We suggest staying away from bleach or vinegar because they won’t break up decomposing matter as efficiently as gel drain cleaner. Make sure the water temperature is lower than 140 degrees F to prevent damage. The smell that develops lets the insects know that there is a place to breed. Gnats are small flying insects that include fungus gnats, fruit flies, and drain flies. The bathroom can be an especially wet place if not ventilated properly. Get rid of as many of these as possible from the drain. Wherever they find water, they’ll breed. Drain flies exist because there are organic materials found in your bathroom sink, kitchen sink or shower. Looking for a professional plumber in the Atlanta area? The odor and natural power of the vinegar will kill the larvae without harming your pipes. Another excellent option is Natural Armor Fruit and Drain Fly Killer. As mentioned above, drain flies make their homes and have their offspring in stagnant water. Vinegar combined with baking soda however works as a good alternative to gel drain cleaner. They thrive on organic moisture and debris … But they do carry bacteria and other microorganisms from the drain to the inside of your home. The drain flies will be attracted to the container by the sugar and vinegar, but will be stuck in the water because of the oily nature of the soap. They are usually found close to a water source or moisturised areas. When showers, sinks, and bathtubs cannot drain properly, they attract drain flies. There will usually be several drain flies in close proximity of each other. If these ideas do not work, you can purchase a commercial product such as. As a result, their populations … Walking up to your sink or shower and finding a swarm of small, dark, furry flies hovering over your drain is NOT a pretty sight. However, they will help keep water moving, preventing the drain flies from entering in the first place. At the bottom of the canister is a sticky glue trap. Moth flies (Drain Flies) lay eggs in a mass of 30 to 100 in a suitable medium. There are currently 2,600 species discovered worldwide, and most of them prefer to live in humid tropic places. The sweetness of the sugar attracts the drain flies and the soap causes them to drown in the water. It make be caused by leaking pipes that are not visible. Try them out for a chemical-free solution. You would probably wish to get rid of drain flies immediately. Finally, after several hours, flush the drain with water. This will not kill any existing larvae and will not even flush them all out, but it will help prevent adults from breeding. However, in our own homes, we’d mostly see these tiny winged insects in their namesake, inside plumbing drains. Any areas of your home where it’s wet and shouldn’t be are potential breeding grounds, so this is another reason to … The Tuzeasa uses a UV light to attract drain flies and other bugs to it and has a gentle fan to suck them into a canister. The black or brown flies/moths you see in your drain are most likely “drain flies” that live on decomposing, organic matter in your drains, which explains why they hang out near sinks or showers. Use a declogging gel product, like this one on Amazon, to clear pipes out when they’re draining slowly. Arm yourself with the tools and tips pros use to keep THEIR homes bug free! Also do not allow water to stand for periods of time in objects outside of your home because it may become a breeding ground. When the water is moved or flushed out, this film disappears. However, they are considered a nuisance when they infest in large numbers. Pour half of a cup of water into a bowl, cup, or other container. Best of all, it will keep working for months to ensure that new generations don’t become established. Because gnats breed frequently, addressing an infestation promptly is crucial for successful treatment. People usually run into drain flies in their bathroom after a long vacation. Hence, wind can easily blow them from a drain to another sewage plant, which is about several miles away. Drain flies breed in drains, septic tanks, sewers and soil that has been contaminated with sewage. These are two things that often occur in sink, shower, and bathtub drains. The professionals at Mr. Plumber offer water jet drain cleaning that will completely clean your drain and prevent further drain fly infestations. Drain flies cause little damage, as they do not bite and are not known to transmit disease. Be sure to read “Best Trap for Drain Flies” for additional options and to learn what to look for when purchasing drain fly traps (because not all bug traps work for drain flies). If you find flies stuck to the tape or glue board, you know that drain is indeed one of the breeding grounds for drain flies. But they do carry bacteria and other microorganisms from the drain to the inside of your home. Click here to access them all. Again, look for larvae in addition to cleaning out the slimy film. The baking soda and vinegar react with each other to create a fizzy, foamy effect that coats the pipes. Drain flies primarily live on organic material found in standing water, which often includes sewage or other contaminated water, typically when it causes a film to build up in a humid area of pipes with standing water. Drain flies themselves aren’t dangerous. This is why sewers, storm drains, and other plumbing situations are popular places for drain flies to live and breed. If you’re having trouble getting rid of that slimy grudge inside your drain, your best bet is professional drain cleaning. The drain fly usually get attracted to the moist areas where they can find