Archive for the ‘Drain Flies’ Category

Avoid Getting Drain Flies

Friday, December 10th, 2010

A drain fly is basically a gnat. They don’t bite, but since they live and breed in rotting organic material, they can carry bacteria and disease-causing organisms. They can cause you to develop bronchial asthma from breathing in dust and body parts from their dead carcasses.  You can find drain flies anywhere there is moisture, especially stagnant water that sits for more than a week. In homes, this includes  drains, bathtubs, infrequently used toilets, damp basements and garages, water tanks, in between bathroom tiles and walls, and in roof gutters. Drain flies can also breed outdoors and come in through holes in screens, open doors and windows, looking for a place to eat and breed – which may be your drains.  Following these rules to avoid drain fly infestation:

  • Clean your drains with a pipe brush, snake, plunger or drain cleaner once a month.  In between these cleanings, make sure the hair catcher is clean.
  • Run your garbage disposal every day, even if you have not put any food in it.
  • Take out garbage every day, keep your garbage cans clean and covered.
  • Don’t leave food out any longer than you have to. Clean up crumbs and spills promptly.
  • If you have house plants, empty and clean the water trays under the pots after you have watered them.
  • Make sure your screens don’t have holes.
  • Try not to leave doors open.
  • If the grout in your shower or bathroom floor is cracked, re-grout it. Check the caulking around the drain too – if it is gooey, it can be a place for flies to lay eggs.
  • Check under your washing machine for wet lint.
  • Keep your bird baths clean, get rid of standing water in gutters, compost piles, and air conditioner vents.

For a free estimate, give us a call at 781-986-0701 and mention that you found us from this article.

Tim Taylor, President of Heritage Pest Control in Randolph, MA, is an expert in pest control, with more than 20 years of education and experience in residential and commercial pest control.  Tim has an extensive background in entomology, and is a member of the National and New England Pest Management Associations and the Randolph Chamber of Commerce. Tim is also a 29-year member of the National Guard and is active in national and community activities including Pop Warner Football. Heritage Pest Control serves the greater Boston area including the suburbs of Brookline, Cambridge, Brighton, Allston, Milton, Quincy, Braintree and Canton. For more information, or to contact Tim, CLICK HERE to send a note to Tim or call him at 781-986-0701.

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How to Get Rid of Drain Flies

Friday, December 10th, 2010

You can kills dozens of drain flies and still not be rid of the problem. Since a drain fly can lay anywhere from 10-200 eggs in the sludge that builds up in your drain, you will have a continuous population of flies until you take away their breeding grounds. Follow these steps to remove the source of your drain fly problem:

  1. If you have a hair catcher on your drain, remove and clean it. This may involve loosening screws to release the grate.
  2. With the hair catcher off, use a pipe brush to clean the goop that is serving as the nest for the drain fly eggs off the sides of the pipe.
  3. Once you have scraped a much of the pipe debris off, use a plumbing snake to pullout clumps of hair or solid matter. You can rent a drain snake or buy one at your local hardware store.  This can be a slow process if you want to thoroughly clean your pipes. It’s also messy and not for the squeamish. Don a good thick pair of rubber gloves.
  4. Even with the snake, you probably will not be able to scrape out all of the gunk attracting the drain flies. Use an entire bottle of a strong drain cleaner, allowing it to sit for the maximum time suggested on the direction label.  Follow up with a second bottle if necessary.
  5. Unfortunately, you’re still not finished. You need to get every bit of the organic matter out of the drain.  Run lots of hot water to make sure you’ve cleared away the drain cleaner. This will help clean the drain and protect you from dangerous chemicals splashing in the next step.
  6. Get a plunger with a good seal. They are inexpensive enough to buy a new one for this job. After all the drain cleaner is flushed, plunge until you have cleared the pipes as much as possible.
  7. Finally, boil water in the largest kettle or pot you have and pour that down the drain. Your drain flies will no longer have a happy home – but you will.

For a free estimate, give us a call at 781-986-0701 and mention that you found us from this article.

Tim Taylor, President of Heritage Pest Control in Randolph, MA, is an expert in pest control, with more than 20 years of education and experience in residential and commercial pest control.  Tim has an extensive background in entomology, and is a member of the National and New England Pest Management Associations and the Randolph Chamber of Commerce. Tim is also a 29-year member of the National Guard and is active in national and community activities including Pop Warner Football. Heritage Pest Control serves the greater Boston area including the suburbs of Brookline, Cambridge, Brighton, Allston, Milton, Quincy, Braintree and Canton. For more information, or to contact Tim, CLICK HERE to send a note to Tim or call him at 781-986-0701.

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Are They Drain Flies or Fruit Flies?

Friday, December 10th, 2010

If you are finding fruit flies in your kitchen, especially around your sink or fridge, they may not be fruit flies at all. You could have an infestation of drain flies. A drain fly differs in appearance from a fruit fly in that a drain fly, also known as moth flies or sewer gnats, is fuzzy with a smaller body and larger wings than a fruit fly.

Drain flies, as you may guess by the name, congregate around kitchen drains, laying their eggs in the organic matter that collects in the bottom of your garbage disposal or pipes. One drain fly will lay 10-200 eggs in the build-up of hair, grease, food, etc.  In about two days, the eggs hatch and the drain fly larvae thrive on that same waste in the drain. They emerge as adults in nine to 15 days.

You may see drain flies on walls and flat surfaces during the day. At night they feed and fly in and around the drains. A drain fly lives for about two weeks. You may be able to kill a good number of the flies during the day, but the drain fly larvae can live in the drain and reproduce endlessly. You must get rid of their breeding ground to be rid of them.

It’s not difficult to kill a drain fly. They are rather clumsy and slower than the average house fly. Your best defense is to track the flies back to their source – usually a drain – either in a sink, washroom or basement floor. Cover about ¾ of a drain opening with a piece of tape, sticky side down.  Check it for the next day or two and if that drain is the source of the problem, you will have flies stuck to the tape.

Stay tuned for tips on how to get rid of and prevent drain flies…

For a free estimate, give us a call at 781-986-0701 and mention that you found us from this article.

Tim Taylor, President of Heritage Pest Control in Randolph, MA, is an expert in pest control, with more than 20 years of education and experience in residential and commercial pest control.  Tim has an extensive background in entomology, and is a member of the National and New England Pest Management Associations and the Randolph Chamber of Commerce. Tim is also a 29-year member of the National Guard and is active in national and community activities including Pop Warner Football. Heritage Pest Control serves the greater Boston area including the suburbs of Brookline, Cambridge, Brighton, Allston, Milton, Quincy, Braintree and Canton. For more information, or to contact Tim, CLICK HERE to send a note to Tim or call him at 781-986-0701.

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