It's a bug-eat-bug world out there.
July 30, 2012 2:59 PM Subscribe
Just a dead bug... but where could it have come from? And where did all these little critters show up from? Are they larva from the corpse? Please help me figure out how to best get rid of this mess.
Just got home to find a dead black water bug / beetle... and thousands of little ant-like crawlers (larva?) ostensibly feasting on its carcass. I wouldn't even have noticed it until I saw a trail of tiny orange bugs crawling around on my basement floor. Neither the bug nor the crawlies were around when I left this morning.
Image here:
http://i.imgur.com/WPf1I.jpg
Sorry if this seems like a silly question, but would it be sufficient just to spray the "infested" area with bleach, discard the roach/beetle corpse, and wipe up the rest of with a paper towel? Not sure if I have bug spray on hand...
Tips for a swift, clean, and complete removal would be most appreciated!
Just got home to find a dead black water bug / beetle... and thousands of little ant-like crawlers (larva?) ostensibly feasting on its carcass. I wouldn't even have noticed it until I saw a trail of tiny orange bugs crawling around on my basement floor. Neither the bug nor the crawlies were around when I left this morning.
Image here:
http://i.imgur.com/WPf1I.jpg
Sorry if this seems like a silly question, but would it be sufficient just to spray the "infested" area with bleach, discard the roach/beetle corpse, and wipe up the rest of with a paper towel? Not sure if I have bug spray on hand...
Tips for a swift, clean, and complete removal would be most appreciated!
Best answer: Those are ants, not larvae. Bleach water and a paper towel should get rid of pretty much everything.
posted by jquinby at 3:02 PM on July 30, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by jquinby at 3:02 PM on July 30, 2012 [1 favorite]
p.s. Those are what we call grease ants in this area.
posted by buggzzee23 at 3:04 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by buggzzee23 at 3:04 PM on July 30, 2012
Best answer: Yup, them's grease ants. Your best for getting rid of them is to dispose of the corpse and clean the area. You can't really keep them out. They're so small they can pass through very narrow cracks. Best way to keep them away is to be fastidious, although they come inside for water when it gets really dry outside.
posted by cosmicbandito at 3:14 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by cosmicbandito at 3:14 PM on July 30, 2012
Are you in the American Southwest or California? Apparently there is an Argentine ant mega-colony there.
posted by KokuRyu at 3:20 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by KokuRyu at 3:20 PM on July 30, 2012
If you are wondering... the original dead bug probably came in from a crack in a door or window frame.
posted by Drasher at 3:41 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by Drasher at 3:41 PM on July 30, 2012
Best answer: Nthing grease ants and the wiping down with ammonia.
I missed the opening sentence of your post and went right to part about larva from the corpse. So glad it was a misread and only a bug.
I would hate to think you don't know how to dispose of the body!
posted by BlueHorse at 5:41 PM on July 30, 2012 [1 favorite]
I missed the opening sentence of your post and went right to part about larva from the corpse. So glad it was a misread and only a bug.
I would hate to think you don't know how to dispose of the body!
posted by BlueHorse at 5:41 PM on July 30, 2012 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! A paper towel and several sprays of bleach did the trick. Also, thanks for clarifying that those little insects were grease ants and NOT larvae!
posted by matticulate at 9:11 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by matticulate at 9:11 PM on July 30, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by buggzzee23 at 3:02 PM on July 30, 2012