Safe bug spray?
 

I've got a problem in my new apartment (which is in an old building)
with respect to bugs and am looking for some way of eliminating them
that won't harm my two senior cats.

I don't know much about bugs and don't know what these particular
critters are. They are very small and never seem to get much larger.
They seem to both hop and fly and they seem to like my cats' litter box
and places with a bit of water.

Is there any chance that they might have arrived in the litter itself? I
changed to a cheaper gravel litter when I moved in and the first place I
noticed them was in the litter. But I've also mistakenly received an
Orkin bill that should have gone to the property management company so
it's very possible that bugs have been present for a while.

Please note that I'm open to anything that might chase these bugs out as
long as it is safe for the cats so it could be a spray or a solid or
anything else as far as I'm concerned.

Am I going to need to catch one of these things and take it to a bug
scientist (entomologist) to get its species determined? Or is there only
a very narrow list of things it can be that all respond to the same
deterrent?


--
Rhino

Safe bug spray?
 

Rhino no_offline_contact_please example.com wrote:

I've got a problem in my new apartment (which is in an old
building) with respect to bugs and am looking for some way of
eliminating them that won't harm my two senior cats.

I use bugs as an indicator where cleaning is needed. Once it's
clean, they don't come back.

Not for argument with me.
Good luck.

Safe bug spray?
 

On 10/26/2013 3:11 PM, Rhino wrote:
I don't know much about bugs and don't know what these particular
critters are. They are very small and never seem to get much larger.
They seem to both hop and fly and they seem to like my cats' litter box
and places with a bit of water.

.............Do they look like little bitty flies with big wings? Or are
they transparent and very very small and hop around?
.........First one is drain flies, second is springtails. Drain flies
can look like they're hopping because their flight is very short.
Springtails do sort of hop, using a pogo stick on their butts.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2071.html

.........Potted plants can sometimes produce fungus gnats if the soil's
wet all the time, but I can't figure out what they'd be doing around dry
litter and they don't hop. Really, all these critters seem to rise out
of damp conditions. Could be it is the location of the litter box, not
the litter that makes you notice them.

But I've also mistakenly received an
Orkin bill that should have gone to the property management company

.............You should ask them what they treated the building for.

Am I going to need to catch one of these things and take it to a bug
scientist (entomologist) to get its species determined?

....................That would be the best route to go! If in US. your
local extension agent may be able to help you.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

Safe bug spray?
 

Rhino wrote:
I've got a problem in my new apartment (which is in an old building)
with respect to bugs and am looking for some way of eliminating them
that won't harm my two senior cats.

I don't know much about bugs and don't know what these particular
critters are. They are very small and never seem to get much larger.
They seem to both hop and fly and they seem to like my cats' litter
box and places with a bit of water.

Is there any chance that they might have arrived in the litter
itself? I changed to a cheaper gravel litter when I moved in and the
first place I noticed them was in the litter. But I've also
mistakenly received an Orkin bill that should have gone to the
property management company so it's very possible that bugs have been
present for a while.
Please note that I'm open to anything that might chase these bugs out
as long as it is safe for the cats so it could be a spray or a solid
or anything else as far as I'm concerned.

Am I going to need to catch one of these things and take it to a bug
scientist (entomologist) to get its species determined? Or is there
only a very narrow list of things it can be that all respond to the
same deterrent?

My wife uses vinegar to get rid of our aqnts, but I don't know if it would
annoy other insects or not. It is safe, and she puts it in a a spray bottle
and sprays under the sink and other places where the ants get in. Bugs
usually get through holes where the water pipes go through the wall, so if
you can seal off these places, you might be able to prevent them from
entering your apartment.

Safe bug spray?
 

On 2013-10-26 8:20 PM, buglady wrote:
On 10/26/2013 3:11 PM, Rhino wrote:
I don't know much about bugs and don't know what these particular
critters are. They are very small and never seem to get much larger.
They seem to both hop and fly and they seem to like my cats' litter box
and places with a bit of water.

............Do they look like little bitty flies with big wings? Or are
they transparent and very very small and hop around?

They don't look like they have big wings to me and they don't look
transparent either. I have really poor eyesight even with my very strong
glasses and just can't make out that kind of detail. If I can catch one,
I'll use one of my magnifiers and then maybe I can figure it out.

........First one is drain flies, second is springtails. Drain flies
can look like they're hopping because their flight is very short.
Springtails do sort of hop, using a pogo stick on their butts.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2071.html

........Potted plants can sometimes produce fungus gnats if the soil's
wet all the time, but I can't figure out what they'd be doing around dry
litter and they don't hop. Really, all these critters seem to rise out
of damp conditions. Could be it is the location of the litter box, not
the litter that makes you notice them.

