Bug Control - Anyone Try Permethrin on Screens?

Emma62
Emma62 Member Posts: 51
in Camping & Travel
I have a 2018 TaB 320 and last year was our first summer using it.  We installed the window screen brushes before heading out in June but many many knat-like bugs and noseeums got into the trailer anyway, so many in fact I had hundreds of bites and had a systemic immune reaction from all the insect antigens (according to the Dr.).  

After that fiasco I followed the directions on this site and made the "shampoo cap" window cover with no-seeum screen and that has kept insects from coming in through the windows but we can't use the screen door or leave the ceiling fan cover open and the double screen cuts down air movement to the point it is intolerably hot and stuffy.  

One thing we learned last year is we are not RV park people so will be dry camping and are trying to find another option rather than being limited to using the trailer at the early and late part of the season when bugs are much fewer.  Of course we can return to tent camping which was never an issue with bugs even in the far northern wilderness areas.  My background is canoe camping in the BWCA so I know how to handle bugs when camping.  

We are hugely disappointed at this issue with the TaB as we love it otherwise.  Has anyone ever tried using Permethrin on the window and door screens and if so can you please share your experience?  It is supposed to be safe to use on clothing, tents, etc.  
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Comments

  • Sharon_is_SAM
    Sharon_is_SAM Member Posts: 10,061
    Scroll down to Elbereth July 2019.  They used Permethrin.

    https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/121546#Comment_121546


    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • Emma62
    Emma62 Member Posts: 51
    Thank you!  I missed that discussion when I was looking for info.  
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,530
    edited January 2020
    I've been looking into the little "bug vacuums" that are sold on Amazon, etc.  I use Permethrin on the screens every trip if I encounter flying things.    I also carry extra mosquito netting that I will hang in front of the screen door ( I only used it a couple of times, and seemed effective.) 
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • Emma62
    Emma62 Member Posts: 51
    Thx ptthomas.  If you are using Permethrin on the screens but still looking into a bug vacuum I take it that the permethrin on window and door screens isn't completely effective?  
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,530
    It is much better compared to what it was.  But, you have to get in and out of the trailer, and some will always follow you in.  I just don't have as many as my first year with the Tab with those added precautions.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • Emma62
    Emma62 Member Posts: 51
    Does permethrin on the screens keep the no see ums and biting gnats from entering once you're in the trailer at night?  That's the problem we had and have to find a solution for.  
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  • pthomas745
    pthomas745 Administrator, Moderator Posts: 4,530
    What helped the most was the "bug fuzz". 
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • Emma62
    Emma62 Member Posts: 51
    Thx PThomas.  The bug fuzz definitely helped us with mosquitos but not the no see ums or biting gnats because the size of the screen holes is larger than the no see  um screen used on most tents.  They just went right through the screen.  

    Anyone with an autoimmune issue (inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) might not want to get a TaB due to this issue as numerous bug bites are a challenge to the immune system.

    We're going to try the permethrin and hope it helps.  It's frustrating to have a trailer this nice and this expensive but only be able to use it at the ends of the season.  
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  • elbereth
    elbereth Member Posts: 105
    @Emma62, sorry for the delay.  Yes, we think the permethrin helps, both with the gnats and the “state bird” (mosquitoes)  =)  

    As others have said, the trickiest part is how they follow you in through the door.  We leave the porch light off and put a Thermacell on the step in the evening while we’re sitting around the campfire, but we still get a handful inside - my husband’s pre-bedtime ritual is smashing those on the ceiling.  Since you need extra protection, had you considered getting the side tent?  That would give you an extra buffer between the T@B interior and the bugs.  We don’t set it up for one nighters, but when we have used it there has been a dramatic decrease in the bugs inside.
    2018 T@B CS-S Towed by 2015 Subaru Outback 2.5i in the wilds of Minnesota
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  • 4ncar
    4ncar Member Posts: 1,072
    The side tent is key, and yes, permethrin on the screens of the side tent! No outside light, and inside, I use blue colored nightlights which don’t attract the bugs as much.
    TV- '16 Chevy Colorado LT Crew Cab-DuraMax
    2018 320S Outback
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