Fruit flies are particularly annoying pests that can move into kitchens, bathrooms, and basements if they sense a food source such as fruit and sugary substances. While fruit flies can be a nuisance year-round, they are particularly common in the late summer and early fall. Upon discovering fruit flies in drains, sinks, or your kitchen, your first instinct may be to throw out all of your produce and any other open food containers that may be attracting them.
However, this method doesn’t always succeed in repelling the fruit flies. You might find it surprising to see fruit flies in your sink or drains even after you’ve cleaned everything up.
Fruit Flies are the Roommate You Don’t Want!
Unfortunately, your drains can make a great home for fruit flies. If you notice them coming in and out of a drain in your home, you may have an infestation. This may make you wonder how the fruit flies got there, how you can get rid of them, and if you need to call a plumber.
Keep reading to find out the 4 main reasons for having fruit flies in drains and sinks, and explore the 4 best strategies to eliminate them from your home!
Why Are There Fruit Flies in Drains Inside Your Home?
Fruit flies often enter homes through cracks in walls, loose seals around doors and windows, or eggs laid on produce from the grocery store. They will enter your home looking for food, particularly if you have overly ripe fruit as they are attracted to fermenting food and vegetables.
After entering your home, fruit flies frequently target sinks and drains because of the rotting food and organic matter that accumulates in drains when you wash dishes.
Once in your drains, fruit fries can quickly become a problem. A single female fruit fly can lay over 500 eggs and several more during their 50-day lifespan. This can then get out of control pretty quickly, and they can keep reproducing as long as they have a source of moisture and decaying organic matter present. This makes it important to eliminate fruit flies from your sinks or drains before things escalate any further.
4 Ways To Prevent Fruit Flies in Drains, Sinks, and Kitchens
Although these 4 tips on preventing fruit flies from infesting your kitchen and drains may seem annoying, they are certainly less so than a fruit fly infestation.
1. Wash Your Fruit
Simply fill a nice-sized tub with water and add a couple of spoonfuls of vinegar. Let your freshly purchased fruit soak in the tub for a few minutes, and that should remove and kill any fruit fly larvae on your fruit.
2. Place Fruit in a Plastic Bag
Place your fruit in a closed plastic bag or a sealed container. An added step would be to refrigerate your fruit.
3. Kitchen Sink Maintenance
As hard and annoying as this may seem, simply keep your sink dry, and clean, and keep the drain sealed with a stopper when not in use.
4. Kitchen Cleanliness
Here’s the commonsense and easy one, keep a tidy kitchen to avoid fruit file sin drains. Empty your kitchen garbage can every day, and keep it in a sealed waste can. Make sure to clean up any spills, and crumbs, and throw out any over-ripe fruit.
4 Ways To Eliminate Fruit Flies in Drains and Sinks
Fortunately, if you discover fruit flies in drains or sinks, there are DIY solutions to help you get rid of drain flies In most cases, you will not need a drain professional to help you get rid of fruit flies.
To get rid of a fruit fly infestation and keep it from returning, the most important thing to do is keep your sink and drains clean. Organic material can build up quickly in drains, creating the perfect conditions in which fruit flies can thrive.
Here is a look at what you can do to eliminate fruit fly infestations and prevent them from returning:
1. Get a Drain Brush
If you discover fruit flies in drains, sinks, or your kitchen, the first thing that you should do is get a drain brush. This brush can help you clean drains by hand, allowing you to remove any build-up that may be attracting them. Once you get rid of this organic matter, the fruit flies should leave as well. Consider cleaning your drains this way periodically to prevent these pests from returning.
2. Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain
You might often assume that running water down your sink will be enough to eliminate fruit flies in drains. However, these pests can typically survive regular water flow from drains, which is why they thrive in sinks.
Try pouring boiling water down the drain, as this can kill the flies and their eggs. You may need to do this a few times a week for a couple of weeks to clear the infestation. This method is generally best used along with cleaning out the debris with a drain brush.
3. Clean the Drain With a Vinegar Solution
Another option for clearing your drain and removing any fruit flies is to pour a vinegar solution down your drain. Mix half a cup of salt, half a cup of baking soda, and one cup of vinegar, and pour this mixture down the affected drain. Let this natural solution expand and clear out your drains of organic matter overnight. In the morning, flush the drain with boiling water to remove the debris and kill any remaining fruit flies.
4. Use a Fly Trap
Another way to eliminate fruit flies in drains and keep them from returning is using a fruit fly trap. Of course, this is not the prettiest and most attractive thing tot have in your kitchen, but it works. There are a variety of DIY fruit fly traps that you can make using ingredients you likely already have around the house, or you can pick some up from your local hardware store.
One of the best options is to fill a bowl or cup halfway with apple cider vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap. Cover this with plastic wrap secured with a rubber band and poke a few holes in the top. The fruit flies will be attracted to the vinegar, enter through the holes, and become trapped by the dish soap. Place these traps near problem areas such as sinks or drains where you have seen fruit flies.
What Can I Expect After Cleaning My Drains?
In most cases, fruit flies in your drains will disappear almost immediately after using the solutions suggested above. These simple DIY methods will likely be enough to get your life back to normal.
Not all drain problems require professional help. However, there are drain problems such as fruit flies, that may require a professional drain service. If you’ve encountered a problem with your drains that you can’t fix yourself, or your fruit fly infestation persists no matter what you do, you should consider contacting a drain professional.
At Balkan Sewer & Drain Cleaning, we know how frustrating a fruit fly infestation can be. If your DIY methods did not fix the problem, feel free to contact the Balkan Drain as we may have some additional tips or ideas. Of course, if you ever need sewer or drain cleaning Balkan Is The Team To Trust.
