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See the piles of sawdust?
The white powder is diatomaceous earth smeared all over... |
Some insect is attacking The Cat Hotel! They are drilling holes, and kicking out sawdust. I have tried to stuff diatomaceous earth in the holes, and have used paint to seal them up. But nope, these little flying things have invaded. Looks like my next step is to pull The Cat Hotel out from under it's cover, and figure out if these insects have breached the inside. Heck, if we have to build a new shelter, that's okay, but we would like to just keep using this one. May have to break out some sort of die-bug-die stuff, and somehow figure out a way to do no harm to the cats.
I really am a nature-lover; see the photo below? That's my garden, full of milkweed plants.
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| Yep, a garden of weeds! |
Why, you ask? Because I have read that Monarch Butterfly larvae love milkweed, and since the Monarch Butterfly population is declining, we decided to give them a feast if they choose to eat it!
I do not want to kill anything, however The Cat Hotel needs to remain in good condition. Wonder what these little boring insects are, anyhow? Guess I'll be working on this puzzlement over the weekend.
What a puzzle! Does your university have an ag extension? You might try contacting them to identify/treat this creature. Whatever it is, you sure don't want it drilling your house or trees too!
ReplyDeleteHey, the buggy ones need to bugger off! This is a CATS only hotel.
ReplyDeleteguys...we hope yur houz doez knot haz term mitez......they R bass terdz....N tell yur mom ta try babee powder in de cracks N holez...we noe antz canna & wont crawl thru it.♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteCould you have termites? We keep the milkweeds growing too for the monarchs :)
ReplyDeleteThose darn bugs! The need to find some place else to live!
ReplyDeleteI had a problem with something similar last Summer. I believe they are wood boring wasps. I sprayed an insect repellent underneath my wood handrail and they never came back. Bess from Massachusetts
ReplyDeleteI was thinking it was termites too.....uh oh catchatwithcarenandcody
ReplyDeleteFrom the picture, it looks like termites to us !
ReplyDeleteI hope not because they do serious demolitions !
Paw crossed
X
Oh, no, bugs! I hope you get to identify what they are and exterminate them, naturally if possible!
ReplyDeleteUh oh! We hope you find a solution quickly! We bet the monarchs thank you for the milkweed buffet :)
ReplyDeletethe critters in the cottage xo
They could be termites or carpenter ants. I would suggest you contact a pro--just to make sure they aren't also munching on your home!
ReplyDeleteKudos for helping the monarchs :)
Oh No Sounds like you have termites. Good luck gettin' rid of them.
ReplyDeleteLuv ya'
Dezi and Raena
Wood destroying pests are the worst. Hopefully you can catch one and figure out what it is and how to effectively get rid of them. If you have larvae in the wood, be sure to dispose of it and not let it sit around your wood deck or house.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, I hope it is not termites. :(
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, I hope it is not termites. :(
ReplyDelete