Why Drain Flies Make Their Way In Septic Tanks
Encountering drain flies in your septic tank shouldnt come as a surprise to you. If you know this notorious bug and have read about its living patterns, perhaps youre aware it loves moisture, dampness, and dark places.
Your septic tank provides an ideal atmosphere for it to thrive and multiply. They spend their entire lives searching for a suitable place to survive. As soon as they find one, they intrude on it and begin laying eggs.
Note that only a portion of sewer gnats appears in your home or bathroom. The entire colony hiding in your septic tank is surprisingly larger and harder to eliminate.
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies: 5 Quick And Effective Methods
Desperate to know how to get rid of drain flies? Try tackling these tiny critters with apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and salt before reaching for the stronger stuff
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Trying to find how to get rid of drain flies can be a little, well.. draining. Also known as moth flies, sewer gnats, sink flies, filter flies, or sewer flies, drain flies linger around your kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere where there’s stagnant water.
These small gnat-like flies thrive not only near H2O hotspots, especially near food sources and like mosquitoes, they hatch in water, living to the ripe old age of three weeks. Thankfully, getting rid of drain flies is dead easy. We’ll show you how to get rid of flying insects that group around your gutter and other damp areas of the home.
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What Do Drain Flies Look Like
Drain flies are extremely small, measuring somewhere between 2 and 5 millimeters in length. These flies have small round wings and are usually gray in color. Also known as filter or sewer flies, theyre attracted to standing water and dont fly very well. They usually get from surface to surface by jumping. With eggs that can hatch every 48 hours, these flies tend to live for up to three weeks before they die.
Contrary to popular belief, drain flies do not bite humans.
Nitin Chandra / Shutterstock
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How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies Australia In 3 Easy Steps
When it comes to household pests, youre always on the alert for rats, termites and cockroaches. But heres something that might not be on your radar: drain flies. Ever been around a sink or a shower or bath or even a kitchen and noticed a teeny-tiny little moth-like fly buzzing around? These annoying moth-like drain flies typically set up shop in your bathroom drains or kitchen pipes mainly if theres a lot of organic matter in there to feast upon. But the real question is simple: how to get rid of drain flies quickly and effectively? Is using a wire brush and pouring hot water into your drains enough?
Clean Your Drains Carefully
Regularly cleaning your drains will kill the larvae and the adult flies. You can opt for a commercial cleaning productsuch as a bleach solution or a chemical cleaneror a do-it-yourself , environmentally friendly solution.
One such recipe calls for homeowners to pour one cup of white vinegar and a pot full of boiling water down the drain to disinfect it. Be careful if you choose this method because hot water could splash back up on you.
Baking soda is another effective household drain cleaner. You can mix a half cup of baking soda with a half cup of salt, half cup of lemon juice, or a half cup of vinegar for an environmentally friendly disinfecting option.
If your drain fly problem persists after a good cleaning, the flies may be living deeper in your pipes. In this case, you may want to invest in a pipe brush. These brushes feature stainless steel bristles attached to the end of a flexible pipe designed especially for home drains. You can scrub out the buildup in your pipes using these tools.
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Check For Larvae Around Drain Openings And Placing Tape Over Drain
- Drain Flies typically breed in drains, hence the common name of drain flies. These drains are an excellent place to begin the inspection. They often lay eggs at the drain openings. They live off debris in the form of a sticky, humid film on the drain sides and the drain trap. If you use something like a knife to scrape the sides, you can examine the sludge for live larvae. The larvae looks like slime. If you don’t locate any of these tube-like drain fly larvae, the eggs may be deeper in the pipes.
- Place some tape over the top of the drain, with some holes in it for airflow. Leave overnight. If the drain flies get stuck on the tape as they exit the drain, you know you have drain flies. You may need to repeat the next night as well to get a full scope of your infestation.
What Makes Your Drain Attractive To Drain Flies
Why do they like to lay eggs inside the drain? Drain flies gravitate to organic matter in standing water because they need the area to lay eggs. Once the eggs hatch and become larvae, they need to feed, so they feed on contaminated water, food crumbs, hair, toilet waste, dead skin cells, and bacteria inside drains. The kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room contain sink drains while the bathroom also contains a tub drain, shower drain, and toilet.
