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How do you take care of drain flies in a residential kitchen?

Updated: Jul 31



What is drain flies?


Drain flies are small insects that spread around a drain. But they go by many names. Some people call them the moth flies, sewer flies, filter flies, and even fruit flies. However, they are very different from fruit flies. Although they can look similar, drain flies hang around your drain and look more like moths than flies.

Drain flies are true flies, but they are extremely small. At about 1/8 inch, it can be hard to tell if there are only one or two. But when they start breeding and hanging around your ponds, you'll notice them.


Flies lay their eggs in sewage and flood pipes. This can be any pipe, but you're more likely to see them in your kitchen sink because they're fed up with sewage and fermented foods hanging out there. However, it's no surprise to see them in your bathrooms, too.

What do drain flies look like?


While drain flies are flies, they are very similar to moths. Most of the time these flies are the black and brown. It has wings spread like the wings of a moth and has thin veins on its furry wings. On their heads is a tuft of the fur, and they have long antennae that look feathery or striped.

Its distinguishing characteristics are:


· Small 1/8 inch body

· black or brown

· Thin, straight, striped wings

· Spreading wings like a moth

· A lock of fur on their heads

· Upright feather-like antennas on their heads


What causes drain flies?


Drain flies love moisture, so you'll often find them if you live in a humid environment. Moreover, they like to be in drains contaminated with sewage. This could be the kitchen sink, sewer, septic tank, or even soil.

When the sink is left alone or not properly sanitized, there can be sewage contaminating it. Because the drain flies like fermenting sewers behind it, they fly around the drains and eat in it. Then they multiply. Unfortunately, they are very fast to reproduce. They lay their eggs within two days of being born, laying 30 to 100 eggs at a time.

Before you know it, you could have thousands of drain flies in your home, and it can be really hard to get rid of them. You need to use and sanitize your tanks properly to prevent drain flies from getting around.


How do you take care of drain flies in a residential kitchen?


Fortunately, there are five ways you can get rid of drain flies naturally. These DIY methods for getting rid of drain flies can help you stop the reproductive cycle, which will help reduce the number you see. If you encounter the problem early enough, it can be easy to get rid of it.

· Pipe brush: Use a pipe brush to clean the pipe as often as you can. Brushing the tubes removes the eggs and larvae from the tube. Next, rinse the tube with boiling water and sterilize the tube brush so that you do not inadvertently retain the larvae.

· Traps: You can also use a trap with the sugar, water, vinegar, and dish soap. Put equal amounts of water, sugar and white vinegar. Then put a couple of drops of the dish soap in there as well. Flies are often attracted to the scent of this soap and then end up in the water.

· Boiling water: Boiling water can kill the larvae, but it won't do much for flies that actually fly. Twice a week, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain to get any larvae and eggs out.

· Salt and baking soda: Using ½ cup of salt and ½ cup of baking soda, sprinkle it down the sink and down the drain. Once you're done, pour a cup of vinegar down the drain. It may ooze and form foam, so make sure the tub or tube has enough room to get this excess out. Let it foam overnight, then pour boiling water over it in the morning.

· Apple cider vinegar: For flies already in your house, use apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Pour as much as you want into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Then, make some small holes in the plastic wrap. This will trap the flies.


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