Bugs and Critters coming up through the drains!!!
 

I hear people are so afraid of this they cover the drains in the house when they go away. I think it is bunk.

Which is bunk? That bugs come up through the drain? Or that people are so afraid of it they cover the drains when they go away?

Here's some info for ya:

1. Bugs come up through the drain.
2. Some people really do cover their drains when they go away to prevent bugs from coming up through the drain.
3. Sometimes, small critters will find their way up the drain as well - frogs in particular.
4. Often, bugs will come in through open doors and spaces between screen windows and the windowsill, and use drains as their nesting location. They lay eggs under the flap of the kitchen sink drain and one day you'll notice upon rinsing the dishes that there are a dozen tiny little flies hopping around the sink. Congrats - you now have a household of adorable baby fruit flies.

It happens.

Not sure what bunk is but…

I cover things when gone. After 6 months water in traps and toilets can evaporate so I add Plastic wrap over the toilets and tape the sinks and showers. If only going to be gone a few weeks to a month I don’t do any of it. Not sure why you might have an issue with it.

You are quite welcome to not do it when you go away.

Aren't we lucky we have the ability for free thought, bunk or otherwise? :1rotfl:

I have a second bathroom for guests that rarely gets used and I do find small bugs and spiders in that bathtub. I use boiling water to help them on their way and then I cover the drainage hole.

Anyone get those "ghost ants" in the house?
Any idea how to get rid of them?

Ghostbusters! (cue the theme song) Do a search. There's probably 50 topics about them! :D

We get small ants periodically which Massey called Pharoah Ants. They usually follow a path to a food source. If you see one, there will be more. We use a product named Terro which you buy from Ace, Lowes etc for a few dollars. If you place a drop on a small piece of cardboard, you can attract more (Lots More). They feed off the drop and take some of food back home to feed the family. Don't stop them as they will become the missiles to destroy the nest.

This works inside and outside.

Freedom of choice. All probably have something to use. All of your water drains have a trap to block sewer gas. You do not want it to evaporate. Cocker roaches are called water bugs in Florida. A rose by any other name would ......... Call them whatever you wish-they are great swimmers and do not care who owns the property. On top of that they are happy to work nights.

The water in the trap will prevent most bugs from coming into the house. Sometimes, people will see the critters near the drain and will incorrectly assume that is where they entered. But, any bug or other critter will seek out water in a drain regardless of where they entered the house.

there are bugs in Florida

like you the tub in the second bathroom is only used when we have overnight guests, which due to covid has been few and far between

a few months back I went in to that bathroom at night, turned on the lights and there was a good size roach in the tub.....smacked that little critter and flushed him/her down the toilet

next night I went in again....found another and saw him run down the drain

poured boiling water down the drain and closed it, we haven't had any further roaches in the tub

I posted something about this a while back and a few 'contributors'' jumped all over me saying there's no way they could come up through the drain...there's traps, etc, etc.

well, they do, and they did

it is real you are in Florida, lots of bugs, and let us not forget the toilets ... close the cover, it's been known that snakes, and other things that crawl /swim will come up through there too. My girlfriend got frogs, some got geckos, I've seen snakes... soooo

Some years back I remember seeing a news story about rats in New York City. Rats were everywhere. It showed a toilet bowl in this apartment and a rat that lived in the sewer system traveled up the toilet drain pipe and up through the toilet trap into the toilet bowl. The tenants of the apartment said it happened all the time. I shudder to think about setting on that toilet and feel a cold nose poking my posterior.

Was she at a campsite? We have never had anything in the toilet in TV. Once there was A cockroach 3 years ago on the shower floor. Hubby immediately had the carpets steamed, the bathrooms and kitchen scrubbed, and Lysoled all garbage cans. Nothing since.

I spray around the house once a month, no bugs. Never had any coming up from the drains.

