Has this ever happened to you? You’re washing a dish in the kitchen sink and notice a tiny creature fly up out of the drain. Is that a gnat? Then you see more of them flying around the kitchen. These aggravating little guys are actually fruit flies. And if you’re wanting to know how they got in there and what can be done about them, you’re in the right place.
Why Are They Here?
Fruit flies exist all over the U.S., and mate quickly. According to WebMD, “An adult female fruit fly can lay up to 2,000 eggs on the surface of anything that's moist and rotting. Within 30 hours, tiny maggots hatch and start to eat the decayed food. Within two days, they're all grown up and ready to mate.” As they’re attracted to moisture and decomposing food, they’ll frequently appear in your trash can, your old fruit and the kitchen drain, which is full of moisture and little chunks of food. Sometimes you’ll notice them fly up out of the drain. This can be notably frustrating if you have a partially clogged sink or disposal that empties slowly. This retains more moisture and food particles that attracts these insects and lets them thrive and reproduce.
How Bad Are They?
When fruit flies transfer from a dirty surface to a clean one, they lug germs with them. This might include listeria, salmonella and even E. coli. All of these bacteria can lead to severe cases of food poisoning.
What Can I Do About Them?
Because of this bacterial risk, keep your surfaces clean at all times. Use a kitchen surface cleaner that destroys bacteria. Don’t reuse sponges that can soak up, retain and transfer germs. It’s best to use paper towels and throw them away.
Bug sprays can kill off the adult fruit flies but won’t kill the eggs. And you most likely don’t want to spray insecticide all around your kitchen. Instead, pour boiling water down your drain. Before bed, block off your drains with clear packing tape. Each morning, you ought to see some fruit flies attached to it.
Here are other traps you can also use, all with a jar:
- Wine—Add an ounce of wine in the jar. Make a hole in the lid so the fruit flies can enter. You can also utilize a funnel or paper cone instead of a lid.
- Rotten fruit—Same as above, but use rotten fruit instead of wine.
- Apple cider vinegar—Same as above but using apple cider vinegar.
- Apple cider vinegar and dish soap—Same as above with dish liquid added, which makes it more difficult for flies to escape.
- Yeast—Pour in two or three ounces of water, one packet of activated dry yeast as well as a teaspoon of sugar.
To avoid bringing in fruit flies:
- Clean your produce as soon you bring it home. In some cases they can contain fruit fly eggs or larvae.
- Refrigerate as soon as you can.
- Avoid keeping overripe produce in your kitchen. Buy only what you’re going to eat.
- Empty your kitchen trash often, and keep it closed.
- Keep your surfaces clean and disinfected.
- If you want to keep windows up, make sure they have well-fitted screens.
If the listed methods haven’t eliminated your fruit fly infestation, there could also be an issue with your p-trap. That’s the part of your drain pipe bent in a u shape to capture water and prevent foul air from wafting up into your home. It also stops flies from surviving in your pipes and flying up out of the drain. If your pipe has a leak and lacks a water seal, this can produce a fruit fly problem. Run the water and look below for a leak. If you see one, get it fixed right away. Leaky pipes can cause mold and structural damage to your home.
You should also call a plumber if your kitchen sink or garbage disposal is draining slowly. This problem not only helps breed fruit flies, but over time the sink drain can completely clog and become useless. The McElroy Service Experts plumbing team has the tools, experience and expertise to diagnose the problem and resolve it right away. We use a video drain inspector to clearly see what’s going on within the pipes, and multiple methods to clean them, depending on the type and severity of the blockage. If the problem is a garbage disposal, we can repair or replace it at a price you can afford. We also clear leaky pipes.
If you want any sort of plumbing service at all, get in touch with the professionals at McElroy Service Experts. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water run, we take great pride in keeping our customers comfortable. With more than 4,000 team members, we can deliver and innovate better than anyone. Our can-do family attitude helps us get the job done on time, and right—the first time.