Why do I have flies in my house? 4 common causes

Wondering why the flies have resumed your house? For most infestations of flies, the cause is generally due to sanitation, but that does not mean that your house is dirty. The flies appear and proliferate when they have access to food and reproduction sites, according to Scot Hodges, vice-president of professional development and technical services at Arrow Exterminators.

“Infestations may also seem to come out of nowhere due to the speed with which the GNAT is reproducing,” explains Hodges. “Once a or two are observed, the time to lay eggs in adults can occur in a few days, and numbers will continue to increase while reproductive sites and food sources exist.” The cessation of infestations in their traces amounts to determining the deep cause and simple prevention techniques.

Below, our experts explain the most common causes of the flies inside, the possible causes of an infestation of Mouchons and the effective means of getting rid of it for good.

Common causes of interior flies

Pay attention to where you see the flies, because the source will generally be in this general area. Since general sanitation is the best tool for getting rid of and preventing handling infestations, most owners already have all the tools they need for the antiparasitic control.

“It can be useful to buy traps to catch adult flies, such as yellow sticky traps for mushroom flies or pheromone traps for fruit flies,” explains Hodges. “Although these do not eliminate the problem, they can help you reduce infestation while you work to eliminate food sources around the house.”

Fruits too ripe or rotten

Fruit flies, a common type of snowy, are attracted by sugars and fermentation in overflowing or decomposing fruits. “They are attracted to something fermentable or maturation,” explains Jeremy Logsdon, co -owner of the preventive antiparasitic control, “so think of this bowl of bananas on your counter which is a little too ripe, the half -eaten apple that your child left under the sofa, or even an open bottle of wine or kombucha.”

The solution: The best remedy is to eliminate any too ripe fruit and clean the area where it has been stored. “Treatment is generally not necessary and the treatment will not be effective if the food source is not identified and deleted,” explains Hodges. “Once the food source has been identified and deleted, the problem will have fun in a few days.”

Dirty drains

Sometimes wicks and other small flies can come from obstructed sinks and shower drains. “The hair that is built in drains can collect other materials such as toothpaste, shaving cream, revitalizing and other personal care products,” explains the certified entomologist David Castro. “This wet organic matter is ideal for small flies and flies to live.”

According to Hodges, an easy way to determine if the sink drain is the source is to place a cup or a drink on the drain and leave it overnight. In the morning, check under the glass to see if there are adult flies present.

The solution: To get rid of these flies, hooves must generally be physically removed from drains. A DIY option consists in paying a 1: 1 report of baking soda and then vinegar in the drain, to cover it for 15 minutes, then rinse with boiling water. “This can help eliminate a certain accumulation around drains, but may not work on tilt -on hooves,” explains Castro. “Once the hoof is removed, an ordinary drain cleaning program using an enzyme -based product can help reduce accumulation.”

Interior plants with wet soil

A common source of mushroom flies in the house comes from potted plants. “If the plants are watered too often, the soil becomes supersaturated, leading to the growth of fungi on the surface of the ground,” explains Castro.

The solution: Reducing the quantity or frequency of watering can sufficiently dry the soil to solve the problem. Make sure to remove all the decaying leaves or flowers that have fallen. You can also add a half-puck of sand to the top of the ground to cut oxygen from the fungus while allowing the plant to be watered.

“More extreme situations may require that the old soil is thrown and the plant repotted,” explains Castro. “In addition, be sure to empty and clean all the capture trays under the plants so that the stagnant water does not also become a source of fly.”

Hodges suggests placing raw potato pieces in infested plant pots, with the non -peak side down. “Moucheron larvae like to eat potatoes, so they will move from soil to potatoes, and you can easily remove them from your plant,” he explains.

Interior garbage, recycling and compost

The flies are attracted by the decomposition of organic waste. “Recycling bins are also a common source, especially with cans and bottles or alcoholic drinks such as wine and beer,” he says, “with all the food left in the containers saved for recycling.”

The solution: If you notice flies around the trash can, Hodges recommends using a well sealed trash can, as well as getting started out daily.

Other common causes

Still at a loss for the culprit behind your Moucheron infestation? Trevor Jones, Director General of Admiral Pest Control, offers other possible causes of flies in your home.

• Dirty mop or cleaning rags: The flies are attracted to wet cloths loaded with bacteria, so frequently wash the heads of mop and the rags and let them dry completely in a well ventilated area.
• Pipes fleeing or persistent humidity: Wet environments encourage breeding of love flies, so make sure to repair leaks and use a dehumidifier in wetlands.
• Pet food or litter: Non -covered or not covered foods and waste attract flies and flies. Keep pet food in hermetic containers and clean the litter bins daily.

How to prevent flies in the future

Without food sources and available reproduction sites, flies will not be able to survive and reproduce in your home, says Hodges. “If the problem persists for more than a few weeks, you may want to consult a professional for an inspection and a consultation,” he advises, “although the treatment is probably not necessary.”

Here is a list of preventive measures to take to maintain these sources of food and these locked reproduction sites:

• Pay particular attention to your products. Immediately clean your fruit to remove all the annoying hitchhikers, then keep it sealed in hermetic containers or in the refrigerator.
• Remove your waste space. Rinse your recyclable materials before placing them in the trash cans, says Jones, and eliminate garbage daily.
• Perform regular drain maintenance. Take the habit of rinsing all drains with hot water regularly, suggests Logsdon – especially those that are not used often.
• Make it difficult for them to enter. Make sure your windows and doors are adequately detected and caulking to prevent gnons and other pests from entering your home, explains Hodges.
• Avoid accumulation. Avoid pouring fat into the drain, Logsdon prevents and use special passages to catch hair.
• Be precise with watering. Aquatic plants only if they are necessary, says Jones, and avoid stagnant waters in the plants of plants.
• Fertilize with caution. Avoid excessive amounts of organic matter such as manure, blood flour or materials incompletely composed when fertilizing your house plants, warns hodges.