had torn loose. They were coming in through there, and making their way out from under the bed where the plywood didn't sit flush with the storage area. So my first thought for you would be to check all of your seals to make sure there are no gaps. We just recently bought a 2013 Thor Ace 30.1 and saw a slight bit of daylight through the slide seal of the bedroom from inside. Needless to say it's on our punch list of things being fixed. WE HATE MOTHS!

[lrplumb]

If you could post a picture it would be helpful.
Look up " meal moths " or " Indiam meal moths "
They like grain but will eat just about anything not sealed in glass.
They lay eggs in crevices, food boxes and just about anywhere.
The eggs turn into larvae that look like maggots. The maggots then turn into the moths. The hiding spot will ahve what looks like a spider web but it will be a cocoon. Check all your food boxes first.
Larry Plumb
Thor Miramar 2018 37

[Travelin' Texans]

Originally Posted by OldWEB

I am no bug man, but is there a chance that eggs may have been laid inside and they are just hatching? Moths only find an easy way in and RVs are typically sealed tightly.

Stay cool


Edit: Maybe one of the slide seals is not sealed (or maybe missing?).

"RVs are typically sealed tightly"????
Not sure about yours, but I've never owned one that I'd call "tightly sealed".
Had the same moth issue several years ago, used my little shop vac to suck'em up, just be sure the exhaust port on the vac has some sort of screen (I used a piece of panty hose) over it or they come back out, then in a couple days they are dead & dump the shop vac.

[Cpd]

We have a thor freedom elite and there is space under our dresser where the slide goes out. I stuff the whole with washcloths to keep mosquitoes out.

[Pittstop]

I too have a 2016 Challenger - can you provide photos of the areas you are talking of - we need to seal ours too!

Originally Posted by Trae urban

I do not have an ace , I do have a 2019 Thor challenger, look under the hood towards the front cal or windshield. I found there was gaps 6 to 8” long 2 “ wide along under side of dash I could actually see pavement from on top looking down, I took dash out and foamed the whole dash as far I I could without getting wire harness, stope bugs and the best benefit stopped a lot of the v10 screaming noise ! It was just open to engine compartment!

[Junodtim]

When traveling through NM and some parts of AZ, we have learned to close windows, vents, and doors prior to dusk. We also stuff rags under the slide out and we do not use the ceiling or outside lights. I installed dimmer controls for the bedroom and undercabinet lighting so we don't have to walk around with a flash light. We stayed in NM one night last month and I only had to kill about 15-20 moths instead of the 100+ like times past.

[powerboatr]

omg let me laugh, we had the mothra attack in Wyoming (Cheyenne) ,


we thought we would loose our minds, one day none, the next it was like an aviary in the coach. we sprayed , shushed them out the door, vacuumed , etc . i think the buggers laid eggs in the dash ac vent. we ended up bombing the coach in amarillo, spent a half day at an rv museum while the stuff did its magic, but for months afterwards we would find dead ones in nooks and crannies , we found out they were miller moths and do no harm to fabrics, just a nuisance. nothing like tooling down the road with ac on and all the sudden 30 or more fly out the vents .

[GordSanClemente]

As the original OP I thought an update was in order.

We did continue to have moth issues as the stay went on.
I now don't believe they were coming in at night. I believe they were coming in, in the early morning. When waking up, I would look out the window of the slide out, (so I could see the side of the coach easily) and they were on the attack. Literately dozens bouncing off the side of the coach that I could see between me and the next slide.
I believe they were looking for a cool place to hide during the day. Away from birds and other predators. Then, when the lights in the coach came on after dusk, they would push themselves further into the coach to get to the light.
I believe their ultimate goal is to seek the light of the moon so they can go out and feed without pesky birds attacking them.

Here is how I started getting rid of them in the evening...
1. Make sure every vent, window, door was shut. Pop on an interior light and watch the moth number increase. Turn off the inside lights.
2. Shine a light up at the bottom of the awning. Open the door wide. In two minutes, all of the moths where gone from the inside of the coach.
Repeat.
After about 3 times of this, we only had a couple of stragglers.

Some more data points.
Our first night, we had no moths.
The first morning however, as I was moving stuff around outside, moths kept jumping out of everything I had outside as I moved it. IE Table legs, from under a towel, from under a BBQ etc. (they were all hiding for the day)

It still means I have a problem, but there are some GREAT suggestions here that will help me look for issues. THANK YOU!!!!

I will be taking a picture when we pick up the coach on Friday. I know I will find some dead ones in there

[lwmcguire]

Miller Moths migrate every year from Sagebrush in the prairie to the mountains so in around the same time frame they come and go