For Release February 20, 2001

AGRI-VIEWS
by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

It’s winter for gosh sakes. It’s even been a winter with some good hard cold wintery weather. We shouldn’t be having insect problems! But we are. A couple of species have been showing up and continuing to show up. While frustrating to the homeowners, they are just a function of some extreme weather conditions and should be considered little more than a nuisance.

Box Elder bugs (Democrats to many of you) are still a common sight in many homes. We had a nearly record crop of these rascals last summer and fall. They overwinter in buildings and many of them don’t have the good sense to go to sleep and stay asleep until spring. Since they are often literally coming out of the woodwork, indoor chemical treatments are not going to be of much use. About the only thing to do is to gather them up and dispose of them outside, down the drain or into a vacuum cleaner.

As we get closer to spring and into some nice warming weather, you will notice a big increase as more of them start to come out of hibernation and try to get outside. At this time they will really gather by the windows thinking that in going to the light, they will find a way to the outdoors. At this point either vacuum them up or open the window and let them out.

A little bit more unusual is the number of calls I’ve been receiving about small flies or gnat like creatures. These rascals are often found around water sources, such as sinks or toilets, and sometimes even finding their way into our drinks, especially anything sweet. There are a couple of different, but closely related, species showing up. One specimen that I sent in was identified as a humpbacked fly. But in general we lump them all together and call them fungus gnats or drain flies.

Their life cycle, and how they end up in your house, becomes a little bit complicated so bear with me. The life cycle of many of these species can be very short, measured in weeks or even just in days. Like all flies, they start as an egg which hatches into a larvae, often called a maggot in flies or gnats.

In the case of the drain or fungus flies, this larvae feeds on decaying plant or animal matter. In some of the species, the larvae feeds on a fungus that is growing on this decaying organic matter. After a short pupation, the adult fly/gnat emerges. They usually live a short life as an adult, possibly feeding little, if any. They will be attracted to moist areas looking to mate and commence egg laying before their short life ends.

You can’t really treat the flies themselves. Do not try pouring any insecticide down the drain! It won’t help. Like most insect pests, it is best to deal with the cause not the effect. The fungus in the drain is living on hair and whatever else accumulates in those drains. A good regular cleaning with a drain cleaner is probably the best approach. Treat all the drains in the house, although the ones in the bathroom sink and tub would probably be the ones most likely to be housing the culprits. And it may take a series of several treatments over several weeks to thoroughly clean up the problem.

In the meantime, tolerance, and proper use of a flying insect pest strip may help alleviate the nuisance factor. Of course, if all else fails, spring will be along in a couple months and that will probably take care of that problem, although it will bring a few new ones for us to talk about!

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