No see-um bug netting

[joanie4c]

I'm thinking of adding no see-um bug netting to all the screens. Has anyone had experience with this? It seems I would need stick-on velcro to put on the camper itself. Then some sew-on velcro to sew onto the no see-um netting. We've had issues with no see-ums in southern Utah in the past and are soon to go there again. They get through the regular screens.

 

[Edgewood]

Might just be easier to replace the screen with no see-um netting? Pulling out the old screen from the frame and new screen install is pretty easy.

 

[MarkBC]

I haven't done this, but I've experienced the need myself -- including in southern UT. I've wished for finer mesh, too. The regular mesh is only fine enough to stop flies and full-size/large mosquitoes.

Are you talking about [including] the screens in the soft-side/pop-up windows?

 

[strayDog]

Same thing happened to me in the Nevada desert. Easy solution that worked for me was to spray a tissue with a very small amount of RAID and very lightly wipe the screen, not really even every square inch.
I was suprised how well it worked!

 

[joanie4c]

Thanks for the RAID idea. We'll likely use that or something similar if I don't get this project finished. For now I'm thinking I may replace the screen door screens with the no see-um netting unless I am just add it. For the four big pop-up windows I think I can use sew-on Velcro. For the slider window, wheel well sliders, and overhead fan I will need to use the combo stick-on and sew-on. I seem so overwhelmed right now I'm not sure how much I will get done. I guess I'll just start with one kind, maybe the four sew-on windows. But with that I wonder if I should just make them to fit right over the existing screens or go all the way up & down to the artic Velcro.

 

[MarkBC]

...Easy solution that worked for me was to spray a tissue with a very small amount of RAID and very lightly wipe the screen, not really even every square inch...

This sounds like a good idea. Do you mean "Raid Flying Insect Killer", specifically?

There was a large tear in the screen in my roof vent, and in very-mosquito-y ID & MT last June the mosquies found the gap and were pouring in. I sprayed the screen with mosquito repellent and that helped discourage them from the hole.
DEET (in many mosquito repellents) is a great solvent/plasticizer for many plastics, but OK on the metal vent screen.

 

[The Next Adventures]

I replaced my door and framed window screen with no seeum screens. It was very easy. I used a hot glue gun to attach the no seeum screen to the roof vent which has worked very well. I tried this method on the windows in the tent area and it did not work out.

 

[strayDog]

Yes sir, Raid Flying Insect Killer", did the trick! Very light application.Thanks for the heads up on Deet.

 

[CSG]

I have a pop up roof on my PW Traverse van and have dealt with issue too (screens are too big a mesh). I have some no see um netting that I used to make screens to fit over the front driver and passenger window. I've wondered how I can attach this screening over the existing screens in the pop top without trying to sew it on. I was told about a product called Tear Mender which is said to be a strong and flexible fabric glue. I ordered a small bottle and intend to give it a try this week.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_0_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tear%20mender&sprefix=tearmender%2Caps%2C349

 

[Squatch]

Timely topic. We hope to be joining the camper owner ranks real soon. Last year on a tent trip to the Outer Banks we got eaten alive by No-see-ums. It was a new experience for us and not pleasant. I had been wondering about the screens in these campers as we hope to have ours before this years trip to the same place.

We bought a couple of king sized mosquito nets a while back for our house. This was to keep the invasive stink bugs out of the beds(new problem here in the mid atlantic). I have thought about rigging one of these from the ceiling of the camper. maybe the 4 poster style. And just living under that in the camper if they get bad again.

 

[NorCalSteve]

I am planing a trip to Alaska this spring-summer. It seems like No-see-ums are a problem up there as well? I have been following this thread because I seem to have read that it is a problem. Any input?

Steve

 

[joanie4c]

Hi all,

Thanks for your thoughts and tips above. I decided to tackle this sewing project. It was more effort that I hoped for but its done now and I hope it helps if/when we encounter no-see-ums. We've mostly experienced them in Utah, Outer Banks NC, and various places in Idaho.

I purchased the no-see-um netting online. It is a very fine mesh and I hope it lets enough cool air through in the hot weather. The netting is quite slick/slippery to work with. Cutting it was difficult but I basically cut it close to size then trimmed it down more later.

Since we have a dog or two, I put the fuzzy side of the stick-on velcro in the camper (so less dog hair will stay stuck on it). I used the hook or rough side of the sew-on velcro to attach to the removeable no-see-um netting.

Since my sewing machine didn't want to play nice with no-see-um netting and velcro I sought help at the sewing store. They suggested a ribbon-type fabric, then a strip of wonder tape to hold it in place, then the no-see-um netting, then the velcro and sew it all together. Once I got the tension right, it worked wonderfully.

For the 4 windows on the soft-sided canvas/pop-up area, I didn't need any stick-on velcro since the windows already have one side of velcro. I just used sew-on of the type to stick to that.

The stick-on velcro didn't want to stay on the fan area too well so I enhanced the stick-on adhesive with Barge Cement.

The screen door was done in 3 pieces since the middle section has the slider to open the latch. On the screen door, I put the no-see-um netting on the outside.

Some pieces of the no-see-um have velcro on 2 edges (wheel well sliders, back slider window), some have velcro on 3 edges (4 pop-up windows), and some 4 edges (fan, screen door). The screen door ones could have had less but I originally had some of them on the inside, I later switched them to the outside but left the extra velcro in place even though its not sticking to anything.

Hope this is helpful to others. I'm just happy to have it done.
Joanie

 

[100acrehuphalump]

Nice pictures, do you have the link to where you bought the no seeum netting? Thanks Dan

 

[joanie4c]

I bought the no see-um fabric more than a year ago so I'm not positive, but I think I got it from skeeta.com, mine is very fine, it looks kind of like zigzag plastic, you cannot see strands of thread.

 

[Freebird]

Among the pop-ups, which have tight no-see-ums screens, either std or as an option?
I would think all the current campers would, since those little buggers can ruin a camping trip in very short order....
...and a spouse/GF/SO/family might never submit to a camping trip again after one really bad experience..

 

[Ethergore]

Thanks for the great post. Wish I would have had this before my trip to wyoming. We were overrun by these bugs that I never knew of being from CA.

 

[Happyjax]

I would probably just spray the screen with bug repellant. I have to use it when I shoot so I always have some. Besides I don't sew.....

 

[RicoV]

I was in the Grandby today to attempt to adhere some no-see-um netting to my existing Fantastic Fan vent screen (supposedly a pop-out ring, 2011 vintage), but I just couldn't get that friggin' screen ring to pop out of there, Pulling on the little side lip brings it down a little bit, but it seems clear that I'd break the ring if I used any more effort than that to force it out. Has anyone here had the screen ring out who can clue me in on what I need to do to disengage it? Thanks,
Rico

 

[PaulT]

Rico,

Here's a YouTube video that shows screen removal.

Paul

 

[RicoV]

Thanks for the tip, Paul. Ultimately, after viewing the video, knowing where the little clip-ins were located didn't make it any easier for me to disengage them (mine must be in tighter than others). So I asked the Fanntastic Vent people and Jerry @ Atwood responded with a suggestion to wedge the angled portion of a cheapo bic ink pen in under the ring at the sde lip and then use it to trace around the various clip-ins while pulling down with my other hand. This worked in my case, and amazingly I didn't break the ring. Hope this helps others down the road.