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Post by shoofly on May 25, 2019 13:03:40 GMT -8
Hi, Been dealing with a mini-infestation in my live-in basement these past few weeks. This also occurred last year around the same time as now. I would literally kill 20 of these annoying things per day. Kill one, three more appear. I call them Hydra bugs.  i.postimg.cc/yNF8XkZQ/20190525-141828.jpgAnyone identify these little buggers? Their attributes are: - Very small, possibly slightly larger than a pinhead, maybe two pinheads
- They fly
- Brownish, greyish in color
- They don't seem attracted to fruit or human food
- They aren't very fast (like houseflies)
- Annoying. Always buzzing past my head distracting me while trying to work
I've already done the following: - Put tape over my bathtub drain to see if they were flying up out of it. None found on tape a day later.
- Put Draino down drain to kill eggs etc - flies still appear.
- Put insect repellent/killer around windows and openings.
- Put sticky pads out near the windows - this has gotten many of them. They seem to rest on my window shades when they are drawn, so I leave them open in order to make it easier for them to get stuck on the sticky pads on my window sill.
- Bought one of those colorful patterned sticky towers to capture them - not many of them attracted to it which leads me to think they are landing on that one accidentally.
More importantly, how do I get rid of them? What sources should I check to reduce their population down to "barely noticeable"? I can provide a bigger picture for identification if needed. I'm in Massachusetts near Boston. |
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Post by bandrow on May 25, 2019 14:57:43 GMT -8
Greetings, Your pest seems to be a species of "moth fly" - sometimes called "drain flies" in the family Psychodidae. Here's a link to the Family page on BugGuide: bugguide.net/node/view/64068If that looks like your bug, you can search more on how to control them. Sounds like you were on the right track in treating your bathtub drain, but there might be other methods of control. Sorry I can't suggest anything specific to try... Cheers! Bandrow |
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Post by shoofly on May 26, 2019 17:28:45 GMT -8
Thank you for the information. It looks like these are indeed the culprits. While they aren't harmful to me, they are a nuisance when they fly by my face at inopportune moments.
Most remedies on the internet call for treating your drain pipes in your bathtub and sink, but none make any mention of jacuzzis. I thought of it when I realized there were several ports to my bathtub which lead, guess where? Pipes!
So I filled the bathtub with water, soap and some bleach and turned the jacuzzi on full blast. Water filtered through the pipes.
What came out was hundreds of particles of gunk and fly carcasses! I think I've eliminated one of the breeding grounds for these pesky little buggers.
But we shall see over the next few days how this affects their population. I've already killed 4-5 within the last 10 minutes. At least they are predictable - they always seem to land above my lamp on the ceiling (attracted to light, I guess) and are more prone to show themselves at night.
Will report back with any successes so it helps other people.
Just looked up... saw another one. Sigh. They come from nowhere! Hopefully this will subside.
What could be other sources for these bugs other than sinks and bathtubs?
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Post by bandrow on May 27, 2019 6:20:08 GMT -8
Hi Shoofly,
Glad to hear you had some success - maybe won a battle, if not the war! See what happens over time - you may have flushed a lot of adults from their hiding places, while killing off the larvae, and more importantly, purging the sludge they were breeding in. Might just take a while to see the results. If the substrate they were breeding in is gone, they should die off eventually.
Do you have a utility area in the basement where there may be a washer/dryer or utility sink? Also, is there a floor drain anywhere? Usually in basements there is a drain in case of flooding from a water-heater rupturing, or a washing machine overflow. If you have one, treat that drain as well.
Beyond this, I'm out of suggestions... good luck in your fight to recapture your territory!!
Cheers!
Bandrow
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