If you’ve ever had drain flies in your kitchen, then you know what a nuisance they can be. What starts out as one small, irritating bug quickly turns into dozens and dozens of tiny, irritating flies ready to fly out of your drain and pester you at the slightest provocation. No matter what you do, they stay there for weeks and weeks until one day, like magic, they disappear.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Like any pest, most drain fly infestations can be prevented relatively easily by following a few simple procedures. Here’s how to keep drain flies out of your kitchen.
Clean Your Drains
Drain flies live in your drains in part because there are a lot of great things down there for them to eat. The food that you have washed down the sink builds up and stays there. It is like a buffet for the flies, who find all the food they can eat as well as water and shelter.
To combat this issue, keep your drains clean. Use hot water to rinse them as thoroughly as possible, and use a plumber’s snake to help scrape the sides and loosen the food that has built up over time.
Use Special Cleaners
Hot water and scraping will help get rid of a lot of organic material, but it won’t clean up everything. You’ll need to use stronger chemicals, too. Use an enzyme cleaner that breaks down those food particles that have collected and won’t go away. Pay special attention to the U-trap, which is where a majority of gunk builds up and causes problems.
Occasionally, use stronger cleaners to help flush out your pipes. The key is to keep your drain as clean as possible, and prevent further buildup from occurring.
Clean Your Kitchen
Usually, drain flies come in like most pests — from the outside. They smell the food in your kitchen and fly in through tiny holes. To prevent them from coming in, clean up all food particles and crumbs and limit the amount of food you leave out in the open. Pay special attention to any fruit you might have exposed, as sometimes drain flies will set up in overripe fruit.
If you have a drain fly infestation, or if you want to speak to an expert to set up preventative measures, then it’s time to call in the professionals. Contact Ideal Pest Control today to set up an appointment.
