Are Drain Flies Harmful?
Although there is no need to be particularly afraid of drain flies, they can be very dirty. They basically come from drains and similar places where a lot of waste and bacteria can accumulate. They are not hygienic to say the least, which is why they can pose a health threat to pets and humans around them.
Besides that, drain flies don’t carry any diseases so they can’t infest other living beings directly. They are also annoying in large numbers. After all, no one wants to see these nuisances on their walls and in their bathroom.
Drain fly eggs and larvae are also very dirty. It is disgusting when those drain worms appear in the shower around the drain. However, all they are looking for is some more fermenting matter and bacteria to consume.
If you have children and pets at home, then you better get rid of them as soon as possible. They are not going to pester anyone but having a lot of dirty flies around is definitely not hygienic. It can happen after a long vacation that dozens of drain flies welcome you at home.
It is important to prevent them from spreading all those bacteria in your household. Below, we are going to answer the most popular questions regarding the health risks associated with drain flies.
Are Drain Flies Harmful to Humans?
First off, drain flies can’t bite or sting you. In fact, they are not good at flying either. They basically just jump around with the help of their wings. Therefore, you are not really going to see them pestering anyone in the house. However, they touch a lot of things in the house and spread harmful bacteria.
They will mostly rest on the walls, walk in and out of drains and explore the area around them. They are not known to transmit any diseases or parasites. It is understandable that running into some drain flies makes you worry because it means that you can collect all those harmful bacteria anywhere in the house.
- Related: Why drain flies keep coming back
There are countless fly species that can bite you, sting you and thus transmit lots of different diseases. Drain flies are an exception to this rule. It is also important to be aware of the fact that drain flies can bring out strong symptoms in those who have bronchial asthma.
Other than that, they are also spreading a lot of dirt and bacteria which is rather unhealthy on the long term.
Can Drain Flies Infest Humans?
Drain flies are part of a family of fly species that are not related to myasis. This is the scientific term that describes an insect laying eggs in a human’s body. There are many insects that are capable of such infestation. They can lay eggs in the human body in various ways.
With moth flies, this simply can’t happen. In fact, the whole Psychodidae family isn’t related to myasis, which is the family of species drain flies belong to. They only lay eggs in drains and other stale, standing waters where plenty of decaying organic matter can be found.
Therefore, there is really nothing in the human organism that attracts them. This is also why they usually just rest on walls and stay near drains.
Are Drain Flies Harmful to Children?
If you have very little children at home, then they might pick up and even eat drain flies in some cases. In such cases, all those bacteria and dirt can get in their mouth and stick to their hands. Coming in contact with them is the equivalent of touching something extremely dirty in the house.
All those bacteria come from the drains they live in. They can also wander to garbage cans and sewers. If there are a lot of moth flies in your house, they can land on your food as well. As we mentioned above, they don’t carry any diseases directly but the bacteria that sticks to them can make people sick.
They won’t bite or sting your child either. If you find some drain flies in the child’s room, then it means there is a leaking pipe or dirty drain nearby. Maybe they are coming from the nearest bathroom. These flies can also be found anywhere where the decay of organic matter happens.
If you want to keep such pests away from children then perhaps the most important step is to keep the house as clean as possible.
Are Drain Flies Harmful to Dogs?
Since drain flies don’t transmit any parasites or diseases, they are not as harmful to dogs. But again, they are very dirty and your dog can eat a lot of harmful bacteria if it finds the drain flies.
They can’t bite nor sting your dog like many other flies might do. In most cases, they are not even going to pester your dog or land on his food. All moth flies are interested in is to stay near drains and reproduce. They are probably going to annoy your dog in some degree but not by pestering them.
As they notice a drain fly resting high on the wall or flying around, they are going to notice them and that is when your dog might decide to eat them. We covered this topic in our detailed article here: Are Drain Flies Harmful to Dogs?
Are Drain Flies Harmful to Cats?
When it comes to drain flies, the same applies to cats as to dogs. The only difference is that cats are less likely to eat something as disgusting as a drain fly. If it happens, the drain flies are definitely going to be hard on your cat’s stomach as all those bacteria will get in. Moth flies can also land on cat food and spread the bacteria there.
Of course, cats like to play with every small thing they discover, especially if the thing is moving. As drain flies fly around, your cat might get into his playful mood and hunt them down. It is better to avoid this altogether if you don’t want your cat to become sick.
Since moth flies collect a lot of decaying organic matter, dirt and waste in your house, getting rid of them should be your main priority. They are also annoying and can also spread the bacteria to your children, pets or food.
Identify their breeding ground, clean up the house and get rid of drain flies once and for all. Otherwise, they can rapidly reproduce and the situation will get out of hand.
We covered this topic in another article as well, where you can read more answers: Are Drain Flies Harmful to Cats?
How to Get Rid of Drain Flies
Drain fly infestation can be really annoying, because it is very tricky to get rid of these small insects. We covered 10 house remedies and a 100% bio drain gel for this task, you can read the article here: How to Get Rid of Drain Flies
