Bug problem that bugs me

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SeilerBird

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St Cloud Florida USA
I cannot figure this one out so I am turning to the intelligence of this community to see if they can solve this. I have three cats, all indoor only. I have a cat feeder that I fill with cat food once a week and they can eat whenever they want. See photo one below. For the past year or so the feeder has had a bug problem. In general I have been battling a German cockroach problem but I have had it under control now for the last few months. Except for this stupid problem. There are two pieces to this feeder and every week when I go to add more food I find a small collection of bugs in exactly the same spot. See photo 2. About a dozen tiny little bugs I cannot identify. How come they always are there and always in the same spot? I mean there are many generations killed here and they keep coming back to the same spot. There is no other bugs on the feeder and they are never anywhere else on the feeder. A few months ago I bought a different gravity feeder that was smaller. I used it for a month and had the exact same problem. Yes I clean the feeder every week.
 

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Oldgator73 said:
Can you post a good picture of the bugs?
I killed them already so it would be a few days before I could get a better photo. Here is a bad attempt at enlarging the photo.
 

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We had a similar problem years ago in Barbados. The food in bags was infested with tiny bugs that grew over several weeks from tiny dots to visible bugs before we discovered it. Paper bagged food can be infested this way right from the store or wholesaler, not necessarily a specific brand but perhaps from a storage problem en route.
 
I have the same issue... Those are hard bugs to exterminate.. Alas, Dalak exterminators are not ... Real.. (That is a joke if you don't get it forget it).

You need to fully clean out the RV or at least room in house, have a professional treat it.  Wash the cat's dishes 100%

Alternative.. I am told German roaches do not freeze well. but I'd not count on that.
 
John From Detroit said:
I have the same issue... Those are hard bugs to exterminate.. Alas, Dalak exterminators are not ... Real.. (That is a joke if you don't get it forget it).

You need to fully clean out the RV or at least room in house, have a professional treat it.  Wash the cat's dishes 100%

Alternative.. I am told German roaches do not freeze well. but I'd not count on that.
These bugs were a problem in my last RV. I bug bombed the new RV twice before I moved in and the bugs followed me. So cleaning won't do a thing.
 
Oldgator73 said:
Yeah, he could move to Perry.
Nope, I can't move to Perry. I used to live there and I have an ex girlfriend living there. I don't want to run into her. Plus I really really really love my present location. I am digging down and planning on living here till I die.
 
Do they sell Cat Food in plastic containers?

The Glue used to seal the bags are what some bugs are attracted to. 

Look where the Cat Food is made.  IF it's in a cold climate that might kill any bugs that are along for the ride.
However that wouldn't help any in the Summertime.  But if you can find Cat Food made in December of last year
and came from a Northern State - might be worth looking into that?  What could it hurt?

Funny you said you never buy the same brand twice - you have had the Cats for how long?
You should be running out of Cat Food to buy as I don't remember a hundred brands on store shelves when I had a Cat.  ;D ;D ;D
 
These bugs were a problem in my last RV. I bug bombed the new RV twice before I moved in and the bugs followed me.

Soooo... The problem is NOT actually the bugs, it is you!!! ;D
 
RedandSilver said:
Do they sell Cat Food in plastic containers?

The Glue used to seal the bags are what some bugs are attracted to. 

Look where the Cat Food is made.  IF it's in a cold climate that might kill any bugs that are along for the ride.
However that wouldn't help any in the Summertime.  But if you can find Cat Food made in December of last year
and came from a Northern State - might be worth looking into that?  What could it hurt?

Funny you said you never buy the same brand twice - you have had the Cats for how long?
You should be running out of Cat Food to buy as I don't remember a hundred brands on store shelves when I had a Cat.  ;D ;D ;D
But the real problem for me is why do the bugs go to the exact same spot? There is no logic to that. I have had Tarzan for 8 years, Jane for 7 years and Cleo for six years. What I meant was when I shop for cat food I just grab any old bag. I don't have an allegiance to any particular brand.
 
Maybe they are attracted to the food, hence the return to the same place?  it's a bit of a weird one. :eek:
 
What I meant was when I shop for cat food I just grab any old bag. I don't have an allegiance to any particular brand.

Oh there's the problem.  Ever hear - you get what you pay for?  Try at least once, buying the most expensive food available and see if that makes a difference.

As far as returning to the same spot either there might be a low in that spot or there is a trace of something drawing them there.

Can you put the metal part in the oven at high temp to kill any trace or microscopic subjects that are drawing them to that area?

One other idea is can you line the bowl with wax paper and tape it around the edge and then see if they appear on top
of the wax paper or underneath the wax paper?

Also just to be clear - do these bugs appear everyday?  Do the Cats finish the food in less than 12 hours?
Have you tried smaller amounts of food (but maybe more often if you want the Cats to have the same amount everyday) with
the same results?
 
jackiemac said:
Maybe they are attracted to the food, hence the return to the same place?  it's a bit of a weird one. :eek:
Well they must like something, but I don't understand how this gets passed on generation to generation and even after I moved and changed food dishes.
 

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