Drains that can be found in the kitchen or bathroom are more than ideal for drain flies. The decaying organic matter they can find there is really all they care about. Despite being flies, they are not good at flying. Moth flies rather jump from one place to the other with the help of their wings.
Drain flies are usually an unpleasant surprise that people run into in their home right after vacation. These pests usually rest on the wall near their breeding spot, which is the nearest drain.
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Are Drain Flies Harmful?
Although drain flies are relatively harmless, you really don’t want these nuisances to infest your house. Since they reproduce rather quickly, it wouldn’t take long for your walls to be covered with them. It is best to get to the root of the problem as soon as possible and eradicate their breeding ground.
In huge numbers, some drain fly species can even make bronchial asthma symptoms worse. Not to mention that they can land on your food, fall in your hair and conquer your bedroom while you are sleeping. Also, they are definitely not pretty to look at.
Now one thing that we can bring up for their defense is that they are sometimes beneficial. At the beginning when there are not as many of them in your house, their larvae are actually useful. By consuming all that decaying organic filth in your drain, it becomes cleaner.
In some cases, they can even unclog it. However, this is a rather disgusting way to keep your drain “clean”.
Read more about this topic: Are Drain Flies Harmful?
Identifying Moth Flies
Moth flies really don’t do much and they can barely fly. Once you find them, you can usually find their breeding ground nearby. People often confuse them with moths because of their appearance. Their whole body is covered with hairs, including the hair tuft on their head.
Their wings are also distinguishable with the unique vein pattern on them.
Learn more about the characteristics and habits of drain flies by reading our Drain Fly Identification article
Natural Ways to Get Rid of Drain Flies
You don’t have to use strong and expensive chemicals to get rid of drain flies. There are some simple natural methods such as:
Prepare some boiling water and also get a metal pipe brush. Push it down the pipe as much as you can and pour the water down alternately a few times.
You can use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to get rid of them. A mix of vinegar, water, dish detergent and sugar is highly efficient in attracting moth flies. They will jump into the mix and drown.
Pour a big pot of boiling water down the drain a couple times every day for one or two weeks.
First, prepare a mix of baking soda and salt in equal amounts, then double the whole amount with vinegar. Pour it down the drain and wait a few hours. After that, pour down a big pot of boiling water.
There are natural products specifically made to dissolve the organic matter that can be found in drains. One of them is InVade Bio Drain, a completely natural solution you can use for cleaning your drain. If there is no filth in the drain, the drain flies are going to disappear as well.
Interested in more methods? Read our 10 Ways How to Get Rid of Drain Flies article and learn more