Do you know that drain flies can lay up to 300 eggs if not interrupted and have a life span between 8 and 24 days? Yes, these insects can take over your home if you don’t control them as soon as you notice their presence in the drains. However, the good news is that eradicating drain flies is just an ABC thing- you only need few household tools.
What are Drain Flies?
Drain flies are nuisance insects that live and breed in a moist, organic matter of bathroom or kitchen drains. They’re black and about 1/8th inch. Their unique pattern of veins in their wings enables them to be identified with ease.
Drain flies are mostly found around drains. However, if you’re not keen to identify them, you can mistake them with fruit fly or phorid fly as they also like to inhabit drains.
Are Drain Flies Harmful To Us?
Nope! They are not harmful to human beings. Although they live in sewage, they don’t cause any disease to a human. However, when they infest in great masses, they can carry disease-causing organisms with them. But generally, they pose no harmful effects to humans despite their nuisance appearance in your home.
Where do Drain Flies Come From?
As said earlier, these insects like to inhabit paces with stagnant water, including;
- Bathtub drains and shower
- Kitchen and outdoor sinks
- Septic tanks
- Sewers
- Wet areas around the birdbaths or garbage
How to tell if you’ve Drain Fly Infestation in Your Home
Have you spotted one or two drain flies around your toilet, and you’re afraid that the pesky insects might have infested your home? Okay, you don’t need to do guesswork. Below is a sure way to check if drain flies have invaded your home;
- Place some pieces of tape over the toilet in question, with the sticky side facing downwards overnight.
- As the drain flies will be trying to escape, they would be trapped on the tape.
- To assess the issue thoroughly, repeat the process several nights in a row.
- By doing so, you’ll be able to know the number of drain flies you’d deal with.
How Do You Get Rid of Drain Flies?
After discovering that you’ve drain fly infestation in your home, you need to take immediate action as they breed so fast. Below are two methods on how to get rid of drain flies for good;
METHOD 1: Destroy the Breeding Source of Drain Flies
01. Unclog the drains – Drain flies like slow-moving or clogged drain. So, it would be best if you unclog the drains first. You can use household plunger and Plumber’s snake for unclog the drains.
02. Clean the drains – Remove all the decaying junk in your drains and run warm water. Using a snake drain, remove everything in the drain. To remove as much grime as possible, use a gentle scrubbing motion.
Gharpedia has provided some helpful tips for cleaning a clogged toilet or kitchen sink drain. Click here to learn more –
03. Clean the U-trap – Underneath your sink, there is a U-trap located there where gnats congregate often. Open and clean it thoroughly.
04. Use an enzyme cleaner – After cleaning the drains with a snake, remove any leftover particles by pouring Drano or enzyme cleaner down the drain. The enzyme cleaner leaves a chemical layer that ensures a smooth passage of particles and grime in the future.
05. Rinse your drain – After pouring the enzyme cleaner down the drain, give it some time and rinse it with warm water. Allow the water to run down the drain for about two to three minutes, and then turn it off.If you’re seeing some drain flies after around two weeks, repeat the above steps in all drains in your home.
METHOD 2: Kill the Adult Drain Flies
After cleaning the drains and removing all the drain flies’ larvae and eggs, you would remain with the adult one. And since they will have nowhere to lay their eggs, once you kill them, the stress of having drain fly in your home will be a forgone case.
To kill the adult drain flies, use the following methods below and thank me later.
01. Use Fly Swatters – Since the drain is now clean, you’d be able to see the drain flies resting on the walls. So killing them with fly swatters would be much easier. However, ensure that you use a damp cloth to clean up the bloody mess on the walls after dealing with them.
02. Use Drain Fly Trap – If the drain flies have infested your kitchen, this method is for you.
- Fill a bowl with an equal amount of white vinegar, water, and sugar.
- Add 6-10 drops of dish soap.
- Place the bowl beside your kitchen sink and leave it overnight.
- The liquid’s fragrance would attract the drain flies. Immediately after they land on it, they would get drowned and dead.
03. Use Chemical Sprays – Kill the mature drain flies by using spray chemicals. However, you should not use chemical sprays if the infested area is the kitchen, as they’re toxic.
04. Use Liquid Dish Soap Spray – Dish soap has borax, which contains insecticidal properties.
- Take an empty spray bottle
- Add 5-6 drops of dish soap
- Then add two water cups of warm water
- Shake the mixture thoroughly and spray to kill the flies
Can You Get Rid of Drain Flies Naturally?
YES, you can by using items under your sink or in the kitchen. Follow the methods below as both controlling and preventive measures of drain flies;
01. Use Apple Cider Vinegar + Plastic Wrap:
- Cover a jar, mug, or bowl with plastic wrap.
- Fill the container with an inch of apple cider vinegar.
- On the top of the container, make small holes to allow the drain flies but won’t allow them out.
02. Use Boiling Water:
Using boiling water to get rid of drain flies is the simplest method ever. How is it done?
- Pour down boiling water in your drain 1-2 times a day every week to make sure that the drain flies won’t return overnight.
03. Water + Sugar + Soap + Vinegar:
- Take a bowl of water and add few drops of dish soap, apple cider, and sugar.
- Leave the bowl close to the drain for some days- the sweet solution would attract the drain flies.
- The drain flies would be trapped in the water by the thickness of the added soap.
04. Drain + Duct Tape:
Also, you can use the drain fly detection method (duct tape) to eradicate drain flies at your home. What you need to do is to seal your drain off overnight for several days in a row. By doing so, you would catch the drain flies trying to get to the surface. Now that you’ve all you need to know about drain flies and how to eradicate them for good in your home, put it into practice, and drain flies in your home will be a forgone case.
Hope this article proves to be helpful to get rid of drain flies in your home. You will also like the following articles, click the below link for more in detail –
9 Tips to Stay Safe from Paper Wasps in Your House!
Make your Home Pest-Free this Monsoon with Home Remedies!
Image Courtesy: Image 2, Image 3(a), Image 3(b), Image 4, Image 5
Author Bio
Fidelis Kinai – Fidelis Muti possess a bachelor’s in English and Journalism and have over four years of professional experienced writing and proofreading materials for print and online platforms, including newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs, and social media accounts. He also have over three years of experience as a marketing assistant and social media manager.
He is versatile and diligent and will produce exemplary content within time to meet your deadline.
He can deliver most work within 2-3 days; rush orders are accepted whenever possible. He is based in the Kenya but travel often and work for clients all over the world.
