Drain flies commonly go by a few nicknames such as moth flies or sink flies. They are about the same size as gnats and fruit flies—between 2mm and 5mm—but can be distinguished by their small, moth-like wings and round, fuzzy bodies. Drain flies also differ in colour compared to other small house flies, typically ranging between pale grey to black. While they may look like moths, these little creatures cannot fly very far. You’ll notice that they make large hops from place to place instead of buzzing around your home like other pests.
Drain flies have a lifespan of between eight and 24 days but can lay and hatch up to 300 eggs in just 48 hours, so it’s important to get ahead of the problem before they have a chance to spread through your pipes.
Drain flies enjoy stagnant water that collects even small amounts of bacteria and sewage, so they are often found congregating around:
One common denominator among all of these places is low, stagnant water. Drain flies can lay eggs in the film that forms on the inside of pipes and drains when water pools and collects sewage. For this reason, drain flies may also be attracted to:
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. They can also find food and sewage near a collection of garbage, animal waste, or compost.
In short, no, drain flies are not harmful to humans. Though drain flies consume and live in sewage and bacteria, they are not disease-carrying insects, but In great masses, they can carry the bacteria with them. Overall, they cause no proven harm to your health, even if they are a serious nuisance in your home. As we noted before, drain flies can also reproduce quickly, spreading nests throughout your pipes that can be costly to clear out if left unchecked.
Depending on the degree of your drain fly infestation, you can take a natural or chemical route to get rid of the pests. In many instances, it is possible to quickly get rid of drain flies with common items found in your kitchen or under the sink.
In some cases, simply flushing out your drains can remove both the drain fly larvae and remove any temptation for drain flies to return. Use these methods both as preventative and management tactics for managing your infestation.
Boiling Water
The simplest method to clear out your drain fly issue is to pour boiling water carefully down your drain 1-2 times a day for about a week. This will ensure that the flies do not return overnight if the water did not catch all of the organic material built up inside.
Baking Soda + Salt + Vinegar
Combine this go-to mixture of pantry items to create a natural cleaning solution and pour it down your drain overnight. The baking soda expands with the vinegar, reaching more areas than the boiling water. After letting the solution sit until the morning, flush out the pipe with boiling water.
Soap + Water + Sugar + Vinegar
Add a few drops of dish soap to a bowl of water, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Leave the bowl out for a few days close to the drain to attract the drain flies to the sweet solution. The thickness of the added soap will trap the flies in the water.
Apple Cider Vinegar + Plastic Wrap
Create another common DIY fly trap by covering a bowl, jar, or mug with plastic wrap. Fill the bottom of the container with an inch of apple cider vinegar. Punch small holes in the top of the plastic in order to allow the flies in but not allow them to get out.
Drain + Duct Tape
Use our detection method mentioned above to also eradicate some of your drain fly issues. Seal off your drain with duct tape overnight for several nights in a row to catch the flies that try to get to the surface.
Since drain flies often live in or around your pipes, common cleaners and substances for clearing drains can also get rid of drain flies. When you do use chemical cleaners, always read the instructions, and do not mix them with other chemical or natural cleaning products.
After flushing your drain with warm water and giving it a pass with a metal pipe brush, you can clean out the remaining residue with products like Drano and Bio-Clean. Be sure to check if it is safe to use these products more than once if necessary and whether they can be used in drains outside of the bathroom.
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