Gnats In The Sink Drain

Whether you call them drain flies sewer gnats or sink flies these small flies can quickly become a huge pain.

Gnats in the sink drain. Unfortunately in these instances apple cider vinegar or wine isn t always enough to handle the problem. Leave the jar next to the sink or shower drain overnight or up to a week until the flies are gone. Dirty kitchen sink drains can provide food water shelter and breeding sites to many fly species. Like the fungus gnat a single drain fly can quickly turn into an infestation.

You will most likely notice these tiny flies in kitchens and bathrooms where they feed on decaying organic matter in drains. Finding a swarm of small gnat like creatures flying out of your sink overflow hole can be unsettling. While they are harmless they can get quite annoying when they buzz around your face. Commonly known as drain flies these pesky creatures lay their eggs in the gunk that builds up in the pipes.

While there is some variation surrounding what insects constitutes gnats for our purposes we will address only those small flies that are non biters and are likely to be pests within homes and other structures. Gnats may also live in sink drains where food residue can collect. Once or twice daily boil a pot of water. Once you know where the drain flies are coming in keep the access point covered with sticky tape or a drain plug at all times.

To remove gnats in the sink the natural way you can treat the inside of your sink pipes by pouring a mixture of dish soap baking soda vinegar and water into your drain which usually kills gnats instantly. Gnats love kitchen drains and piping because they have both water and collected bits of smelly rotten food. While the part of the sink you see may look clean and smell fresh what you might not realize is that you have a small clog or excess food caught somewhere down the piping and that s where the gnats are laying eggs and where larvae are hatching. How to kill drain flies.

The gnats most likely to occur in sinks and sink drains include fruit flies moth flies and to a lesser degree phorid flies. Gnats that swarm around the sink or above tub drains are particularly aggravating. Drain flies are sometimes called moth flies sewer flies sink flies or sewer gnats psychodidae and they inhabit the dark damp conditions in drains. If you notice small flies flying out of your sink drains you may be dealing with drain flies.

Unlike fungus gnats which like to breed in the soggy soil in potted plants drain gnats like to feed on the sewage and organic matter that is found in most drains. For a deeper clean you can create a treatment using only baking soda and vinegar.