Fruit Flies In A Bathroom

Small fruit flies buzzing around you, while you are in your bathroom, are an annoyance, especially considering the fruit fly population in your house can increase dramatically in a short period of time. Swatting the flies will not eliminate the problem, but taking some steps to eliminate the breeding areas for the flies will eventually lead to a fly-free bathroom.

Fruit Fly Breeding

A female fruit fly can lay up to 400 eggs at a time, according to the Orkin pest control company. Fruit flies will often lay their eggs in fruit, hence their name, but they will also lay eggs in bathroom drains as well as in trashcans. Both bathroom drains and trashcans provide a source of decaying organic material the flies need to breed and hatch their eggs.

Drain Flies

Drain flies and fruit flies look very similar since both are small. Both fruit flies and drain flies, also called sewer flies, breed in bathroom drains. If you catch one of the flies and have the chance to inspect it closely, a fruit fly has red eyes, and a drain fly does not. Whether you have fruit flies or similar-looking drain flies in your bathroom, eliminating the problem involves the same process.

Clean Drains

Keeping the drains in your bathroom clean will eliminate a spot for the flies to lay their eggs. When you use your sink, bathtub or shower, you wash down soap scum, skin oils and hair that create an organic slime coating on the sides of the drainpipe. Eliminating the organic slime will lead to the flies eventually leaving, which you can do with hot water and a bottle brush. Do not forget to clean out the overflow drains in your sink and bathtub since the flies can lay eggs in them as well.

Prevention

Getting rid of fruit flies can take time since, after you clean out your drains and empty your trashcan, flies will continue to live in your house until they die off without breeding more. Preventing fruit fly infestations will help you avoid the problem altogether. Leaving fruit out anywhere in your house will attract fruit flies. Regularly cleaning your drains will also keep fruit flies at bay, as will immediately picking up any fruit that falls off the trees in your yard.

Tags: fruit flies, flies will, bathroom drains, their eggs, your bathroom, your house