the nutrient-laden organic matter and sewage. Thankfully, it’s not too difficult to remove their source of attraction and eliminate the problem, but you need to go about it the right way. If you already have drain flies in your home, eliminate them by trapping the adults and killing the larvae inside the pipes. If you’ve tried this process several days in a row, you may need professional help breaking down the organic matter buildup inside your drain. If you have access to the drain trap, open it up. AND they’ll breed like crazy if you let them. No. They will not be wiped out simply by running water. This gel goes straight down the drain and covers the inside of the drain and pipes. Look for larvae – pale, translucent, flattened cylinders with black heads. Poke a few holes in the plastic and leave the trap for a few days. Leave this overnight and then flush it out the next morning with hot water. . However, in large quantities, drain flies could become an issue due to their tendency to block parts of plumbing pipes. Why do these insects like sewers and drains? Simply running the water in a sink, shower, or bathtub will get the water in the drainpipes and traps moving, making it less attractive to the drain flies. © 2020 Mr. Plumber Atlanta all rights reserved. They nest within the drain or sink and lay eggs to start a colony of flies. A bathroom drain is full of moist organic matter, making it the perfect place for these fruit flies to reproduce. To understand what causes drain fly infestations you first need to understand a little more about their behaviour. Read on. Get rid of as many of these as possible from the drain. What Causes Drain Flies? For a super-powered option, add half of a cup of white vinegar to the boiling water. If you're battling drain flies, you know what an annoyance they can be. Usually, the homeowner never sees drain fly larvae since the larvae are located in the gelatinous film inside drains. In fact, drain flies reproduce at a rapid rate – one female can lay up to 300 eggs every 48 hours! Next, pour gel drain cleaner down the drain. Or, pour a couple of inches of vinegar into a container and cover it with plastic wrap. Add 10 drops of liquid dish soap and mix well. Why Drain Flies Like Your Bathroom. The eggs form the moth fly( drain fly) are laid in irregular masses in such places as dirty garbage disposal units, water traps in plumbing fixtures, sewage plant filters … If these traps don’t work, you can purchase sticky traps. You can also find drain flies in outdoor areas that have large amounts of organic waste, like leaky septic tanks and damp areas with animal feces that haven’t been cleaned up. If you don’t see flies stuck to the tape after the first try it could just be that you found a lapse in breeding patterns. Clean and disinfect any part of the pipe you can reach. So, yeah, drain flies don’t make for good roommates. Drain flies do not bite and are not known to transmit diseases to humans. Once the bugs get sucked into the canister, they get stuck to the glue where they eventually die. Drain flies are attracted to moist areas rich in nutrient-rich organic material. However, because they breed in filth, such transmission is possible. Drain flies feed on damp, organic resources that are easily available near the infested areas, such as decaying vegetation, and other microscopic plants and animals. These products are not pesticides and will not kill larvae. The more organic matter that is allowed to decay out in the open, the more drain flies (and other bugs) you’ll attract. They can also find food and sewage near a collection of garbage, animal waste, or compost. With the accelerated rate of drain fly reproduction comes a problem: when you see an adult drain fly, there is more than likely already a huge amount of larvae lurking within your pipes. Drain flies can be prevented by making sure drains are kept clean and seldom used drains are kept covered. If you see flies stuck to the bottom of the tape you probably have drain flies. What Causes Drain Flies? Drain flies, also known as moth flies, are a common nuisance in many homes. Drains in sinks, showers, and bathtubs are breeding grounds for drain flies because of the combination of moisture and decaying organic material that washes off the human body, such as sweat and old skin cells. Drain flies are attracted to stagnant water that contains decaying organic material, which is often found in the drains and pipes of sinks, showers, and bathtubs. So in search of organic matter, they choose the drains, decaying logs and compost piles as their breeding sites. If you have a flexible drain brush like this one, use it to further loosen and remove organic matter that’s stuck inside the drain. If these traps don’t work, you can purchase sticky traps, like these, or try a UV light trap like the Tuzeasa Zap T3 Pro Trap. Larvae stick to the sides of the drain and pipe with a strong adhesive. It is quite possible in houses that have a drain fly problem to inhale all or parts of the drain fly directly into the lung. They can even infest sump pumps! Chemicals are often too caustic for pipes and can damage the glue that holds them together. Fungus gnats are dark and have long legs, fruit flies are brown and round, and drain flies have moth-like wings and are attracted to water. "Y ou're likely to spot drain flies near sinks and showers that are stagnant for a time (like after a long vacation) or used very infrequently (such as a guest bathroom),” according to Apartment Therapy.. How to get rid of drain flies. 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