They love the dark and concealed environment drains provide because its a breeding ground for expansion this is their home now. Drain flies also love sewers, sewage soil, and septic tanks. They love spots similar to drains such as compost, standing water storm drains, mops and buckets, birdbath water, and wet garbage.
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The Bottom Line On Drain Flies
Drain flies are of little cause for concern as disease carriers. Even though theyre mostly found near contaminated water, they dont venture away from their food source and they dont live long enough to travel long distances. If an infestation is apparent, homeowners should still take proper steps to eradicate it and create a plan for regular drain cleaning to avoid future issues.
Regain Your Drain: How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies
Solyman Najimi | 2021-07-15 23:39:42 -0400
The smell of icky drains appeals to drain flies. They enter your home through an open window or a cracked basement slab. Once inside, they make a nest inside your drains and breed. By the time you see them crawling near and around the drain, its too late. You’ll look up “how to get rid of drain flies” online or call pest control, and every day wasted is a day for more drain flies to flourish.
It’s frustrating, but homeowners can conquer this unfortunate situation. Learn what drain flies are, why drains are appealing to them, the warning signs, how to remove drain flies, and ways to block them from returning.
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Vinegar And Baking Soda
A mixture of vinegar and baking soda is an effective and natural way to get rid of flies from your drain. Vinegar is a natural antiseptic agent and it reacts with baking soda to create a bubbling foam. This can help to kill off drain flies and their larvae.
Vinegar may also help to destroy the bacteria buildup in the drains which attract the flies. The University of Maryland published a report on the acidic properties of vinegar in weed control. The researchers found that vinegar helps to break down plant matter and is good for controlling pests.6
How to use:
Make a drain cleaner with vinegar and baking soda to kill drain flies by doing the following:
- Mix 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup baking soda and pour into the drain.
- Pour in the drain 1 cup of white vinegar.
- Allow the mixture to work overnight to kill off all the drain flies and destroy their environment.
- In the morning, pour a pot of very hot water down the drain to put an end to your drain fly problem.
You can also use vinegar to prevent drain flies inhabiting your drains in the future. Just pour one cup of white vinegar down the drain weekly. Allow the vinegar to sit for 30 minutes, then flush the drain with water. This will also help to prevent your drain starting to stink from a grime buildup.
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies Fast And For Good A Step
Drain flies are pretty common pests. They can be found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical zones as well. Drain flies are well adapted to the human environment and they often appear in bathrooms, kitchens, and other places where water is continuously present. Besides causing a lot of annoyance, their presence sometimes also raises health concerns.
So its best to get rid of drain flies as soon as you can for several reasons. How can you do that?
First, you have to eliminate their eggs and larvae by thoroughly cleaning the potential breeding sites, such as sink overflows, bathroom drains, and leaky shower pans. Then you have to get rid of the adult drain flies using natural sprays, sticky traps, or other effective methods. You also want to make sure you take some preventive measures to avoid reinfestation.
Although there are many methods out there, theyre not equally effective. In this article, Ill show you the best ways you can get rid of drain flies fast and permanently, without wasting your time.
Lets get started!
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Why Do I Have Drain Flies
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. Because of this, your drains are an ideal place for drain flies to thrive and reproduce.
Get Rid Of Drain Flies
Heres how to get rid of organic material where these flies breed:
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How To Keep Drain Flies Out Of Your Home
Unlike other insects, drain flies have the ability to enter your home through the small openings in your window and door screens. If drain flies smell something they like in your home, theyll find a way to get in.
The best way to keep drain flies out of your home is to clean your drains every other week using a mixture of salt, baking soda, and vinegar, followed by boiling water. Make sure to keep your doors and windows closed as much as possible to prevent them from finding a way to their desired breeding ground.
Lastly, because drain flies love water and sewage, make sure any standing water is removed and the area is cleaned immediately.
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How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies In A Septic Tank
Drain flies might not seem like a significant problem because they are pretty small and do not fly much. Besides, if you do not fear bugs, youll unlikely get bothered by them.
