Drain flies gather, mate, and lay eggs in moisture or standing water. The slimy film that forms in sewers and drains is a favorite breeding spot. Putting off regular cleaning and maintenance of these areas may attract the pests and offer them a place to feed and develop.
Drain flies, also known as moth flies, sewage flies, and filter flies, like to lay their eggs in wet organic matter. Organic matter can typically be found in clogged and greasy drain pipes in kitchens and bathrooms, storm drains, moist compost, and septic tanks.
If they are in your home, they are likely eating and laying their eggs on other surfaces, including food. Any surface containing food particles will attract the drain flies, including countertops or trash bins. Once they know where a food source is, they will lay their eggs, contaminating food.
These pests live and breed inside your plumbing pipes, feeding on decomposing material and laying eggs within the gelatinous slime that collects along the interior walls of your drain. Adults can be spotted resting on walls and ceilings of the infested areas.
Drain fly eggs look brown or cream-colored and can hatch within 32 to 48 hours. Female drain flies lay their eggs in wet, organic matter such as found in drain traps and garbage disposals. They can lay between 30 to 100 eggs and their larvae and pupae exist inside the slime layer in your drain.
Like really love it! They're attracted to moist places like bathroom drains or sink drains and moist towels where there is a lot of stagnant water for them to breed and lay their eggs.
Once you've wiped out their breeding ground, the adults will eventually disappear because there is nowhere left for them to deposit their eggs.
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.
During the day, adults rest in shaded areas or on walls near plumbing fixtures and on the sides of showers and tubs. Most activity occurs during the evening when these flies are seen hovering about drains and sinks.
Behavior: Drain flies are most active at night. They are weak flyers that make short hopping flights of a few feet when they are disturbed. Drain flies rest on surfaces with their wings held over their back like a roof. You'll usually find a drain fly close to its breeding ground.
What are the signs of a drain fly infestation? As with most flies, the most noticeable sign of drain flies are the adults. They typically are seen resting on the walls in bathrooms or near the breeding materials. Larvae also may be observed wriggling in the breeding material.
Drain flies breed in areas that are moist and have a lot of organic remains, including: Sinks. Tubs. Under the washing machine.
A cup of household bleach is generally more than sufficient to kill most drain flies, and all you need to do is pour it down the affected drain.
Adult flies emerge from the breeding sites but may remain nearby. Drain fly control often fails because people don't realize just how resistant the scum and the larvae are to boiling water, bleach, detergent, and even caustic drain cleaners (see How Can I Get Rid of Drain Flies?).
Drain flies can breed outdoors during the summer with adults entering homes through open doors or windows. Low, wet areas where air conditioning units drain, or clogged guttering are excellent places for these insects to develop.
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.
The drain flies are not coming up from the P-trap. They are traveling inside from outdoors and reproducing in the organic matter that builds up on the walls inside the drain. You should use 4oz of DF5000 drain fly gel in each drain in the infested room every night for a week.
For effective drain fly treatment, use three products: Forid Drain Gel Cleaner, Gentrol IGR Aerosol, and Pyrid. Forid is an organic microbial grease degrader that breaks down organic material and waste, which will eliminate their food sources and their breeding grounds.
Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemongrass, and citronella are just a few of the scents that insects despise (with lavender probably being the most effective). Pouring half or an entire cup of such essential oil onto a sponge or rag, then storing it in a small can, helps keep flies at bay.
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.
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 gather, mate, and lay eggs in moisture or standing water. The slimy film that forms in sewers and drains is a favorite breeding spot. Inside structures, they are strongly attracted to light and will be found on glass windows, doors, lamps, and indoor lighting.
The vinegar's smell will attract the drain flies, and the wrap will trap them inside the bowl. Another option is to mix a few drops of dish soap with a cup of vinegar. The vinegar attracts the flies, and the dish soap makes it impossible for them to stand on the surface, so they drown.