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Post by bazza99 on May 2, 2022 8:32:42 GMT -8
![]() Can anyone id these nasty little visitors to my bathroom. In the last week I come into the bathroom to find maybe 10 of these tiny bugs in my bath. I don't know where they are coming from. I tried looking them up and the nearest I could come to an answer is that they might be "Drain Flies" and that maybe there is some soap residue etc down there.
First thing I did was put boiling water down to kill anything there. Next I put Bicarb of soda + white vinegar. Didn't work - they were back the next day. Then I tried caustic soda followed by boiling water - still came back.
Lastly I took a powerful vacuum hose to any aperture I could find ie. the extractor fan, washbasin drain-hole, around windows but they still come back.
So, from the attached photo can anyone tell me what they are and how do I get rid of them for good.
Also, while posting what about ANTS. Is there any homemade remedy that might kill off the usual yearly attack by common ants, something they could perhaps take back to their nest and kill everything there ??
AS YOU CAN NOW SEE, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO POST A JPG PHOTO. ON THE "INSERT IMAGE" TAB I AM BEING ASKED FOR A URL AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. IF ANYONE CAN TELL ME I WILL REPOST THIS TOGETHER WITH A PHOTO AS INTENDED
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Post by kevinkk on May 2, 2022 9:35:12 GMT -8
Boiling water, I like it. Maybe some foaming pipe clog remover, they've probably found some niche inside your plumbing and may take multiple attempts.
This is why I think professional pest control is a racket, bugs have 1 job- and they do it well.
Ants are one of the worst, except maybe for termites, I use a gel that comes in a hypodermic looking thing, it's called Hot Shot clear gel roach and ant
bait, and it seems to work. Even when food sources aren't obvious to us, and we find the ants in a river going through the house, they send out
scouts to do recon.
Someone will give you instructions-probably- about photo posting, but don't feel bad, I've read them and have no idea what "cut and paste" means, and
the instructions go from one side to the other without stopping to impart any knowledge.
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Post by livingplanet3 on May 2, 2022 9:58:38 GMT -8
Drain flies (also known as Moth flies) feed on the coating of organic residue that builds up inside of drain pipes. The key to control, is to eliminate this residue. The boiling water method can help loosen it, as well as kill any existing flies, but unfortunately it can also cause damage to pipes, especially if they're plastic. A more permanent solution would be to pour a liquid cleaner into the pipes, that's specifically formulated for this purpose (such as InVade Bio Drain Gel). It's a bit expensive, but if you're desperate to get rid of the flies, this product has favorable reviews, overall. goodbyedrainflies.com/treating-flies/best-drain-fly-killer/ |
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Post by kevinkk on May 2, 2022 18:51:49 GMT -8
livingplanet3 is on the right track- spare no expense when it comes to eradicating pests, or your neighbor's bamboo.. spend the extra money
for something absolutely lethal and experience victory.
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Post by livingplanet3 on May 2, 2022 19:20:46 GMT -8
livingplanet3 is on the right track- spare no expense when it comes to eradicating pests, or your neighbor's bamboo.. spend the extra money for something absolutely lethal and experience victory. Fortunately, the drain gel I mentioned is non-toxic and biodegradable, and works not by killing the flies, but removing the organic film that serves as their breeding site. No breeding site, no more flies. Bamboo? That's a whole other matter, and one that I've had to deal with. In the mid-1980s, I thought bamboo would make a great addition to my backyard, and made the mistake of introducing just a single plant. Over the next 35 or so years, that one plant colonized a huge area, and seemed unstoppable. Eventually though, I was able to completely eliminate it through diligent digging up of all the roots, and watching every spring for any signs of new shoots coming up. I still think bamboo can be great in a landscape, but feel it only works well in situations where it can be securely contained. My local botanic garden keeps it from going out of bounds by surrounding it with concrete walkways. |
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bub
Junior Member
Orange County, California
Posts: 21
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Post by bub on May 3, 2022 12:25:44 GMT -8
Here's my homemade ant control. It's a pill bottle with a couple 1/8 inch holes near the top. Put a pinch of Boric acid inside, dissolve in hot water, add about a teaspoon of sugar, and stir until clear. Put it where you see ants. They will find it and carry some home. The Boric acid messes with their digestion and it kills the whole nest. If it's a big nest, you may have to refill the bottle.  |
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Post by kuriouz321 on May 3, 2022 23:31:48 GMT -8
Here's my homemade ant control. It's a pill bottle with a couple 1/8 inch holes near the top. Put a pinch of Boric acid inside, dissolve in hot water, add about a teaspoon of sugar, and stir until clear. Put it where you see ants. They will find it and carry some home. The Boric acid messes with their digestion and it kills the whole nest. If it's a big nest, you may have to refill the bottle. Awesome. I'm gonna try this. Just a question. Not disputing you or anything, but how do the ants carry the stuff back to their home if it's already in liquid form?  |
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Post by Adam Cotton on May 4, 2022 3:31:03 GMT -8
They drink it and then carry the liquid to the nest in their gut where they regurgitate it and share it with the other ants.
Adam.
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bub
Junior Member
Orange County, California
Posts: 21
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Post by bub on May 4, 2022 9:37:21 GMT -8
Ant colonies can be huge, and it may take two or three refills before they stop coming. And, if they are anything like our ants, you will be ant free for a while but they will come back.
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Post by kevinkk on May 5, 2022 11:07:23 GMT -8
Ant colonies can be huge, and it may take two or three refills before they stop coming. And, if they are anything like our ants, you will be ant free for a while but they will come back. "They" always come back. That's why there's a lot of job security in pest control. Another issue I believe in, is that any particular method won't work forever, I've found what I thought was the perfect control, and maybe it worked for a year, maybe more, but there always seemed to be a point where the ants either caught on, or became immune- Phase IV.. For us entomologists, it's a catch 22, I have to be careful with insecticides, which are all but banned at my house- sure you killed all the ants and wasps, along with my Mothus unobtainabilis. |
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bub
Junior Member
Orange County, California
Posts: 21
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Post by bub on May 5, 2022 17:30:06 GMT -8
I suppose, if you have poison sprayed all around your house you might stay ant free. But, I have a thing about poisons. I don't like them.
Ants are a fact of life here. We used to have fire ants. I did put poison out for them. Then the crazy ants showed up and the fire ants are gone. So, we live with them. We usually see a couple scouts here and there and we just squish them. When more show up I put one of my bait bottles down and it keeps them busy. We've also learned to make sure any food containers are ant proof.
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Post by kevinkk on May 5, 2022 19:13:15 GMT -8
So- the "crazy ants" killed the fire ants? That reminds me of a couple Simpsons episodes that use invasive species in the story line, it's very funny,
because it parodies reality.
But for certain, poisons are serious, if it'll kill bugs, it's probably not healthy for people either, keeping them disinterested is the best choice.
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bub
Junior Member
Orange County, California
Posts: 21
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Post by bub on May 6, 2022 6:33:31 GMT -8
Yep, crazy ants are immune to fire ant venom. Here's a link. |
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