Drain flies typically lay between 30 and 100 eggs and they hatch between 30 and 48 hours later, depending on the temperature. The drain fly eggs hatch into larvae – also known as maggots. The larvae are tiny and are usually only between four and 10 mm long.
The larvae, also known as maggots, are legless, 3.5 to 10 mm long, pale in the middle and darker in colour on the ends. The larval stage of drain flies lasts up to 24 days, while the pupal stage lasts between 1 and 2 days at most.
These eggs will hatch into larvae within 48 hours, and these larvae are the unappealing black or brown worms you may see wriggling around your drain or in the basin of your sink. These worms can live for up to three weeks before turning into a fly, and can be a real problem in some areas.
What Causes Drain Flies? Drain flies thrive in stagnant and standing water. Common sources include slow or clogged drains, rarely used and unused toilets, refrigerator drain pans, and standing water created by leaking pipes. They typically enter buildings through basements, windows, and drains.
You want to kill European crane fly larvae when they're most active – usually in early to mid-April. Using a drop spreader or broadcast spreader, apply Ortho® BugClear™ Insect Killer for Lawns around your property. It kills by contact above and below the soil and will create a bug barrier that lasts three months.
Make a natural cleaning/fly killer mixture.
Mix together 1/2 cup of salt, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar. Pour the mixture down the drain.
Despite what their name implies, though, they don't "fly" but rather hop from surface to surface. They won't go away quickly on their own either since they can live for up to three weeks with new eggs hatching as quickly as every 48 hours.
These flies will breed in any moist area that they can find. So if you are facing a drain fly infestation that you cannot figure it out, you may want to look deeper for the cause. The problem could be from a leaking pipe or drain under the sink or even a leaking pipe inside of your walls.
These pests are a nuisance because they infest in large numbers. Once inside, drain flies may plug pipes and spread bacteria from the filth they live in, possibly contaminating food in the process. These pests, even though they live in filth, are not known to spread any disease to humans.
One of the reasons that these types of critters — drain flies, in particular — are so difficult to get rid of is that they have water-repellant hair all over their bodies. Furthermore, the drain fly larvae are difficult to drown since “they are able to trap air bubbles and remain submerged for a day or more.”
Drain fly larvae (aka drain worms) are typically found in moist areas with organic matter – such as various types of home drains, stagnant moist mops, sewage treatment facilities, compost piles, and storm drains. These larvae are found in nature as well and serve an important function of decomposing organic matter.
If you have found maggots around, it's likely you have found the source of why they are there. Decomposing food and filth are the main reasons you'd find maggot infestations in the home so you need to find that filth source and throw it out and then perform a thorough sanitation.
Drain flies are most commonly found in the bathroom, particularly in drains that have stagnant water or grime sitting in the pipes. Therefore, you'll probably find the small flies in the toilet, sink drain or shower.
The small black invertebrates are actually larvae of drain flies, which are common in the damp areas of a house. Also known as sink, filter, or sewer worms, these organisms can spread harmful bacteria, and you should therefore eliminate them from your home.
Life Cycle: Adult females lay 30–100 eggs in sludge around sewage and drainage areas. Eggs hatch in 32–48 hours, larval stage lasts 8–24 days, pupal stage 20–40 hours. Adults live about two weeks.
Drain flies are holometabolous insects, going through egg, larval, pupal, and adult life stages. Typically, drain flies complete their life cycle in 21 to 27 days (El Bardicy et al. 2009), but this accelerates at higher temperatures (85°F, 29.5°C) (Fair 1934).
One possible sign of an undetected mold problem in your home or office could be the presence of Phorid flies, sewer flies or some other gnats or bugs.
Drain flies are small and gray. They do not bite, sting, or spread diseases, but their decaying bodies may cause allergic reactions. They can also spread bacteria from trash, decaying vegetables and fruits.
The only type of insects that lay eggs inside humans fall under the parasitic family. A drain fly is not a parasite and won't lay eggs inside of humans, only in decaying organic matter.
Do Drain Flies Die in Winter. Most fly species cannot survive outside temperatures below 32°F (0°C). They die unless they find a warm and conducive place to overwinter, such as your home. Drain flies are one of the few insects that can tolerate cold weather conditions.
Drain flies do not come up from your pipes or drains, rather they come from outdoors to the drain when they smell the organic matter they need to breed. Drain Flies get into your home through tiny holes. Drain flies are most active in the evening when they congregate around sinks and drains.
They reproduce in polluted, shallow water or highly moist organic solids where they feed on decaying organic material in mud, moss or water. In homes, the adult flies are most likely found on the walls of the bathrooms, kitchens, basements and other locations where sewer drains and plumbing fixtures are located.
One common remedy for killing drain flies is using household bleach. This is a very useful and cost-effective manner for getting rid of these little pests with an item you already have around the house.
Essential oils are sometimes used to keep flies away from infested sections and also to kill them. Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, and citronella are just a few of the scents that insects despise (with lavender probably being the most effective).
Bleach will absolutely kill drain flies. However, using bleach comes with certain risks. It's better to try other methods first and use bleach as a last resort.