So OPS doesn’t have a category yet, so I added my own tag.
I’m sure I’m not informing most of you, but we are having an issue with bugs in the workshop at DMS. I’m not sure what the cause of the bugs are. Nick Schell thought it might be the aquaponic setup in the Bio area, another option is that it might be bugs from outside that are just attracted to the bright lights and warmth of the Bio area. I’m not sure if Bio can be blamed for the issue, as the previous aquaponics setup to my knowledge didn’t have bugs like this. That being said, what can we do about the bugs?
My suggestions:
Ask Bio to enclose their lights as to not attract the bugs. (This seems like the simplest solution for testing)
Buy and hang some adhesive bug traps in affected areas. (Less toxic than poison, but requires the bugs to trap themselves. But, is an eyesore.)
Buy and install a bug zapper in affected area. (still less toxic than poisons, and takes advantage of the fact that these bugs seem to be attracted to light. But, is an eyesore.)
Kill bugs with POISON. (Possibly toxic, requires a member to do and needs clean up afterwards. But, not a permanent eyesore.)
Any other suggestions? Also, if you have rational reasons not to do one or more of these plans please share. Lastly, if you know the source of the bugs or the type of bugs we are dealing with that information would be helpful as well.
Apparently, you are referring specifically to flying bugs. Of course, lots of bugs can and likely do come in through any number of cracks and holes to the outside; the Space is far from airtight. We have lots of doors, some of which stay open for quite some time when moving equipment or vehicles in or out of the building. We also had several pallets of Girl Scout cookies in the workshop, with some boxes still remaining. I was in the Bio area last night, but I did not see any bugs in there; I noticed that the dead plants that I had seen earlier are gone. Those had been a suspected source of soldier flies (which now also are gone).
My house has been blighted by small moths the last two Summers. I’ve narrowed down the source as being grain products that I buy from Walmart. I actually found a moth flying inside a sealed bag of cereal. Of course, they are in all the other grain products that I buy, too, particularly rice. So, be aware that all the food that gets brought into the Space, especially if it is left open, encourages bugs to enter.
Keeping the Space clean helps. We might try an air curtain over some of the entrances; that’s supposed to discourage flying bugs from entering. Bug zappers usually don’t work very well, and their use is falling out of favor in professional establishments. We probably already use poison to kill bugs; it’s pretty much standard to spray commercial buildings on a regular schedule. Sticky pads don’t work a whole lot better than bug zappers do. Big fans that exhaust into bags work fairly well.
So the bugs I saw were Soldier Flies? If removing the dead plants has fixed the issue that is great. Bugs in general are not an issue, but the visable ones are, as many people including myself are a bit creeped out by then. Thanks for the quick response and great information.
The bio area is mostly cleaned up. As above, there are lots of sources of bugs in a huge place like DMS. The bright light will most certainly attract some bugs but those bugs are already inside. It may be a good thing if they are attracted away from other areas.
BTW, those grain moths are Indian meal moths and they are a pain to eliminate. They may be present in grains you have already purchased, like bulk foods from Central Market, etc. You just about cannot eliminate them. That is, they will always be back if you don’t take some precautions. This is what I have learned:
They will eat anything that has a plant component and have a preference for certain things but will eventually get to other items when the tasty ones run out.
Invest in several size zip lock bags and put EVERYTHING in the bags - cereal, flour, grains, closed boxes of rice or dry soup mix etc, even spices. Some exceptions would be cans, mylar or other sealed pouches that you can verify air tight with a squeeze. I have found them totally infesting a large Costco container of cayenne pepper flakes! Sounds like a pain, but once you invest in the reusable bags, it’s not a big deal. If you don’t bag everything you won’t eliminate them. You will find out in a month or two which things have moths. There will be moth litter and webs all around the box within the bag. At least you have isolated the problem.
Or put things in the fridge or freezer. Freezer will kill them and their larvae.
Adult moths lay eggs near sealed containers they cannot get into. The larvae are tiny and can get through anything not air tight (like screw-on and snap-on lids.
It’s not a very appetizing thought, but I have lived with them long enough to learn that if you do eat a few of them they aren’t toxic! I have sometimes filtered them out of a big box of oatmeal then frozen the oatmeal to kill off any - this is after I realized I had been eating out of the box for a while.
As stated before, bugs are just a fact of life, especially with how much foot traffic we see. My guess is that the bugs were simply attracted to the very bright light, so most of the bugs in the space were in one spot and easily visible.
It probably wouldn’t hurt for someone to spray the outer perimeter again. If someone would like to tackle this, please get me a quote on estimated cost of chemicals/tools first so I can make sure to allocate Ops funds to it.
The soldier flies should be temporary and on their way out. No need for chemicals and exterminator purchases, I venture a periodic shop vac will handle it.
Cool info Ben,
I feel fully confident now that if I get any more questions about bugs at the space that I can point anyone to this thread and have a great starting point / solution for nearly any bug concern at DMS. Thanks everyone for the help, not sure if I need to close the thread or not. But, I’ve had all my questions fully answered.
Thanks
