Drain flies (aka sewer flies or drain gnats) live and breed in your drains. If your drain has alot of organic matter that is decaying, then you will more than likely get an infestation of drain flies.
An example of this problem would be food debris stuck in your garbage disposal.
But it’s not just your kitchen drain that would attract drain flies. They could be found in shower drains, floor drains and bathroom drains as well.
So, how do you get rid of drain flies? – There are commercial products that you can buy to help you get rid of drain flies and there are also home made DIY products that may work as well. Knowing what is causing the infestation of drain flies and fixing that problem will help you to get rid of these pests once and for all.
What Causes Drain Flies?
Drain flies tend to breed in areas that contain any type of decaying organic matter. This includes food and sewage.
These pests are attracted to the smell of rotting organic matter – which means that they are not ONLY attracted to drains.
To completely get rid of these pests you must kill not only the drain flies that you see but the larvae that is filled with their eggs.
How Do You Know You Have A Drain Fly Problem?
The easiest way to identify if the gnats or flies that you see are drain flies is to cover your drains (at least the ones nearby where you are seeing them) with sticky tape.
Leave the tape covering the drain(s) for about 48 hours.
When you peel off the tape, if you find flies stuck to the tape then you know that you’ve got drain flies coming up.
Commercial Products To Kill Drain Flies
You can buy products like Bye-Bye Drain Flies by Pest Peeve or Green Gobbler Fruit Fly Gel Drain Treatment or Fly Away Drain Fly Treatment & Drain Opener to help you to get rid of your problem with drain flies.
You can find these at your local hardware store or on Amazon.
In addition to a cleaning agent – if the problem is severe enough you may need to have a professional plumber come in to do a thorough cleaning of your drain system.
It may be that a cracked sewer line is the cause of the drain fly problem.
Will Drano Kill Drain Flies?
The Drano product itself doesn’t necessarily kill the drain flies but once you have used the proper methods to get rid of these pests, then you can use Drano to further clean out the drains that were infested.
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies Naturally
You can try any of the following homemade solutions to help you to get rid of these pests around your sink(s).
1) Pour a large pot of boiling water down the drain(s) twice a week for several weeks or until you stop seeing the flies.
2) Pour 1/2 cup each of baking soda and salt followed by 1 cup of white vinegar down the drain. Let that sit overnight and then in the morning, pour a large pot of boiling water down the drain. Repeat this process twice a week for several weeks or until you stop seeing the flies.
How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies With Bleach
You can also use bleach to try and get rid of drain flies. The recipe is:
- Combine 1 part bleach to 10 parts water
- Pour this mixture down the drain
- Let it sit for about 4 hours
- Run cold water down the drain
This bleach method may work but know that it doesn’t have the scouring effect that baking soda and salt have to scrub the pipes (and help to remove the larvae).
If you are having problems with drain flies and are unable to successfully get rid of them – call Atlantis Plumbing at 770-443-8229.