I don't have any plants at all. My windows have been closed for a couple
of weeks now since it's noticeably chilly a lot of the time now but
these bugs appeared when it was still very warm out and they have
probably established themselves now without any need for them to leave
the apartment.

But I've also mistakenly received an
Orkin bill that should have gone to the property management company

............You should ask them what they treated the building for.

Good idea.

Am I going to need to catch one of these things and take it to a bug
scientist (entomologist) to get its species determined?

...................That would be the best route to go! If in US. your
local extension agent may be able to help you.

I'm not sure what an extension agent is. I'm in Canada, Southwestern
Ontario to be more precise. I'm not sure if the bugs you describe are
common here. I'll have to see if the local university has an
entomologist. I'm not sure how reliable pest control companies are in
determining what species are involved. I guess I'm a little skeptical
about them and suspect that they just come and spray with strong
pesticides that kill just about everything so that they don't have to
worry about dealing with a specific insect. But maybe that's not fair to
them....

Thanks for the suggestions.

--
Rhino

--
Rhino

Safe bug spray?
 

On 2013-10-26 10:04 PM, Bill Graham wrote:
Rhino wrote:
I've got a problem in my new apartment (which is in an old building)
with respect to bugs and am looking for some way of eliminating them
that won't harm my two senior cats.

I don't know much about bugs and don't know what these particular
critters are. They are very small and never seem to get much larger.
They seem to both hop and fly and they seem to like my cats' litter
box and places with a bit of water.

Is there any chance that they might have arrived in the litter
itself? I changed to a cheaper gravel litter when I moved in and the
first place I noticed them was in the litter. But I've also
mistakenly received an Orkin bill that should have gone to the
property management company so it's very possible that bugs have been
present for a while.
Please note that I'm open to anything that might chase these bugs out
as long as it is safe for the cats so it could be a spray or a solid
or anything else as far as I'm concerned.

Am I going to need to catch one of these things and take it to a bug
scientist (entomologist) to get its species determined? Or is there
only a very narrow list of things it can be that all respond to the
same deterrent?

My wife uses vinegar to get rid of our aqnts, but I don't know if it
would annoy other insects or not. It is safe, and she puts it in a a
spray bottle and sprays under the sink and other places where the ants
get in. Bugs usually get through holes where the water pipes go through
the wall, so if you can seal off these places, you might be able to
prevent them from entering your apartment.

Thanks for the suggestions.

--

Rhino

--
Rhino

Safe bug spray?
 

On 10/28/2013 2:13 PM, Rhino wrote:

I'll have to see if the local university has an
entomologist. I'm not sure how reliable pest control companies are in
determining what species are involved.
....................Depends on the company and the person. And you're
right, they'd probably use a Kill Them All! approach.

.............Check online Googling household pests Ontario to get a list
of possible pest species. These may be doing nothing after all, just
hanging around.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

Safe bug spray?
 

buglady wrote:
On 10/28/2013 2:13 PM, Rhino wrote:

I'll have to see if the local university has an
entomologist. I'm not sure how reliable pest control companies are in
determining what species are involved.
...................Depends on the company and the person. And you're
right, they'd probably use a Kill Them All! approach.

Along these lines (as long as we are on the subject) I have always wondered
why, when they tent a building, they don't just fill it with dry nitrogen.
It woulod suffocate everything that is living, and leave no poisonous
residue to adversely affect those who must reenter and live there.

Safe bug spray?
 

On 10/29/2013 2:48 PM, Bill Graham wrote:
buglady wrote:
On 10/28/2013 2:13 PM, Rhino wrote:

I'll have to see if the local university has an
entomologist. I'm not sure how reliable pest control companies are in
determining what species are involved.
...................Depends on the company and the person. And you're
right, they'd probably use a Kill Them All! approach.

Along these lines (as long as we are on the subject) I have always
wondered why, when they tent a building, they don't just fill it with
dry nitrogen. It woulod suffocate everything that is living, and leave
no poisonous residue to adversely affect those who must reenter and live
there.

tenting is not air tight.

Safe bug spray?
 

In article , weg9
@comcast.net says...

buglady wrote:
On 10/28/2013 2:13 PM, Rhino wrote:

I'll have to see if the local university has an
entomologist. I'm not sure how reliable pest control companies are in
determining what species are involved.
...................Depends on the company and the person. And you're
right, they'd probably use a Kill Them All! approach.

Along these lines (as long as we are on the subject) I have always wondered
why, when they tent a building, they don't just fill it with dry nitrogen.
It woulod suffocate everything that is living, and leave no poisonous
residue to adversely affect those who must reenter and live there.

Good idea. Get some funding and startup a chain.