Tiny Black Bugs in RV

[max meridius]

I sure do hope this is the right forum to post this in, but I didn't see anything more specific. So, if I have posted incorrectly, please move it to where it needs to be.
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I have searched Google about this issue and what I am finding on the RV Forums is totally useless. No one posts pictures of the bugs they are talking about.

I felt that in order for me to be specific about the issue that I am having, one needs to see what it is that I am actually talking about.

These bugs manifested about a year ago in the RV. I have a 27' 5th wheel. I bought it used and have traveled across the country twice in it and up to Alaska and back. It has seen road time in the last 12 months.

What started out as a small problem, has become quite significant here as of late. These bugs fly. They do not bite. They also don't have a long life span. They seem to congregate primarily in the floor cabinet in the kitchen. I have also found a fair portion of them in the ducting under the fridge. They also like to take up residence in the floor vents. I do find some on the floor near the vent in the bathroom. But they ARE NOT coming up out of the toilet.

They are not sewer bugs, they are not spider mites. WHAT ARE THEY? Someone must know, I cannot be the only person out here with this problem.

I did the best that I could with the pictures. I can only get in so close and maintain some kind of clarity. But I did what I could to help understand and HOPEFULLY identify these varmints and get instruction on how to deal with them.

Any help is greatly appreciated at this point!

[grindstone01]

Just searching the web, I found "black carpet beetles"?
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/carpet-beetles

[glwinger]

They may be furniture beetles. The larvae feed on wood. The adults die off quickly.
They may be living in the wood flooring of your trailer.

[max meridius]

That makes sense. Will check out the furniture beetles.

Checked the carpet beetles and furniture beetles and the carpet beetles don't quite look like what I have and the furniture beetle sort of does. But not exactly. Not sure if these are applicable.

[nvs4602]

Call your local pest control company have them come give you a quote to treat. They will also tell you what they are.

[toshayar]

I believe they are Pasta Weevils found in my Macaroni tons of them . They get into pancake mix and other dry goods . Check you tube on how to get rid of them !!
I threw out all my dry goods and sprayed roach poison and they are finally going away !! Still spraying after a week !! Good Luck !

[max meridius]

Checked the web on the pasta weevils and according to the pictures, not even close. You can't see the legs on the ones that I have and they are more rounded like a ball. Pasta Weevils are longer and have 6 or 8 legs.

Will have to call pest control I suppose.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by nvs4602

Call your local pest control company have them come give you a quote to treat. They will also tell you what they are.

Best advice! When in doubt call a professional.

[Edd505]

Call the local extension office and take them a sample. I say call because of the lock down. I took in a large beetle years ago, turned out it was from South America and likely came in on a plant. (I was just out side a nursery when I found it)

[mokurt]

If this was my trailer I would call a pest control co. as suggested first.

If one can't come out because of the virus thing then I would totally empty out the trailer and vacuum everything then clean with proper cleaners.

[AveryF]

Originally Posted by mokurt

If this was my trailer I would call a pest control co. as suggested first.

If one can't come out because of the virus thing then I would totally empty out the trailer and vacuum everything then clean with proper cleaners.

This would be my suggestion as well. As a temporary measure if a professional pest control technician wasn’t able to come out fairly quickly, I’d be tempted to use a commercially available fogger to try and control the infestation. I doubt it would eradicate them but it might help until professional help arrives. I’d most certainly empty and “bomb” the storage compartments as well.

[max meridius]

Yeah, I guess that is the only real option left is to seek out a pro. I thought I would try this first since there are so many RV'ers out there, that someone would most likely have experienced this.

I bought this trailer 2nd hand, and at the time there were no signs of these bugs, it sat in storage for almost a year before I took it out on the road. No signs of these bugs. Then somewhere along the way, there they were. I don't know where exactly. I have cleaned the trailer repeatedly, just short of dismantling it and rebuilding the trailer from the frame up.

It isn't virus related, but with the way things are today, EVERYTHING is virus related somehow, someway.

My only issue with going to a pest control company is that I run the risk of them wanting to make a quick buck, especially in this day and time. Can I trust them to tell me the truth? There is always the chance that they won't. Especially being in a small town where businesses are closing up left and right.

I may never find out for sure.

And the funny thing is - we are supposed to be so advanced in our evolution as human beings. Then comes along a teeny, tiny little black bug.....

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by max meridius

Yeah, I guess that is the only real option left is to seek out a pro. I thought I would try this first since there are so many RV'ers out there, that someone would most likely have experienced this.

I bought this trailer 2nd hand, and at the time there were no signs of these bugs, it sat in storage for almost a year before I took it out on the road. No signs of these bugs. Then somewhere along the way, there they were. I don't know where exactly. I have cleaned the trailer repeatedly, just short of dismantling it and rebuilding the trailer from the frame up.

It isn't virus related, but with the way things are today, EVERYTHING is virus related somehow, someway.

My only issue with going to a pest control company is that I run the risk of them wanting to make a quick buck, especially in this day and time. Can I trust them to tell me the truth? There is always the chance that they won't. Especially being in a small town where businesses are closing up left and right.

I may never find out for sure.

And the funny thing is - we are supposed to be so advanced in our evolution as human beings. Then comes along a teeny, tiny little black bug.....

The survivors of Armageddon will be the cockroaches.

[GuyG]

Your local extension office is where I would start. I know from experience that they get all kinds of inquiries and, one way or another, are able to answer your questions. And they are free!