Pest Control in the Fish Room!

[d2mini]

No, not your wife and kids!

So for those who have a separate fish room in your basement or garage or separate outdoor structure, what do you do about pest control... spiders, ants and other creepy crawlies?

When my exterminator comes to treat the house, I always remind him to steer clear of the display tank.
But now that i'm building out a small support room which I would have him stay out of all together, what can I do myself to make it as pest free as possible?

 

[Newsmyrna80]

I make sure nothing is sprayed in that room but I don't really get a lot of critters in there. Occasionally an ant will wonder in but they usually make their way into the refugium and die

 

[billsreef]

From my pet shop days, bait is the only truly safe answer. Sprays are evil.

 

[AdamNC]

From my pet shop days, bait is the only truly safe answer. Sprays are evil.

^^^ I'm my reptile room and on my loft where my tank is spraying is banned. So I have bait traps around and also surround my house with Amdro granules amdro dot com. One of the large containers 3 times a year. Haven't had any issues with ants whatsoever and is a heck of a lot cheaper the Terminex. Spiders on the other hand is a manual removal with a spider web brush on a stick. But get rid of the food source and you will get rid of spiders.

 

[slief]

Bleach mixed with water in a spray bottle should kill anything that crawls as well as eggs. 1:4 ratio should do the trick but you could probably go lower on the bleach.. Find a spider and spray it to see if it dies. Spray in all corners. Ammonia and water should do the same but that is harder on the sinuses.

 

[d2mini]

OK, i guess I'll pick up some bait thingies if it's a problem.

^^^ I'm my reptile room and on my loft where my tank is spraying is banned. So I have bait traps around and also surround my house with Amdro granules amdro dot com. One of the large containers 3 times a year. Haven't had any issues with ants whatsoever and is a heck of a lot cheaper the Terminex. Spiders on the other hand is a manual removal with a spider web brush on a stick. But get rid of the food source and you will get rid of spiders.

Ya, this is probably true.
In my previous "fish room" which was a corner of my garage, i had a lot of webs and stuff up in the top corners of the walls. Probably lots of flying bugs (food) available. Now that I've walled it off and created a room with a door, it shouldn't be as bad.

Bleach mixed with water in a spray bottle should kill anything that crawls as well as eggs. 1:4 ratio should do the trick but you could probably go lower on the bleach.. Find a spider and spray it to see if it dies. Spray in all corners. Ammonia and water should do the same but that is harder on the sinuses.

Cool, good tip.

 

[wildman926]

Malathion - spray the outside walls and door of the room, as well as the garage. It is used to rid pests from our fruits and vegetables. It breaks down immediately to a non toxic stated if it comes in contact with water.

 

[billsreef]

Malathion - spray the outside walls and door of the room, as well as the garage. It is used to rid pests from our fruits and vegetables. It breaks down immediately to a non toxic stated if it comes in contact with water.

Um, just no. It does not break down immediately in contact with water, in fact it's diluted with water before being sprayed on crops. Crops that have been sprayed also can not be harvested within several days of application, and still should be well washed before consumption.

 

[MellowReefer]

You can use diatomaceous earth. It worked great for me when my cats got fleas one time but it works for all insects. It's all natural and non toxic. But be careful not to breath it in when you are spreading it on the floor, and don't put it in high traffic areas where it can get stirred up and become airborne.

 

[Coelli]

You can use diatomaceous earth. It worked great for me when my cats got fleas one time but it works for all insects. It's all natural and non toxic. But be careful not to breath it in when you are spreading it on the floor, and don't put it in high traffic areas where it can get stirred up and become airborne.

I was going to suggest diatomaceous earth too. Make sure you get food grade, not the stuff for pools. It takes care of just about anything with a carapace.

 

[Fade2White12]

Cool, good tip.

You may want to use something a bit more surface and people/pet friendly than bleach or ammonia. A 50:50 mix of vinegar and water will kill most insects, as will about an ounce of dish soap (Dawn, for instance) per quart of water. The soap disrupts the cell membranes for most soft-bodied insects, and for those with hard skeletons, it works at blocking pore respiration. For a lot of insects, they perish almost instantly.

 

[slief]

You may want to use something a bit more surface and people/pet friendly than bleach or ammonia. A 50:50 mix of vinegar and water will kill most insects, as will about an ounce of dish soap (Dawn, for instance) per quart of water. The soap disrupts the cell membranes for most soft-bodied insects, and for those with hard skeletons, it works at blocking pore respiration. For a lot of insects, they perish almost instantly.

Good point about vinegar and or soap. Soap is an oldie but a goodie however it only works on contact. I forgot about that one. Same goes with most other DIY organic pest control solutions including my bleach suggestion. Vinegar is also a good ant deterrent.

Here is a good site with some good info on DIY organic solutions.
http://eartheasy.com/grow_nat_pest_cntrl.htm

And another.
http://www.bobvila.com/get-rid-of-f...-to-make-your-home-critter-free/slideshows#!1

 

[btucker7587]

+1 Slief on bleach water. I also shop-vac any webs or spiders up immediately. Bait traps for ants and centipedes. I use sonic repellents for vermin because the gecko's and mole crickets here would also be effected by bait traps and sticky paper. Gecko's and mole crickets are a great pest control as far as insects.

 

[johnreed07]

Is it effective?

 

[lapin]

I was going to suggest diatomaceous earth too. Make sure you get food grade, not the stuff for pools. It takes care of just about anything with a carapace.

What he/she said. Also boric acid will work. Spraying poison around the house and yard is not my idea of a good idea. If it kills things on contact, it might not be a good for you, your pets or kids to come in contact with it. Get it on your shoes and then its in the house, touch the floor and now you gots it. Same with the fish room. A little bit may not harm you but.... Just vacuum a lot and remove the food sources. The only thing I use is orthene and that's to treat fire ant mounds only. If spinosad does not work first. These are just my opinions and your results may vary.

 

[hottuna]

diatomaceous earth...they eat it -they die

 

[johnike]

What he/she said. Also boric acid will work. Spraying poison around the house and yard is not my idea of a good idea. If it kills things on contact, it might not be a good for you, your pets or kids to come in contact with it. Get it on your shoes and then its in the house, touch the floor and now you gots it. Same with the fish room. A little bit may not harm you but.... Just vacuum a lot and remove the food sources. The only thing I use is orthene and that's to treat fire ant mounds only. If spinosad does not work first. These are just my opinions and your results may vary.

Great advice, boric acid is my go to.

 

[biecacka]

DE as stated above works wonders.

Corey

 

[Fishbulb2]

We use glue traps in our basement. They work incredible. Everyone in the family has even been caught once or twice. And no sprays.

 

[Gezkovich]

Sprinkle boric acid or diatomaceous earth along the baseboards. Both will cause insects to dehydrate and die.


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