Drain flies:
https://www.hunker.com/13420575/i-ha...-what-are-they
How to Get Rid of Drain Flies - This Old House
How to Identify Drain Flies | What Causes Drain Flies | Orkin

Palmetto bugs (cockroaches by any name) can flatten and enter house. According to Deans, and Massey bugs can’t enter home through the drains, due to traps, but if toilets dry out you will have an infestation that will enter from the sewer.

Covering the drain stops their water source. No water dead in 3 days, but can live without food for a month. We cover our drains, but don’t cover toilets. toilet bowl cleaner, is not their friend, usually will find one dead after they drink the blue water.

Bugs
 

I cover drains, bleach and cellophane toilets. I have seen a roach swim across a villages pool underwater, and rats can come through toilets

I wonder if OP has read these posts and changed their mind?...

Nope. They can and do.

They obviously do not have a Home Watch Company doing weekly visits. I hope they have checked with their Homeowners Agent, some policies have a Vacancy Clause which allows the Insurance company to deny claims if they do not have an actual company coming in to Watch their house.

When departing for the summer We pour inexpensive vegetable oil drains to fill water traps, cellophane wrap over toilets to prevent evaporation. Roaches (palmetto bugs) and frogs come in through vented soil pipes they roof, roaches also come in through sewer piped. After 10 years no problems.

I know two people who were infested with roaches when they returned after being gone for a long time. If the traps are not filled with water the bugs will come up. This is from Massey. I would take the opinion of an exterminator.

I think you comment just to get a reply … so here goes… yes I cover the shower drain!!!

I saw something similar a long time ago about a lady who lived alone. She saw a snake coming up from the toilet!!!! It's head was there and the body was still in the drain. :faint:

She called the police department and they came out. When they arrived there was no snake. It happened again to this poor lady and the police arrived again to no snake. This happened many times. Finally, when they arrived the saw the snake too.

Bugs
 

Easy fix for second bathroom is to use it at least once or twice a week. Take turns showering and use the toilet once a day to keep everything active. Should have no bugs or plumbing issues.

Bugs
 

We were finding roaches in our bathrooms and kitchen, so we called Massey for advice. After the Massey guy told us that roaches come up through the drains, especially at night, we started covering our drains at night before we go to bed. Seems to be working very well.

Ugh I hate reading about bugs especially before breakfast…..

BULL. Don’t believe this👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿

Omg, now the s word!! I'm going to need a screen installed!

I'm guessing you have never seen earwigs. Earwigs can and WILL crawl up through the drains. And the worst part is that they can swim. I used to live in a newly built house in PA where I actually saw them crawl up through the drains in both the most used sink and shower. Traps don't stop them. First time I saw one I grabbed it with a tissue, unfortunately didn't crush it, and flushed it down the toilet thinking it was gone. Nope, I watched as it swirled around, swam up through the water and crawled up the side of the bowl! I remembered to squash them from then on. I won't say how we finally got rid of them. I saw them come up through the kitchen sink drain once and that was the last straw.

I suspect Tom W and Pres1939 are just stirring the pot.

I believe that it is also POSSIBLE for a snake to come up out of the bathroom toilet. But, the probability of that happening is likely much less than getting hit by lightning. So if people are worried enough to cover their drains, they should also wear an individual lightning rod on their head or hat and drag around a grounding wire from the rod. Good luck!

I have seen one troll, but only once, pop his head out of the toilet bowl

Bugs in the drain
 

I was told by my Ferminator sales person to always cover your drains if you are away for a week or more. I think it is a great idea…I know we got silverfish coming up out of the drains in Ohio.

No, not bunk. BUGS.

LOLOL……. You can steam your carpets every day, Lysol every inch of your house every hour and garbage cans every five minutes and you are not going to stop the roaches from entering your house. They do come up the drains too. This is Florida!!!!!

To bunk or not to bunk: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the flies and roaches of uncovered drains. Or to take arms against a sea of frogs, And by opposing end them?:thumbup:

Well, not everything works, but if another bug should be seen in the house, hubby has a multitude of arsenals to go into combat. I love having a clean home, if I want heavy duty cleaning at any time maybe I should catch something outside to bring in…. wink, wink.