Why Drain Flies Are In Your Home and How to Control Them
Drain flies are tiny, black insects with distinctive veins in their wings. Also called filter flies, sewer flies or moth flies, they have hairy bodies and wings. You can find them around drains. Although they are as tiny as fruit flies, drain flies breed in small puddles, rotting organic matter, and grease.
So what is the reason there are so many drain flies in your home? It is highly likely that you have left spots of standing water around your home. Most likely, this water is inside the drain pipes and could encourage the breeding of the flies when you leave your house for extended periods of time. The drain flies might increase due to lack of frequent movement of water inside the drain pipes.
photo/ Sanjay Acharya
If you have been at home throughout and yet there are many drain flies, then it is highly likely that you have plumbing issues. To know exactly what the problem is, you have to ask a qualified plumber to do a thorough inspection.
How to Control Drain Flies
Step 1. Check and Clean the Breeding Sites
Check for live larvae in the sludge inside the drain pipes. If you are not sure if you have the flies in your home, use masking tape on top of the drain and check if any flies will stick on it. Also, make sure you check your sewers for any signs of drain flies breeding. Bathroom drains in the showers could also be a major culprit when it comes to being breeding grounds for drain flies.
You will find drain flies in storm drains, sewers, moist mops, sink drains, rotten vegetables, and dung. Get rid of them by flushing hot water into the drains and cleaning away any moist mops, rotten vegetables, and dung. By re-grouting the tiles, you will be able to prevent water from seeping into the walls and thus creating a breeding ground for drain flies.
Step 2. Drain Treatments
There are a number of products you can use to treat the drains and rid them of all organic debris and improve sanitation. Some of the products exist in the form of easy-to-apply foaming aerosols. They contain microbes that are capable to remove scum and get rid of the rotten odor. Once you have used these products, give it a week
Step 3. Contact Aerosols
Once you have cleared all the breeding sources, you can use a spray to get rid of the visible adult flies. Only ensure that the insecticide is non-residual so as not to compromise the safety of the people in your home.
Step 4. Fly Lights
In addition to contact aerosol sprays, you can use insect light traps to attract drain flies. However, these lights are more effective at attracting the male flies and not the females. They work very well when it comes to eliminating the adult flies after the drains have been cleared.
It is easier to control drain flies when you know their breeding behavior. Take the steps above and drain flies will be a thing of the past in your home.
Author: Anny He
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