Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that my toilet paper was being taken over by bugs? Well there's been another buggy showdown. We vacuumed up the previous bugs and installed mosquito netting in our windows — but over the weekend a window without netting was left cracked open and this is what we returned home to! Ack!
After a long list of suggestions from Apartment Therapy readers, we finally determined what our little bug friends actually were. We Googled each suggestion, but only one of you had the right answer, so thanks annieoneil! We're glad we asked for help, because we never would have identified these little "buggers" on our own.
As it turns out, the bugs in question are Hackberry Psyllids, Lace Bugs, or Jumpin Plant Lice (how lovely) as they're sometimes called. Their lifecycle consists of hanging out in a little sack on the leaves of the Hackberry tree all Summer long. In Fall, they break free and go about their buggy business and then return to the tree when temperatures start to drop. They snuggle up in the crevices of the bark and hibernate through the winter months.
As luck would have it, our kitchen is now considered a tree. On Friday night after a slight incident with a pot pie gone awry and bubbling over (making the inside of our toaster oven look more like a tar pit) we cracked a window. Saturday morning we headed out for a days worth of adventures and when we returned our entire kitchen had been taken over! Previously in our bathroom, we had several hundred bugs and now there were several thousand!
The bugs came in for the warmth and stay behind anything they can or in any crack they come across. The tuck up on the back of the window ledges, the side of the plants, the inside rim of the paint can even! This explains their previous need to nest in the cracks of our window blinds, walls and toilet paper from the previous bathroom experience.
Looks like we'll be busting out the vacuum again and making sure every last window has netting! Although we've lived in areas where a few (like 30) of them will be trapped in our screens, we've never seen the massive amounts that we have in our new location. Hackberry is a tree that might be worth checking into before moving or else you might end up with the same problem we did!
Image: Sarah Rae Trover
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EWWWW!!! Scary stuff!!!
Please tell me there are no hackberry trees in the midwest.
I'd burn the house down & move on. Kidding. I think.
Eeek! Good luck.
Zingsarah - I live in Kansas City :)
scary stuff indeed!
Is there a long term solution other than keep busting out the vacuum? Can the city do something about it?
Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, and, you might want to treat the tree if there's a risk that the bugs might harm it. Really, though, these things aren't getting into your food or biting you so they're an annoyance rather than a threat.
This looks like something out of a horror movie. If I were you I'd be out on the sidewalk, rocking back & forth and crying, unwilling to return to the house. Ewwwwwwww.
Oh, gross. You'll never get rid of all of them with a vacuum?
My whole body is crawling with the thought of having to go to sleep anywhere near your kitchen.
Good luck.
Pier723- not really outside of removing the tree all together. You can spray with pesticides every few months, but if the tree is taller than you can reach it won't do much good
I think I would chop down the tree, when we lived in Tx they were considered a "nuisance" tree because they are messy and buggy.
zingsarah, there are.
Honey, you need to call a professional. Here in the South certain bugs can eat your house and literally destroy your investment. And while I have no idea what bugs those are, it could be an indication of a larger problem.
yuckums. good luck with that.
I didn't need to see that... eewwwww
Don't you have window screens?
Bepsf- as stated above we had screens and then further installed mosquito netting because even the smallest gauge screen was still too large. This kitchen window was forgotten about and only opened due to emergency.
Spots- these bugs cause no harm or damage to homes, pets or humans, I can use a vacuum as well as a professional can!
Lonibelle- we're on it! There's several in the area and we're doing our best to inform neighbors and talk about removal!
Ugh. I hate bugs almost as much as I hate rodents. Although after living in TX, I can say I hate cockroaches as much as I hate rodents...and I REALLY hate rodents.
Diatomaceous earth. Harmless as long as you don't sniff it. Sprinkle it around points of entry. It will dry out all bugs and they'll be gone!
Wow, I am so sorry you had to come home from a weekend adventure to find such horrors in your home. I wish you the best of luck. The good news is that at least you have identified the bugs and know they don't bite or spread disease.
We have the same problem at my house in Lawrence, KS! The psyllids are even attacking our rooms!
I can't wait for the cold!
Unholy. Get out of there - come live with us.
Ah! Thank you! I have those bugs and had no idea what they were or where they came from. I had a gigantic dying hackberry removed earlier this year and still have little ones popping up. Guess it's time to start digging.
This is such a weird thread. "Look, we have bugs. We're not planning to do anything about it though. Oh, and look, the bugs are back again. Aren't you grossed out?"
Just when I thought my rice weevil infestation was bad, this article shows up and puts me in my place.
Thanks.
You can spray with pesticides every few months, but if the tree is taller than you can reach it won't do much good
I'm not one to typically advocate the use of chemical pesticides, but spraying only part of the tree can be helpful in controlling the population. In simplest terms, if you can reach say 75% of the canopy, you can effectively reduce 75% of the nymphal population from becoming adults, reducing the intensity of future infestations into your home.
In addition to screening windows and doors, there are also some chemical pesticides you can apply to the outside of your windows and doors.
You also might consider seeking advice from a local, county, or state agriculture official for control advice.
I saw your first post, not realizing you were in Kansas City as we are. When I noticed little bugs on our screens I told my husband not to open the windows!
Ew this reminded me of the time I saw a black line from my back patio door through my living room, into the kitchen, up the cabinet and onto a sticky spill on the counter I did not realize was there. Or the time in college we found a black marshmellow under the bed - solid ants!