Kitchen Pests

[PeaveyFury]

Thought I'd seek advice here for a recent problem and see if anyone can offer assistance:

 

I noticed a stray bug on my kitchen counter near my sink a week ago, but didn't think much of it until there were a few more last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Last night, I came home fairly late and found several on my counters and a few on the floor, along with a couple under the sink. I've looked all over the internet and haven't been able to figure out what these things are for sure- tiny (about a quarter of an inch at most), grayish, with two clearly defined but small antennas and a oval-shaped body. Definitely active at night. Closest idea I've come up with is springtails, but I'm not sure. Certainly not ants.

 

I'm very regular about cleaning each week, and have removed everything (toaster, etc) from the counters near the sink and moved them to a different counter where the bugs haven't been seen. This is my 4th summer at this place, and have never had an issue with bugs before, and I'm definitely not sure what might be drawing them in.

 

I'm a little concerned about spraying pesticides in my kitchen for health reasons. Should I bite the bullet and just spray raid or put down bait traps? Any ideas for what the heck they might be?

 

Thanks!

[RockCoCougars]

I've heard a few people talk about Bounce fabric softener sheets as a bee/mosquito repellant as of late. Apparently, bugs hate the smell or something. I'm a tad skeptical but I'm going to give it a try at my next outdoor gathering (apparently you just put one in your pocket). A quick Google search revealed this may have some legs.

 

http://www.good.is/post/rural-myth-proven-bounce-fabric-softener-repels-bugs/

 

Maybe positioning some in the areas where you have a problem (under the sink, etc.) may help.

[Baldkin]

It's amazing what normal dishsoap can kill, and/or a bit of dilluted bleach.

 

Mix two cups of water with one tsp. of dish detergent in a spray bottle. Spray the areas where you see the springtails most often. This solution is enough to kill springtail bugs; a chemical pesticide is not necessary.

 

Overwhelmingly, any household bugs are drawn in due to moisture, so check under your sink for leaks, and consider getting a dehumidifier if your place is muggy in the summertime.

[DKM4Boston]

Simple bleach or vinegar might do the trick too. For best results, find where the bugs are nesting, take care of that area, and see if you can fix whatever is causing the excess moisture. Otherwise you might be spraying a few bugs here and there all summer. They do not live very long without moisture so maybe dry the area with a fan or see if you can take any corrective action on any excess moisture. If they are Springtails, they will jump like a flea if you get all up in their bizness. They are completely harmless though so no need to evacuate the premises.

[PeaveyFury]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm not 100% sure they are actually springtails, but they seem to be the closest match to online pics that I've looked at.

 

Can't figure out where the moisture is coming from, unfortunately. The situation is solely in the kitchen, and I can't find any leaks or anything like that.

[nate82]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm not 100% sure they are actually springtails, but they seem to be the closest match to online pics that I've looked at.

 

Can't figure out where the moisture is coming from, unfortunately. The situation is solely in the kitchen, and I can't find any leaks or anything like that.

 

They might be coming up your pipes or coming up from your basement through the plumbing area or through your AC vents.

[PeaveyFury]

Thanks nate, that's my new working theory. There's a fairly large gap between the drain pipe and the wall under the sink, and I'm running with the assumption that it may be where they're coming from.

 

Still, I guess I'm surprised that there's not more of a concentration near there if that's the point of entry. Thus far, the majority of them have been seen on the counter tops, rather than seeing a concentration of them any place. Overall they've been sparse enough that it's not a huge problem so far, but I hope to take steps today to eliminate the issue.

[PeaveyFury]

Well, took steps and have had little luck- I tried detergent, fabric softener sheets, and finally Raid to try and eliminate my tiny friends. They seemed better for a day (Thursday into Friday), but saw 5 or 6 last night followed by more this morning and afternoon.

 

I sprayed Raid a second time this evening, around a baseboard in the kitchen where I noticed 3-4 of them and along the three sides of the under-sink cabinet. I'm befuddled by these things and can't figure out what they are for sure (can't find definitive proof that they're springtails or anything else), and not having much luck otherwise. My kitchen is completely torn apart, with all of my stuff removed from the cabinets, so I don't know what they'd be feeding on or drawn to.

 

Any additional guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[DKM4Boston]

They don't have wings, correct?

 

Are they just one color (greyish)?

Can you pick out any other features...like do they have pincers in the front or anything on their back end?

Have you seen any congregating anywhere other than the floor and the sink area (like they aren't up in your cupboards)?

Are they like a solid oval or are their bodies segmented? Or are they more of a lightbulb-type shape (like a weevil)?

Are you in Wisconsin? Has it been really dry where you live?

They aren't termites, right?

 

If they aren't springtails, Google the Strawberry Root Weevil (or possibly other types of weevils)...that'd be my best guess. Weevils are typically more active at night.

 

Also:

Do you have a garden or plants outside your kitchen? If so, take a look at the leaves. If the edges of the leaves are chewed, you probably have weevils nested nearby. They don't like hot/dry weather, so they might just be crawling through a tiny crack in your wall looking for relief in your kitchen.

[PeaveyFury]

No wings, for sure.

Greyish is the best color I can describe them- I'd happily post a picture, but my camera can't focus on something this small.

No pincers.

Thus far, I've only seen them on the counters around my kitchen sink (I have other counters against an opposite wall), the baseboard between my dishwasher and fridge, and in the cabinets under the sink. None in upper cabinets or drawers, or anyplace that I store food thus far.

Seemingly no body segments. Two antennae attached to the head/ovular body combo.

Wisconsin, pretty dry so far this spring/summer, with some rain recently.

Definitely not termites or Strawberry root weevils, based on the pictures I've compared them to.

No plants in my place at all.

[DKM4Boston]

Hmmm..

 

Pill bugs or sow bugs perhaps?

 

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef439.asp

[trwi7]

Hmmm..

 

Pill bugs or sow bugs perhaps?

 

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef439.asp

 

That was my first thought as well. I never had them in the house but they used to be all over the patio, especially under rocks and stuff.

[PeaveyFury]

Could be sowbugs, actually, though they certainly don't look like the large presumably fully grown one in that picture. Could be a younger life stage, maybe?

[NeedMoreFans]

Flour beetle?

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/projects/genome/guide/img/beetle.jpg

 

I know you said grayish, and these are brown, but we had these once upon a time, and they were nearly impossible to get rid of. We just cleaned every day, and avoided crumbs anywhere, and they went away.

[mothershipconnection]

I caulk everything tight and then spray Ortho Home Defense around any opening to/from the outside (even the caulked ones). I then lay a 3' barrier of Sevin granules around the foundation of my house. I have close to zero bugs in my house.

 

As an added bonus, I have a colony of House Geckos living in my garage and around my house, so they help with the bugs as well, and they aren't bothered by common pesticides.

[chuckiehacks]

I don't have any advice to add, but I would enjoy it if we could make this the "Official Weevil Thread."