How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies in Your Home
Pests in your bathroom or kitchen can be a nuisance. However, none can be quite as annoying as drain flies.
Drain flies live in sewers, septic tanks, and soil that has been contaminated by sewage. They feed on the organic matter that is inside the pipe, because of this they have easy access to your kitchen and bathroom.
They don't bite or sting but their presence is annoying and you need to get rid of them. Here are some tips for doing that.
Access Points
Drain flies can almost always be spotted near an access point. You will find them hovering inside or near your kitchen sink or bath.
You are also more likely to find drain flies near drainage systems that have not been used for a while. Although they do show up in areas that are frequently use. You will recognize them by their gray or brown color.
Getting Rid of Drain Flies
Once you have identified that you have drain flies the next step is to get rid of them. The first step you need to do is to cover their access points. This will stop the flies from coming inside your kitchen or shower.
The next thing you should do is to fill a bowl with one part sugar, one part water, and white vinegar. Add a few drops of dish soap to this mixture. You can then leave the bowl near the sink or your shower drain overnight. The flies will fall into the mixture and die.
Another good remedy for getting rid of drain flies is to boil some hot water and pour it down the drain at least twice a week. After you have poured the hot water down the drain you can cover it for at least a week until the flies have gone.
Preventing Fruit Flies
Drain flies need to feed on organic matter that is inside the pipe. The best prevention is to keep your drain as clean as possible. Make sure that you are cleaning your sink and your drain as much as often as you can with a solution of vinegar and hot water.
One of the main ways you can ensure that you are not susceptible to a fruit fly infestation is by making sure that you do not keep stagnant water sitting in your pipe.
Stagnant water will often sit in the curves of pipes that are rarely used. This is why you may find a lot of fruit flies in a guest bathroom that isn't used often.
You can prevent stagnant water from settling by simply turning on the pipe for a few minutes each week. When you turn on the pipe you can add a half cup of salt and baking soda to the drain. Follow that up with some white vinegar. This will keep fruit flies away.
Get Professional Help
Sometimes even with your best effort fruit flies will still show up. If this is happening there may be a problem in your drainage system that needs to be addressed by a professional plumber from Cathedral Plumbing.
Professional intervention usually prevents the flies from showing up again.
Keep Your Home Pest-Free
Keeping your home pest-free is a high priority. With the tips given here, you should be able to get rid of fruit flies quickly and easily. Just bear in mind all the things you need to do to prevent reinfestation.
