Drain flies go by several names including moth flies, filter flies, or sewer flies. Just as their name suggests, these flies are always known to congregate around drains.
Septic tanks are also an attraction for drain flies. All these drain fly attractions are found in homes.
This raises a question; are drain flies harmful?
We are all about providing the right answers. Drain flies are common around homes and it will be necessary to either confirm or allay your fears.
For the most part, people view drain flies as being associated with dirt, this is partially true as they get attracted to your drains and septic tanks.
However, they’re much more than that as we’ll soon find out.
Are Drain Flies Dangerous?
Most drain fly species are harmless.
No matter how clean you keep your kitchen, you’re likely to have drain flies hovering around your sinks. These are decomposers and target food particles found with drains. Their size makes them easily fit into tiny holes which they use to get access to food.
Apart from seeing these unwanted insects flying around, no harm is caused at all. However, if you’ve paid attention, we began this section with the word “most.” This means certain drain fly species are actually harmless.
Phlebotominae are a rare species of drain flies that feed on blood.
This raises the possibility of disease transmission to humans. While this is a possibility, no findings have been made regarding such claims. In other words, there’s little chance that you could get infected through a drain fly bite.
Blood-thirsty drain flies are rare because they aren’t readily found in North America.
However, whether biting or not, a lot of persons will prefer to clear their drains of these tiny insects. When you see drain flies around your sink and other drain areas, they aren’t there only to feed but to breed.
Such breeding activity has to be stalled or discouraged. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to get rid of drain flies from your home.
Infestation Signs
When it comes to drain fly presence, certain signs are observed to determine their presence.
One of the most common has to do with the presence of adults. Adult drain flies will always be seen resting on walls close to breeding areas.
A close inspection of the organic matter used for breeding their young will show drain fly larvae wriggling in such material.
How Do Drain Flies Get into Homes?
Drain flies always have a way of entering into homes.
The bathroom and kitchen areas are easy targets for these tiny creatures. Regarding how they find their way in, you may want to take a look at your basement’s windows and drains.
These are possible entry points that will need to be focused on.
For windows, some screens may prove helpful in keeping these pests out of your home.
Dealing With Drain Fly Problems
Drain flies come around for a reason; the availability of organic material found in your drain.
Therefore, to have a real shot at getting rid of them, you’ll need to get rid of such attractants. You may want to conduct a thorough cleaning of your drains once a month.
Such cleaning should be targeted at removing all accumulated organic material lying in your drain. Not allowing such organic material to pile up will reduce drain fly populations significantly. However, this won’t give immediate solutions.
Having cleared your drains of organic material, adult drain flies will still be seen around for a while. These have a life cycle of about 20 days. With no organic material, there’s no suitable location to lay eggs.
This means when adult drain flies die, there are no young flies to replace them.
-
Other Treatment Measures
Drain fly breeding sites can be cleared or cleaned through the following strategies; the drain sides and traps should be the focus for cleaning.
Cleaning can be quite gross as the slimy humid film on the drain sides and traps could be smelly.
Sometimes, drain flies may use an entirely different entry route. If there are broken drain pipes under slab floors, adult drain flies will utilize even the tiniest openings to come up with the opening.
They return using the same route. Such areas should be investigated to prevent the further spread of these pests.
Check for leaky pipes around the shower including shower pans. These areas are the ground zero of drain fly activity. You’ll need to fix leakages if they exist and also get rid of any decaying matter in drains.
Apart from your sink, scan your kitchen area for tiny cracks and crevices. Those found around the stands of kitchen appliances get easily filled up with organic debris. This is a ready attraction for drain flies and will require careful removal.
It isn’t enough to have these removed. You’ll also need to seal up such cracks as leaving them open will still result in a buildup of organic material.
Examine crawl spaces too. Drain fly infestation may be due to leaky pipes around crawl spaces. Such a breeding site has been eliminated as fast as possible to prevent infestation. Your home could have multiple drain fly breeding areas.
Locate as many as you can and get rid of them.
-
Calling a Pest Service
Sometimes, drain fly infestations may worsen. When this happens, it could be overwhelming to carry out the extermination yourself. The easiest way out is to call a reputable pest management service.
Treatment is preceded by an inspection of your drains as well as kitchen and bathroom areas.
This enables professionals to proffer the best treatments. Treatments are mostly customized to your specific needs based on the problem on the ground.
Are There Any Benefits of Drain Flies?
This question may sound a bit off for some readers.
However, the reality is that drain flies perform an important function. They help break down or decompose organic matter. This gradual feeding benefits your pipes as food particles among other things are broken down easily.
Most drain flies aren’t harmful. However, certain species actually feed on blood. These blood feeders are not common and are rarely common in North America.