If you frequent the market for farmers frequently or have trash disposal inside your home, you’ve likely encountered tiny flying pests within the vicinity at least once. It’s possible to call them gnats, but you’ll generally see a fruit fly or a drain fly. Learn to recognize the difference and how to eliminate these pests permanently.
Differences Between Drain Flies and Fruit Flies
Fruit flies and drain Flies are frequently confused with each other, according to Craig Sansig, a service director at Viking Pest Control. There are some critical differences between the two.
Fruit flies stay on the decaying or fermenting of fruits and vegetables.
Drain flies are found around drainage, leaky, or sewer pipes.
Drain flies appear fuzzy; fruit flies do not.
It is also possible to discern them apart by looking at specific features, such as how they fly.
What Are Drain Flies?
Drain flies can also be called moth flies, according to Dr. Jim Fredericks, chief insectologist at the National Pest Management Association. Their wings and bodies are hairy, which makes them appear fuzzy. Their color ranges from black to tan, with lighter-colored wings. They’re around 3/16ths of an inch in size.
Drain flies aren’t adept at flying, so they prefer to crawl along wall surfaces and even on other floors. In the daytime, they lounge on vertical surfaces, either inside or in shade areas, always close to drain openings. They are active at night, soaring or hovering over garbage disposals, drains, and sewers.
What Are Fruit Flies?
Fruit flies are brown or brown, with dark or red eyes. They’re approximately one-eighth of an inch huge. Fruit flies typically are located in kitchens and pantries (or wherever food items are stored). They appear in small circles around the fruits and vegetables, which are just beginning to deteriorate.
Sansig states that fruit flies usually remain at a specific spot once they arrive, and you shouldn’t expect to see them running through the kitchen. They don’t appreciate being in a situation where the environment around them gets disturbed, so any movement near them or a fan constantly running keeps them out.
How to Get Rid of Drain Flies and Fruit Flies
You may have already read our previous articles on how to get rid of drain Flies and fruit Flies (try using a vinegar trap! ). Here are additional tips.
How to Get Rid of Drain Flies
You’ll have to eliminate the source after determining where your drains are located and where the flies are. The first step is to run the hot water steaming through the drain to break up any blockages on the edges of the pipes. Then, you can pour a homemade mixture of vinegar and baking soda or choose BioDrain into the drain (whether in the shower or your sink).
Mixing baking soda and vinegar could cancel one another out if they sit too long, so you must act quickly. When combined, they’ll trigger an enzymatic reaction that’ll clean and sanitize the bacteria and fungus from your drains, says Ben McAvoy, co-founder of Insectek Pest Solutions. Then, pour warm or hot water into the drainage to remove the debris. It’s hoped that this will knock out the things attracting them.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
To eliminate fruit flies, you must immediately stop fruits, vegetables, or other discarded food items that could become rotten. This will get rid of the source of attraction and also the fertile ground for fruit flies.
If you’d like to make it harder for them to get around, Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid, suggests installing a fan to blast air around (fruit fly flies don’t like the idea of blowing air around). Follow these steps for making your homemade catch for fruit flies. Mix dish soap and vinegar from apple cider in the form of a Mason jar, then cover the pot in plastic. Make a few tiny holes through the plastic wrap so that fruit flies can get inside and out, but they won’t get.
How to Prevent Drain Flies and Fruit Flies
The best way to prevent the two kinds of flies is to ensure that your home is clean, suggests McAvoy. Dispose of fruits and vegetables lying on the counter and about to go wrong. Save the fresh ones you purchase in the refrigerator. It would be best to habitually wipe your counters every night and keep the sinks and disposals in good order.
Doyle James, president of Mr. Rooter Plumbing, suggests washing your produce as soon as you arrive home in case there are any flies on your food objects. Also, it would be best to clean your lunch and cooler bags as soon as you bring them back and empty water buckets for mopping so that the water left in them does not attract flies.
If you’ve done all this, and the flies keep appearing, getting assistance from a professional may be a good idea.