Sump dry well - pest entry point?

Our old 8-unit apartment building in Park Slope has recently had a handful of pests (waterbugs) and we had an exterminator survey our basement to identify entry points. They pointed to a few spots that we’ll have a mason seal up. Mason # 1 said he’d clean up the area, tamp down the dirt, and pour cement on the bottom. Mason #2 expressed concern about doing the work. We have a dry well in the basement, near the front of the building, and Mason #2 said the pipe there is the sewer main, so we should leave the dirt exposed, in case of flooding etc, so it could absorb water. That makes sense, but what do we do about keeping out bugs? Any advice would be very appreciated.

katerina

in Plumbing 8 years and 1 month ago

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dorkofwindsor | 8 years and 1 month ago

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there may be bugs, but my uneducated guess (just a homeowner) is that they would be attracted to the dark moist pit rather than originally coming from there (assuming there are caps on your cleanout pipes). They come from literally everywhere, outside under the door, joists pockets, but in my house they don’t come from the dirt pit. fwiw