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Why Are Flies In My Bathroom?


Needless to say, spotting flies buzzing about in your bathroom can be rather distressing. If you have noticed small brown or black flies hanging out around your sinks and showers, chances are you have a drain fly problem. While these flies are not dangerous too human beings, they can spread bacteria and microorganisms to other parts of the house from your drains. Plus, when left to their own devices, they can rapidly multiply and turn into a full infestation.

So, why are flies in your bathroom? Since all drains and sinks have bacteria, flies tend to attract when there is a leak, debris, clogged waste, or dead pests in your plumbing.

If this is a situation that you are dealing with, this article will cover everything you need to know about them and why they are in your bathroom. In the end, it shall also offer solutions to help you get rid of them.

Causes of flies in the bathroom

The most common types of flies in bathrooms are drain flies. They are also known as moth flies, filter flies, or sewer flies.

These insects are usually either gray or black, fuzzy, and look a lot like moths. They feed on the decaying organic matter in your drains, which is why you’ll see them in your bathroom a lot.

Outdoors, the larvae and pupae of drain flies live in the thin bacterial films that are found inside drains, in underground septic tank field-lines, and on the filter stones in plants of water treatment. They are after the bacteria, algae, and fungi, and any tiny organisms as far as the film is concerned. Indoors, you may find that the flies have made breeding grounds out of sink or floor drains, the spaces under cracked or broken tiles, in wet floor cracks or around drains of dirty floors.

Here are a few potential reasons why you may have these flies in your bathroom:

Leaks

More often than not, the main reason why you may find flies in your bathroom is problems with drainage and plumbing. Flies generally like warm, moist places, and the bathroom is just the place for them.

Look out for faulty taps, faucets, and drains and contact your local plumber for assistance. Remember to always be careful when handling those items to avoid future damages, which are a risk for fly infestations.

Debris

Flies are attracted to scum stuck in the sink or shower drain. We gave already mentioned that they feed on refuse found in drains and, therefore, you should always clean drainage systems to avoid bringing about flies.

Regularly clean out hairs or pieces of soap from drains to reduce the risk of clogging. If your drains are completely clogged and you are at a loss on what to do, you need to contact your plumber to give you a hand. All it takes to avoid flies are having a spotlessly clean bathroom

Waste

This applies to whether your bathroom has an inbuilt toilet inside. Sometimes flies may be brought about by feces in the toilet, especially in cases where the toilet is unflushed or clogged. Flies lay eggs in these waste products, so always ensure your toilet is spotlessly clean to avoid this menace.

If you have a trash can in your bathroom, chances are he flies are attracted to the most organic material found inside it. To avoid a fly problem, you could either keep the trash in containers that are tightly sealed, or empty it all together.

Also, note that flies may get into your bathroom from their breeding grounds outside when you leave your windows open. For example, they can move from the remains of food on your picnic table outside right into your bathroom. To avoid this, always make sure that you clean up after having food outside and also keep your bathroom window closed.

Dead Pests

Sometimes, often without your knowledge, you may have some dead animals like rats and squirrels trapped inside your walls, and this may attract flies, no matter what room it is. If you suspect this may be the case, be on the lookout for tell-tale signs of household pests, then, by yourself or with the help of an exterminator, tear open the walls and remove the corpse of the animal. Usually, flies are attracted to fresh carcasses of animals, so you should know that they don’t last very long.

If the fly problem persists, you could get insecticides from your local hardware store or contact pest control. A good company dealing with issues of pests in Terminix. On contacting them, Terminix will scrutinize your home and give you recommendations for sealing any potential gaps or cracks that encourage the entrance of flies into your house. with their help, you can reduce the number of these flies giving you a hard time.

How to get rid of flies naturally

Here are a few ways to naturally eliminate flies in your bathroom:

  1. Pour hot water down the drains once or twice per week.
  2. Push a metal pipe brush back and forth in pipes, then pour a lot of boiling water to remove the filth.
  3. Set up fly-traps: in a bowl, put equal parts of water, white vinegar, and sugar. Add 5-10 drops of liquid dish drops and let it stay near the sink overnight. The flies with being drawn by the sweet scent of the liquid and then drown.
  4. Pour half a cup each of salt, baking soda and vinegar down a drain then allow it to stay overnight. then, pour lots of boiling water in the morning.
  5. Pour a quarter of a cup of apple cider vinegar into a glass before tightly covering it with plastic wrap. Make holes in the wrap with a toothpick or fork, then place the glass just next to the sink. The flies will be drawn to the vinegar and enter the glass then drown.

Final Thoughts

Contrary to popular belief, bleach is not very effective against flies. It may get rid of fly larvae, but when you pour it down the drain, it passes too quickly and, therefore, fails to penetrate the thick build-up in which female flies have deposited their eggs. This is why it is not an effective method of getting rid of flies.

With the tips and tricks outlined in this post, it should now be relatively easier for you to get rid of the flies in your bathroom.

Melanie Asiba

Melanie is an author, and she enjoys traveling, reading, and trying out new things. In addition to writing for Apartment ABC.

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