[anniebjack]

I have tiny, black, jumping bugs that come up the drain in my bathtub. We live in the country and have a septic tank. Is it safe for my septic system to pour bug killer down the drain?

[smoothy]

What type of bug spray?

You have to be careful of anything that will inhibit or kill bacterial growth which is what your septic system depends on to work.

[creahands]

These are,more then likely, drain moths. Can use a bug spray to kill and control the ones in house.

They lay their eggs in the waste line in the slime that adheres to the walls of the pipes. To treat the waste pipe, go to a big box store or large hardware store and buy the treatment that is recommended to clean pipe and remove the slime. Be sure the treatment u get is safe for septic system.


After correcting problem treat all drains with boiling water once a month. This has worked for me.

Good luck

Chuck

[ballengerb1]

Agree on all points.

[Catsmine]

IF these are drain moths, that's excellent advice. Do they look like this:



The wings are very noticeable on these. Anniebjack, you said they jump, do they bite? If so, they might be something else

[anniebjack]

They don't look like drain moths, they are so tiny I can't get a picture. They look a little like fleas [no pets]. Don't know if they bite because I wash them down the drain before getting in the tub.

[ballengerb1]

Catsmine pic is about 100x life size. Drain moths are very small, much smaller than a house fly

[Catsmine]

Catsmine pic is about 100x life size. Drain moths are very small, much smaller than a house fly

I thought it was about 150 times. That's what came up when I searched images. It did illustrate how noticeable the wings are.

Another possibility would be fungus gnats, whose wings are almost unnoticeable. Here's a web page about them:Fungus Gnats

Check for mildew or mold. That would indicate a moisture problem that could attract lots of insects of different types.