kimmsr, I'm not sure that is completely true since I once had to help some one fix a problem of little gnats coming out of a bathroom sink overflow. In most normal situations it is not easy to flush that part of the drain system. To deal with the problem I had to pull the stopper out of the sink and stuff something down to effectively plug the overflow as well as the sink and then we filled the sink to drown the suckers. If you have a double sink in the kitchen, you might have a similar situation going on if that second sink doesn't get used much.

kimmsr, Disagree with you, simply based on experience. I used to have lots of grubs in my very moist compost before using BT. Rarely see a grub of any kind anymore, using the same methods/materials with the addition of BT. http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/bacteria.html States: Primary hosts: caterpillars; some BEETLE and fly larvae. Also states: "Over 90 species of naturally occurring, insect-specific (entomopathogenic) bacteria have been isolated from insects, plants, and the soil, but only a few have been studied intensively". So I give credit to BT. I put some good soil in my new compost piles, which has had applications of all commercial BT strains, so I can't say which one (if any) are at work against grubs. Doesn't matter to me. So I give credit to BT, et al. - and don't have names for the other 86 or so insect-specific (entomopathogenic) bacteria spoken of, OR other such non-specific bacteria that may not have been identified yet. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2500.html : 'Grubs' is a 'generic' term, used for larvae of a large group of beetles called SCARABS. The most important species are: Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman; May or June beetles, Phyllophaga spp.; northern and southern masked chafers, Cyclocephala spp.; and black turfgrass ataenius, Ataenius spretulus (Haldeman). Other, more localized, white grub pests are: European chafer, Rhizotrogus majalis (Razoumowsky); the Asiatic garden beetle, Maladera castanea (Arrow); and the green June beetle, Cotinis nitida (Linnaeus). Option 4: Biological Control - Milky Diseases - Several strains of the bacterium, Bacillus popilliae (bacterium is extracted from Japanese beetle grubs and is most active against this species), have been found that attack white grubs...Unfortunately, recent studies in Kentucky and Ohio indicate that the currently available products have NOT PERFORMED WELL IN OUR SOILS. (caps are mine). Goes on to say that parasitic nematodes are a up to 80% effective, but "...do not appear to be effective from one season to the next". So you can take exception with me if you want to - your opinion is just as valid as mine - but now let's hear from YOU about your EXPERIENCE with grubs... Robert

We had an awful infestation last summer and narrowly averted one this year. Aside form all of the aforementioned things to do, keep your floors cleaned also. Grease that spatters around the area around the oven for instance, well they can live off that too. Gross I know. Same for anywhere else grease may collect like the top of the stove. Also - ice cubes ran through the garbage disposal is a good thing too. The iciness kills off the eggs from what I hear plus it's good for the disposal since the ice cubes grab leftover grease onto them. Last summer, I barely could keep on top of it and the only thing I think that finally killed them off was the cooler weather setting in - they don't like that and can't breed in that weather. This year, as soon as I saw them (they came in from my CSA box, a peach was bruised and had a large hole in it with the flies in it, and when I complained to the owner of the CSA he actually had the nerve to tell me to cancel the rest of the summer instead of apologizing!) I got rid of the offending fruit, cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, including the drains "just in case" they had found their way there already, and started to put all incoming fruit in the fridge for a while. Thankfully - I caught it before they took hold this time.

Are those Fruit Flies or Fungus Gnats? Fruit Flies need ripe fruits and vegetables to feed on and can go from an egg to an adult in about 8 days. No ripe fruit or veggies, no Fruit Flies. Fungus Gnats just need damp organic matter to lay eggs that hatch in 3 days but take another 14 days to emerge as adults. Fungus Gnats are more common around compost bins, but are fairly easily controlled by allowing the compost to dry out some. Compost needs to ne moist but not damp. http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7448.html kimmq is kimmsr