And, as soon as I can find it... I will...
The refrigerator vent cap that I built a few years back, because I couldn't locate a new plastic one that would fit, was deteriorating... so while I was waiting on Motorcycle parts to do the forks repair on my scooter... I climbed up on the roof to remove it and build a new one...
That right there is when I discovered as I took it loose, that there was a big ol' ACTIVE wasp nest under it...
Yup... Puss gut cowboy nearly learned to fly...
Well rain wasn't threatening... so I left that refrigerator vent uncapped for a day while I built a new cap... I scouted around when I was ready to put the new one on...and not a damned bug to be seen.
I climbed the ladder back up to set the new vent cap... and within 45 seconds the wasps were swarming all over again... KER-RAP!
Well... I'd made this cap black. My idea was that it'd get too hot for the bugs and those wasps would go elsewhere... maybe even make a better convection current for the refrigerator cooling...
Nope. Didn't seem to slow them damn stingin' bastards down a bit... kinda like politicians... the more you interfere with their mess... the more they get stirred up.
So... bright Idea... spray 'em down with Wasp Spray...
Now... are you girls paying attention??? DO NOT SPRAY WASP SPRAY AROUND THE ROOF OF YOUR RV...
Honestly, the thought hadn't crossed my mind that the insecticide would eat the EPDM roof.... buuuuuut... it did. arrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
I'd been about to coat the roof with a Liquid rubber EPDM RV roof coating in the next few weeks. It's getting a lil' shabby in genereal... buuuuuuuut now... I'm looking at having to replace an 8' or 10' section at the least... where that spray ran down over the rubber and blistered it as it went...
So, what I figured to be $400 give or take to coat the roof with good stuff before it starts to leak... is going UP like a tax cut (every time they do me the favor of a tax cut mine have always gone up)... :-/ If I took a SWAG... (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) I'd say I'm probably looking at double that now... and that's if I can conjure a decent way to mickey mouse a repair of the blistered section.
A whole new roof is something in excess of $4500... Not Gonna Happen... I don't know that this old rig is even worth that... best I can hope for is that I can cut in the damaged section and squeeze out a few more miles...
If you have wasps I don't know what to tell you to do... maybe if you're real good with a BB gun... all I know is that I've discovered insecticide and RV Roofs don't mix...
They say; "If you come to the end of your rope tie a knot in it and hang on"...
The clouds just keep stackin' up... the knot is gettin' slippery and this Old Biker Cowboy is close to raising some smoke...
Brian
A broken down Ol' Cowboy goin' RV Boondocking ...
...and Yondering, to the beat of a different Biker Cowboy Drummer
6 comments:
Well Damn, that it is mighty crappy turn of events....Hoping you find just the right solution!
It seems that if it weren't for bad luck you'd have no luck at all...
I've used this numerous times--a bee hive professional told me when he realized he couldn't get behind the fridge to remove the nest
Kill the wasps with soapy water. A combination of hot water and dish soap can kill wasps instantly when sprayed directly on them.
Add 2 to 4 Tbsp (30 to 60 ml) of liquid dish soap to 2 cups (500 ml) of water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on wasps and on developing nests.
If you use a hose end sprayer, you can attack the nest more directly and more easily.
The soap clings to the wasps and dehydrates them.
p.s. early morning, screen/net headgear, gloves/pants duct taped.
I dont know how big a section of the roof got ruined but they do make roof repair sheets in a roll about 12 inch wide. you can check your local rv shop for that. RV america down in Longmont has a good stock of parts also.
If any good can come from this particular bump in your road it is that you got me to stop my husband from doing the same thing to our trailer, which he was planning on doing this coming weekend!
Klbexplores; There's a "Thing" in the works ;)
Mike; yup. So what's new right?
One man; Thanks. THAT is a recipe I'm gonna file away for the future.
Doug and Barb; Saw the typo in the post... it's about an 8' x 6' chunk... a BIG "hole" or will be if nothing is done...
LostAnnFound; That's a lot of the reason I write in the first place... to pass on my and others "lessons" :) Take a look at "OneMansJunk" comment above. THAT would be a "Safe" way to deal with wasps around a rubber roof :)
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