I’ve got this rarely used bathtub downstairs that always has these spiders crawling out of the overflow. They can’t climb the walls of the tub and accumulate until more come up and eat their carasses and then get stuck and die themselves. After a few weeks (months) until I go down and use the toilet there, the tub’s bottom is covered with the things.
Is there any type of sewer insecticide I can use to eliminate the problem once and for all?
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Replies
Odds are they're falling into the tub and getting trapped, not coming up out of the drain. If you think they're coming up out of the drain, first run some water in it (the trap may be dry from disuse) and then stopper it.
Yesterday I flooded the tub for a while to flush the bastidges down and then later, dumped a bucket of water with Mr. Clean to clean things up.
Just came up from checking and actually see one coming out of the overflow and another running about inside the tub. Sprayed this time inside the tub with a residual insecticide but that won't touch the critters hidden.
A dry trap would be giving me stinks besides spiders.
Bugs (especially spiders) are skilled at hanging on during a downpour, so they don't get washed away. The ones crawling out of the drain probably were hanging on near the opening when you flushed them.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
I have a drain and the overflow. The drain is full. The overflow is not. I see them crawling out of the overflow. And the tub (before I sprayed it) smells nice. With a full tub enclosure, so any nasty smells would be contained.
The bastidges also come out of a second bath that gets used a bit more regularly (not daily) but enuff to keep the drain filled. It, too, has the same overflow.
I'm at the top end of the sanitary sewer run for this subdivision. The very top. All other houses are below me.
"The ones crawling out of the drain probably were hanging on near the opening when you flushed them. "
Which is exactly why I came back the second time with the detergent solution.
Edited 10/9/2009 5:38 pm by peteshlagor
Soap or detergent is the best insecticide in this case -- it strips the oils from the bugs' skin and they essentially dehydrate to death. (Of course, being near a good source of water kind of counteracts this.)
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
But those up in the overfolw area don't get touched by it.
Of course, should I let off some "bomb" in the sewer line, will it (the bomb's chemicals) come out the overflow?
I'd remove the overflow cover and spray foaming tub cleaner down the overflow tube. (And while you're at it, clean out the bugs hiding on the back of the cover.)
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
I just went and pulled out the JLC guide, book II, which covers plumbing.
I see the P trap is down slope of the drain/overflow combo. Therefore, I don't have "sewer spiders," I've got "overflow spiders." The maggots are inside the riser to the overflow drain opening.
How do I localize an insecticide inside there?
Me, I'd probably toss a towel over the edge of the tub. Conjures up images of tying bedsheets together for an elopement.Sigh, I'm such an incurable romantic.AitchKay
Wouldn't that give the little sucka's a way to get out and attack me at night? I see no romance in that!
No, no, you’re absolutely right -- I get confused sometimes... There’s all of them bad girls out there who’d do me no good, but seem so enticing...And those Black Widows with their oh-so-high heels, all eight of them on those eight legs that just don’t stop... Oh, my, my!********************************OK, I’m back again. Never mind.Sorry about that. Yes, insecticides. Quite right. Can’t have those spiders, can we? Let’s put an end to them. Yes, that’s it.AitchKay
"Can’t have those spiders, can we? "
I like spiders, but they are supposed to hide where I can't walk into their webs or see their big hairy legs. Those that comes out where they don't belongs gets relocated outside or kilt. After I've killed a black widow or two, then we do spray, because I don't think my 4 year old would survive a bite, and possibly not the 8 year old either. Luckily the black widows have all been outside so far.
"I like spiders, but they are supposed to hide where I can't walk into their webs or see their big hairy legs. Those that comes out where they don't belongs gets relocated outside or kilt."Actually, I'm with you on just about all of the above, although I've been known to hold onto a thread and carry a trespassing spider deeper into the depths if it's too far to the door, or 5º-below out.I hate a face-full of web!AitchKay
I had a problem with tiny mites crawling out of a sink that I don't use every day. I made it a point to run hot water for a minute or so every day for a couple of weeks. I filled the sink so that hot water ran down the overflow as well. It seemed to take care of it. Of course, filling a tub with hot water every day is not nearly as practical.
Put a stopper in the drain and a piece of tape over the overflow.
All you really need to do is just bring in one really big, hungry spider.
Just make sure it's not pregnant.
Gamma Rays. That will kill the bastids!
Was your house built over an old, abandoned cemetary, by any chance?
Forrest- just wondering
No, over an old gravel pit along side the S. Platte river...
Coming down the vent?
Mike
Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.
Looking at that JLC guide would suggest the vent is on the other side of the P trap - which is filled.
I'm likin' Dan's suggestion of the foaming insecticide. But which brand is that?
pete,Most insecticides don't work on spiders. You need something like Demon WP. Or a gecko.KK
or ammonia...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
Tell me about how I get NH3 in the overflow...
Without gassing myself.
Does it work on their eggs?
Or foam up?
tape the vent shut...
pour some in the drain...
plug the drain...
it's the fumes that'll get them...
the overflow and drain areconnected before the trap....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
A Gecko might work. You would probably have to make a trail of tiny pieces of Hamburger to get it to go down the drain.
Yeah, but then you'd have those EYES staring at you from on top of the money wad
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I suggested a foaming bath cleaner. It'll upset their chemistry enough to kill them.Or, if you wanted to be doubly certain you could use oven cleaner.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
ever try a lizard, probably not much help
Hey, have you ever seen the movie "It" ?. Orginally a Steven King novel. Those damn drains
I can't believe no one has given you the right answer yet.
