Problems & Solutions, February 2000

Q: A homeowner was experiencing small, dark-winged flies in her basement. She had called a few other pest control companies and they had identified the fly as a drain fly but were unable to take care of the problem for her. Those other companies sprayed, fogged and looked for the source but were unable to locate it. What should we do differently to make sure we keep this account? (K.A., Vienna, Va.)

A: I visited the structure and saw that there were many drain flies (moth flies) in the basement area and nowhere else. The homeowner had placed plastic barriers (plastic wrap) in some places of the unfinished area of the basement. There were many flies trapped in an area along the exterior walls of the basement. In addition, the homeowner had used clear, one-sided tape along the juncture between the sill plate and the concrete block wall to secure the plastic.

After searching and inspecting the many "traditional" sources for these flies in the basement, I started to study the area the customer had "walled" off. When I walked up to the front porch I noticed that the front porch stoop actually sloped towards the structure and there was a settlement crack between the porch and the stoop. I also saw that the majority of the flies were being caught on the tape and trapped on the inside of the plastic along the front exterior foundation wall of the structure.

I went outside and found that along that section of the wall the soil had settled away from the structure, leaving about a 1- to 2-inch gap. The front of the structure was not protected by a large overhang or eave area. Therefore, water from rains and watering gardens could get down along the foundation.

I recommended that the pest control company apply a pesticide into this gap as well as along the stop crack. I also recommended that the company consider placing dust into the foundation wall and have the customer fill the gap as well as look at the front stoop for repairs. The company did apply a liquid into the gap and treated the foundation wall with an aerosol. The problem disappeared.

The key here is to not think traditionally about where flies develop. Just because they are called drain flies does not mean the source has to be a clogged drain or an interior problem. Here, the flies were developing in the interior of the block wall of the foundation due to the moisture and organic material washed into the wall by the moisture flowing into the soil gap and settlement crack along the stoop.

Q: There were some strange insects being found on the glueboard in the insect light trap in the kitchen of a hospital in New York. Our technician had not seen these before and was having some trouble identifying the insects. The light trap was on a windowsill, placed there and turned on at night to monitor flying insects in the area. They were also having trouble with a species of phorid fly. What should we do? (H.D., Rome, N.Y.)

A: When I examined the traps’ catch I saw a beetle and numerous phorid fly adults. The beetle was small and dark and had some colorful spots on its wings (elytra). But the distinguishing feature was that the wing covers did not cover the entire abdomen (any guesses at this point?).

The beetles were sap beetles. These insects are attracted to sugar and feed on several sources of food, fruit and possibly any decaying matter that offers them a sugar source. The presence of the phorid fly indicated a possible drain problem but the company had already checked that and the drains were not the source.

While inspecting the kitchen I noted that the cleaning crews used mops. You know this story; they mop under the food prep lines and push food debris into the corners. When probed, these mops showed that even though they were crusted over and appeared dry, there was plenty of moisture to support fly larvae. In fact this was the source of the phorid fly problem.

The kitchen had some upright coolers in which they stored desserts, like Jell-O®, pies, etc., on mobile racks. These coolers had kick plates on them so the racks inside could be rolled in and out. When I examined the kick plate there was water under them and also some evidence of spilled Jell-O. These wet areas, which stayed wet almost all of the time, were the source of the sap beetles. The kick plates were removed, cleaned and replaced. The recommendation was to caulk around these plates, as long as the cooler was not to be moved to another area.

An item of interest here is that sap beetles are commonly found outdoors. How did they get in? They are also good flyers, and in this kitchen there was an exterior door fairly close to the area we found the beetles. They also had an ILT just inside that door. Upon examining the catch tray we found many yellow jackets and quite a few night flying moths. I concluded that this door was probably left open during the evening hours and probably often during the day. The beetles found their way to their favorite food. In this case, better sanitation and exclusion were the permanent solutions to the problems.

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Lawn and Landscape Marketing on a Budget

Digital marketing can feel overwhelming when you’re working with a limited budget. Websites, SEO, social media, and paid ads can quickly add up, but you don’t need to do everything to see results. By focusing on cost-effective strategies, you can still make a big impact without overspending.

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Digital marketing can feel overwhelming when you’re working with a limited budget. Websites, SEO, social media, and paid ads can quickly add up, but you don’t need to do everything to see results. By focusing on cost-effective strategies, you can still make a big impact without overspending.

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Q: A customer complained that she had been seeing bugs crawling down her walls and appearing in her light fixtures. The insects she collected and showed our technician looked like bed bugs, however she was not complaining of being bitten by these insects. Inspection by the technician did not find any of these insects in what would be considered bed bug harborage areas. Any suggestions? (L.S., Alexandria, Va.)

A: Access to the attic in this building was difficult because of the low ceiling and limited crawlspace to work in. However, when a limited inspection was performed there was a large colony of little brown bats found. The "bugs" were also seen and collected from the attic area. Closer examination showed that these insects were bat bugs. Bat bugs are very similar in appearance to bed bugs but they almost always feed on bats and are found in bat colonies. In addition, dermestid beetles were also found feeding on the guano accumulated from the colony.

The control program consisted of first taking care of the bat population by placing one-way doors on bat entrance and exit sites to allow the bats to leave but not return. After a few days another inspection was performed to determine if any bats were left inside. Some cleaning of the attic was necessary to remove what guano was accessible. Then the attic was power dusted with boric acid to kill remaining bat bugs and other insects that may be feeding on the guano accumulated in the roost area.