However, not taking an action on time can cause more severe concerns in the long run, from health hazards to expensive plumbing repairs.
Fortunately, a little DIY skill is all you need to remove this furry intruder from your home. Weve discussed various methods below you can try them all and see which one works best for you.
Try A Salt And Baking Soda Solution
We all know that cleaning with baking soda can be used to lift stains and brighten whites but did you know bicarb also has bug-busting properties when combined with table salt and vinegar?
This frugal tip comes from Blaze Bullock of Vinx Pest Control and is so easy to implement into your cleaning regime.How to:
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Fruit Flies Will Get In Your Drain Too
Drain flies arent the only pests who will set a colony in your sink. Fruit flies will, too, attracted to rotting food that can get caught in your drain when you do dishes. They will lay their eggs in that decaying food that makes a gunky buildup in your drainpipe.
Discover easy ways to get rid of fruit flies in your home with clever tips and traps.
How To Naturally Get Rid Of Drain Flies: Effective Ways That Really Work
Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Home
Drain flies are annoying flying pests that you might notice around your sink or shower drains. Drain flies are sometimes called moth flies, sewer flies, sink flies, or sewer gnats and they inhabit the dark, damp conditions in drains. You will most likely notice these tiny flies in kitchens and bathrooms where they feed on decaying organic matter in drains.
Getting rid of drain flies naturally is fairly easy. Once you disturb their environment and make sure that drains are clean and dry, your problem of a drain fly infestation should disappear quite quickly. However, its important to make sure that your fly problem is with drain flies, not fruit flies. As both of these fly species are tiny, its easy to confuse them.
To make sure that you eradicate drain or sink flies for good, its important to know something about their habitat and behavior. This can help you target their breeding grounds and prevent these pesky flies returning.
In this article, you will find out how to naturally get rid of drain flies. First of all, lets look at what drain flies are and how to identify the tell-tale signs of a drain fly or sewer fly infestation.
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How To Get Rid Of Flies Around Garbage Bin
Flies eat food waste, especially in garbage bins. If you dont keep flies away from your trash, they multiply. Flies like house flies, green bottle flies, and fruit flies like rotting and fermenting foods. When flies get into your garbage bins, you might struggle to remove them all.
Female flies lay hundreds of eggs. Once flies move into your garbage bins, it wont take long before a handful of flies turns into thousands. Ignoring the problem will only make it worse.
Youre probably wondering how to get rid of flies around the garbage bin. Luckily, you can eliminate flies near your garbage bins with a few easy steps.
What Is The Best Natural Fly Repellent
Cayenne pepper is an excellent natural fly repellent and also deters many other insects. Mix one cup of water and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a misting bottle and spray it near entryways and wherever you see flies. Other natural fly repellents include lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, camphor, and cinnamon.
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Look For Outdoor Sources
Dirty birdbaths, rain barrels, garbage bins, soggy compost bins, dog kennelsand any other area where there is stagnant water and organic materialshould be thoroughly cleaned and dried if drain flies are a problem outdoors. Wherever possible, eliminate areas where water can puddle and grow stagnant, as these are areas where drain flies will lay eggs.
Green Gobbler Drain Fly Goodbye
The unique additive in this gel is the citronella oil and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate . In theory, the scent of this oil would repel certain flying insects.
Try their Enzyme Drain Cleaner which does the exact same thing for $10 less!
Pros: Well priced 30 day guarantee.
Cons: Might be worth using their Enzyme Drain Cleaner product to save money.
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How Long Does It Take To Get Rid Of Drain Flies
The process of getting rid of drain flies is generally pretty simple.
Usually, boiling water or baking soda and vinegar are enough to flush out their nest and send them on their way.
If you have drain flies in your kitchen and keep organic ingredients like a bowl of fruit out on the countertop, you may want to toss those items as they are likely contaminated. After a couple days, your home should be free of annoying gnats.
However, your efforts could be moot if youre not addressing the bigger issue of the slow or clogged drain theyre living in.
If you still notice them coming back after going to all of the effort to kill them off, it is likely that a new colony has moved back into your plumbing system.
Thats when it is definitely time to tackle the clog issue and remove their ideal habitat to keep flies from coming back for good.