# Bugs



## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

A friend from Andalusia region has just asked me about some bugs




> They are only on the sides, doors and top of the fridge/freezer. Nothing on the surrounding white-painted walls, nothing on my white Kangoo parked only 3 metres away. They are smaller than a pin-head. I've taken a photo, but I doubt it would show up here. Has anyone else come across this phenomenon]


Any ideas on what and how to get rid??

Thanks


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

cambio said:


> A friend from Andalusia region has just asked me about some bugs
> 
> 
> 
> ...


bug spray?


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

sounds like spider mite to me...


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

We have a lot of very tiny black ants, they get in everything, even with a clip. They seem to come from behind sockets and tiles, where there are gaps, as in Spain only blobs of tile cement are put on each tile, leaving gaps for them to accumulate.
All you can do is spray, which I hate in a kitchen, but otherwise they'll be in everything, and we probably eat them unknowingly!


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

apparently it seems they are Cochineal beetles, that have invaded certain areas and are fond of the old prickly pear!


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

There was a plague of them over the last couple of years around Jimena - all the prickly pears are dead. 

To get rid of them, simply wipe the surface they are on with a cloth or a wet wipe. you will be left with a bright red-died surface which cleans up very easily.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

extranjero said:


> We have a lot of very tiny black ants, they get in everything, even with a clip. They seem to come from behind sockets and tiles, where there are gaps, as in Spain only blobs of tile cement are put on each tile, leaving gaps for them to accumulate.
> All you can do is spray, which I hate in a kitchen, but otherwise they'll be in everything, and we probably eat them unknowingly!


Any Spanish tiler I have seen working coats the complete surface with a comb & not the "dot & dab" used by many Uk tilers.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

extranjero said:


> We have a lot of very tiny black ants, they get in everything, even with a clip. They seem to come from behind sockets and tiles, where there are gaps, as in Spain only blobs of tile cement are put on each tile, leaving gaps for them to accumulate.
> All you can do is spray, which I hate in a kitchen, but otherwise they'll be in everything, and we probably eat them unknowingly!


They are Argentine ants and form a single giant colony right across southern Europe, all communicating with each other.

Ant mega-colony takes over world

Spraying them can actually make things worse as it can stimulate egg-laying in the queen:



> Due to their nesting behavior and presence of numerous queens in each colony, it is generally impractical to spray Argentine ants with pesticides or to use boiling water as with mound building ants. Spraying with pesticides has occasionally stimulated increased egg-laying by the queens, compounding the problem. Pest control usually requires exploiting their omnivorous dietary habits, through use of slow-acting poison bait (e.g. fipronil, hydramethylnon sulfuramid), which will be carried back to the nest by the workers, eventually killing all the individuals, including the queens. It may take four to five days to eradicate a colony in this manner.


Fortunately they don't bite. The best way to keep them at bay is to keep all surfaces free of crumbs, sugar grains etc. Occasionally they raid our cat's food bowl though; I pour boiling water over them, wipe up the bodies with a paper towel and flush it down the loo.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> They are Argentine ants and form a single giant colony right across southern Europe, all communicating with each other.
> 
> Ant mega-colony takes over world
> 
> ...


Blooming heck, flush toilets, theres posh now :cool2:


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Hepa said:


> Blooming heck, flush toilets, theres posh now :cool2:


Except not this week, we're having the bathroom done! 

Can't find a Smiley for crossed legs so :fingerscrossed:


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Alcalaina said:


> Can't find a Smiley for crossed legs so :fingerscrossed:


How's this for a Smiley for crossed legs?


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

playamonte said:


> Any Spanish tiler I have seen working coats the complete surface with a comb & not the "dot & dab" used by many Uk tilers.


Really? My evidence is that It's the opposite; looking at removed tiles put on by Spanish tilers, there are a few blobs on the back, that's how they work so quickly, whereas UK tilers do indeed coat the whole tile. Knock on Spanish tiles and they are hollow sounding. If you've seen as Spanish tilers coating the whole tile, chances are they 've learnt it from UK tilers!
While we're on the subject of different methods,When it comes to grey blocks, Spanish builders often don't put cement on the ends, as evidenced by the zig zag cracks, but British builders do, making a more solid wall.


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

You supposed to coat the surface you are applying the tile to ...


http://youtu.be/RyAlwB-2ZMw?t=4m8s

(go to the 4 minute marker)

Should be quicker than dab and blob or coating the tiles themselves as long as you have the tiles prepared to drop into place.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

extranjero said:


> Really? My evidence is that It's the opposite; looking at removed tiles put on by Spanish tilers, there are a few blobs on the back, that's how they work so quickly, whereas UK tilers do indeed coat the whole tile. Knock on Spanish tiles and they are hollow sounding. If you've seen as Spanish tilers coating the whole tile, chances are they 've learnt it from UK tilers!
> While we're on the subject of different methods,When it comes to grey blocks, Spanish builders often don't put cement on the ends, as evidenced by the zig zag cracks, but British builders do, making a more solid wall.


Bit of a generalisation here!  The guys reforming my bathroom just spent two days getting the tiles off the walls because they were so well cemented. It would have been an awful lot easier if there had just been blobs.

There are good and bad builders everywhere, just as there are property developers trying to cut costs.


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