[LunaTheHamster1]

Hi, With you saying they are around the flowers/leaves and water it makes me think they could be weevils. Whilst not harmful to hamsters or us, they multiply quick and can be an utter pain to get rid of them. I know a lot of people last year got them, around September after the hot periods in the summer as any eggs on the food source can hatch, especially when it gets hot.

What worked for me in the end was
1.) freeze everything i could for 1 week
and/or
2.) cook everything I could for 2 hrs at 95 degrees
3.) box the items up for 2 weeks in small plastic bin boxes (break it down so not all in 1)
after 2 weeks check the items again, if still present, repeat the cycle. I had to do this about 3- 4 times in some cases. it's all about breaking up the life cycle and trying to kill the eggs, as they can survive in extreme temperatures and I believe delay in hatching.

i also got rid of all the used bedding, food, forage items, sprays etc in the cage, cleaned the cage thoroughly, including hoovering then clean the hoover out. Make sure you wipe everything down, e.g. back of the lid and under the cage if you can

I then only used a couple of inches of new clean bedding, apart from the wooden mutli chamber hide I used only ceramic or plastic items which could be easily cleaned again, or boxes/cardboard which could be thrown and replaced easily. I then checked the cage once a week, i only had to deep clean 2 of my hamsters cages this way the 3rd i had to redo once. It was quite easy to get rid of them in the actual cages what was harder was to get rid of them in all the natural items like cork logs, branches, wicker tunnels etc, hence the process above.The bugs really love the natural items.

I also put a little tub of diatamaceous earth in little tubs near the cage and elsewhere in my home so I could see if any bugs were elsewhere. I know some people use this in the cage and actually on animals but i read research where it can be harmful to them if they breathe it in, so use it cautiously if you do use it.

I also used Indorex spray in my rooms, if doing this you need to make sure your hamster is in a safe place where they can not breathe it in. Off the top of my head they say to keep cats and dogs out of the room for 1 hour, so i kept my hamsters in temporary cages in my bedroom and covered their main cages with blankets and towels for a day. The spray is aimed downwards and on the carpet so theoretically shouldn't be going into the hamster cages if covered but i wanted to be safe. I then washed the blankets/towels on a hot wash.

I hope this helps and goodluck. It can be a tedious/tiring process but if you want to get rid of them it is best to get rid of and clean absolutely everything you can.

* also, if they are weevils i highly recommend freezing all food for a min of 1 week (24-48 hours does nothing) it is debatable whether freezing for a week is enough, and then store in airtight containers. i did freeze my items but still got them, so i either didn't freeze long enough or i forgot in one instance*