Must be no one likes you.
;o)
The answer..... NAPALM !!!!
around here that is the sign you have brown recluse spiders. very dainty long legs, on their small body they have a hourglass. if thats what you have ,be careful they are nasty if they bite you.
i'd spray the tub with bug spray and let em die in there.
do you have a wood roof? they love houses with wood roofs.
the older i get ,
the more people tick me off
Concrete tile.
Understand that bugs are drawn to moist, cool areas. If there are crawly bugs in the house, a bathroom on the lower level is where they'll almost certainly be found.And spiders don't exist unless there are other bugs to eat, so if you've got a lot of spiders you have a lot of other bugs.Bugs will be especially common in areas where there's any degree of rot or mildew. Some varieties of sow bugs live on mildew spores, "house dust" and other microscopic detritus, and will be frequently found in damp areas.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Makes sense.
But this is Denver. Land of low humidity. The only ants I even see are on the other end of the house by the garage door opening.
I get some aphids in the spring on the bushes, but my roses rarely even get powdery mildew.
But, I'll look more carefully in this area.
Like I said, there would be no spiders without something for them to eat. Likely the other bugs they're going after are better at climbing out of tubs.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
I hear centipedes like eating spiders. Why don't you get...>:-)---mike...
We've got those already. And I suspect they do do a good job on the spiders. I recommend 'em!
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Wouldn't millipedes be ten times as fast???
> Wouldn't millipedes be ten times as fast???I think it would be 10 times slower, no? Like - a millimeter is a tenth the size of a centimeter. All I can say is that the way DW reacts to centipedes, I sure hope she never runs into a full pede.
They trip over their own feet.Seriously, a large centipede probably could set some sort of land speed record. You have virtually zero chance of catching them on the run, you've got to sneak up on the and catch them dozing. (And then you have to smash them good to be sure of getting them -- you can't just bop them and daze them like other bugs -- and they make an awful stain when you do this.)
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Hmm, I was just thinking, with all those legs and the speed, centipedes probably wouldn't get stuck in the tub, so he wouldn't have a _dead_ centipede problem replacing the dead spider problem...---mike...
p.s. yeah, ain't we a lot of help to the OP?
OP here.
Actually, I find all of the comments very informative, if not humorous. I appreciate them all.
However, the plating of the tub's drain and overflow is a polished brass. I may be able to remove the overflow's cover plate, but not the drain's. I'm real intrigued with Dan's and IMERC's suggestions, but am hesitatant to employ them due to past experience with strong acids/bases on such platings.
Now, if I could find a foaming insecticide, I'd be real happy.
Daddy long legs eat other spiders. If you can find one in the garden, relocate it into the overflow and let it take care of your spiders. Once the spiders are all gone then the bugs they were eating will come out and you can identify them. Then you can "tent" the tub and fog bomb for the correct variety of insect :)
The above are all jokes, although the thing about daddy long legs is supposed to be true.
I think the problem is that we don't know where they originally came from, so if you kill the ones that are there now, will that stop others from sneaking in later?If I were to guess, females with eggs may drop in from time to time looking for a place to raise kids (uh, well, by letting them eat her dead body when they hatch). They can't really go anywhere once they're in, so hide out in the overflow. If you kill the existing ones, another mom-to-be will probably drop in at a later time, so this might be an ongoing problem, unless there is some spider bait you can leave in the tub in between baths.Or maybe you can put a poster of a pede (the full-sized one) to line the bottom of the tub to scare them off before they drop in the tub. Might also speed up toilet usage by guests, but could be messy unless you leave the lid up for quick access. :-)---mike...
we gonna tell Pete that the daddy long legs spider are suppose to be the deadliest spider on the planet...
or so I've heard...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
"daddy long legs spider are suppose to be the deadliest spider on the planet... "
Really? What do they do, swarm you? 'Cause there's thousands of them around here and I've always been very trusting.
Edited 10/12/2009 10:16 pm ET by fingersandtoes
Edited 10/12/2009 10:17 pm ET by fingersandtoes
that's a rumor control type of thing...
so I googled them...
don't worry... be happy...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
Maybe he means deadliest as far as how much killing they do.Just like the common housecat is the deadliest feline on the planet.....It's all fun and games, until someone puts an eye out..You are always welcome at Quittintime
I dunno. If some sort of gamma ray from space made all the housecats the size of cougars I bet 80% of them would eat their owners.
Edit: BTW that's not something you should share with your wife.
Edited 10/12/2009 10:42 pm ET by fingersandtoes
The smart ones would wait until after they were fed and their litter box cleaned.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Why don't you spray expandable foam in the overflow!!
I'd put the number closer to 100%...It's all fun and games, until someone puts an eye out..You are always welcome at Quittintime
always heard they were super deadly since I was a kid...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
but I went and googled them....
what a let down...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
we are talking about a table spoon or two here unless you would prefer phosgene or some other wicked type combatant...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"Some days it's just not worth chewing through the restraints"
I've only seen small ones stuck in our shower pan. The big ones loooove to crawl across the ceiling downstairs. Had one drop on my face while I was in bed once.They're really cute when they get to be 2-3 inches long.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
Just rent one of those geiko geckos.
=0)