About a year ago, a serious drain fly infestation broke out at a friend’s house.
It was visible almost everywhere in his house such as under the washing machine, around the air conditioner, on the wet kitchen utensils, on the bathroom mopes, and in many other filthy places.
He was very concerned with the question that whether this drain fly infestation is dangerous for the health of his loved ones or beloved pets?
He consulted me about it but unfortunately, at that time, I did not know much about this Creature.
When I researched this topic on a very surface level, I found that drain flies do not pose any danger to humans or pets
But my mind was not ready to accept this fact.
Because it is very difficult to digest that there is no disease from an organism living in such filth.
This confusion fueled my curiosity.
And when I went through a lot of studies and research deeply, I got the answer to my question “Are drain flies harmful to humans and pets?”
So without any delay, we go straight to our topic. But before that, we should also know a little about the drain fly so that you can exactly identify them.
Because sometimes people get confused between drain flies and fruit flies as they have many similarities.
Read before you proceed further: Difference Between Drain Flies Vs Fruit Flies & Treatment!
So let’s get started without any further delay and first get to know a little bit about drain flies.
What Are Drain Flies?
Drain flies are known by different names in different countries such as moth flies, sewer flies, sewer gnats, sink flies, filter flies, etc.
The maximum length of an adult drain fly is 1/4 inch (between 1.5mm-5mm). these Flies are moth-shaped in appearance.
Secondly, what makes them different from other flies is that they have light blackish hairs on their wings. Their overall body color is also grayish to brownish.
The average life span of drain fly is 10-24 days. And an adult drain fly female can lay up to 300 eggs within 48 hours.
Drain flies are mostly found in places where there is decayed organic matter or stagnant water.
Their favorite places include kitchen sinks, garbage disposals, bathroom drains and showers, septic tanks, etc.
Now let’s move on to our main topic and let’s know whether drain flies are harmful or not?
Are Drain Flies Harmful To Humans & Pets (Dogs/Cats)?
Domestic species of drain flies are not harmful, but there are some species that can cause three types of diseases such as urinary myiasis and asthma.
And we are not saying this without fact, this thing has been mentioned in NCBI’s study of 2017.
Let’s know about them in detail.
Can Drain Flies Cause Myiasis?
Yes, as mentioned in a 2017 study by The National Center for Biotechnology Information US. Clogmia Albipunctata is a species of drain flies that can cause urinary myiasis in humans.
This study presents some cases of urinary myiasis that were reported by some people due to Clogmia Albipunctata (A species of drain flies).
Urinary myiasis is described as the invasion of the urinary tract by larvae of the Clogmia Albipunctata.
Some of the main symptoms of this disease are dysuria, hematuria, and obstruction of the urinary system.
This disease occurs when adequate cleaning is not maintained and if a wound remains for a long time and pus continues to come out, it attracts the larvae of this species of drain fly.
Can Drain Flies Cause Asthama?
Another study by NCBI shows that sewer flies also cause asthma. According to this study, in one reported case, a sewage plant worker who was exposed to a number of sewer flies suffered from asthma.
When these drain flies are in excess then the chances of developing asthma are high.
Because when they fluff their feathers in large quantities, then by inhalation these feathers go to the lungs. And due to this problems like occasional asthma arises.
Evidence for sewer fly allergy was derived from direct prick and intracutaneous skin tests.
Both these studies of NCBI are strong evidence that there is a risk of diseases due to drain flies. Although the number of these cases is not that much, still it is necessary to avoid them as much as possible.
It’s done talking about humans, now let’s talk about pets.
A lot of people ask, are drain flies harmful to dogs, cats, and birds too? Let’s find out the answer.
Are Drain Flies Harmful to Dogs, Cats & Birds:
However, no such study has come to the fore so far to know whether drain flies are fatal to dogs, cats, and birds.
Since drain flies do not eat feces but instead eat decayed organic matter, it does not transmit any kind of disease to the pets.
But in many cases, it has been seen that when there is a large number of drain flies, they disturb the dogs and other pets.
And during their removal, sometimes these drain flies also go into theIR mouth, and sometimes they eat them intentionally.
When a dog eats drain flies, it can be susceptible to disease.
To save your pets from drain flies, you must dry them thoroughly after bathing. If the dog’s hair remains wet, then they will attract drain flies. And you should also regularly clean those utensils in which your pets eat food.
How To Prevent Drain Flies?
Here I am telling some points if you follow them then the drain flies will never enter your house.
- Do not allow decayed organic matter to accumulate anywhere in your home.
- Clean your bathroom drains, septic tanks, garbage disposals, kitchen sinks, and pipes on monthly basis.
- After washing dishes in the kitchen sink, pour one glass of hot water down the drain once a day. If possible, mix a little dish wash soap into it.
- Do not allow leakage on the walls or pipes of your house, if any leakage is seen, get it fixed immediately.
- Since the most infestation of drainflies occurs in moist environment. If you do not get enough sunlight in your home, then definitely use a dehumidifier.
- Drain flies are also attracted to dirty wet cleaning rugs, so make sure you wash and dry them thoroughly after cleaning.
- You should also clean the bathroom tiles well from time to time.
If you keep these few things in mind and follow them then drain flies will never attack your home.
How To Get Rid of Drain Flies With Vinegar?
Vinegar is the easiest and most effective way to get rid of drain fleas.
There are two ways to use it. First in the form of bait and second in the form of liquid solution.
Vinegar Bait: To prepare vinegar bait for drain flies, you need to take apple cider vinegar in a small bowl.
It should be half a bowl. After that this bowl is to be wrapped with plastic with the help of a rubber band.
Now you have to poke small holes on the top of the plastic at a short distance.
Keep in mind that these holes should not be too big.
Drain flies are very attracted to the smell of apple cider vinegar and never come back after they enter the bowl through these tiny holes.
This method works effectively on small infestations of drain flies.
But if the infestation is severe, then you can use the vinegar liquid solution mentioned below.
Vinegar Liquid Solution: When drain flies accumulate inside bathroom drains or kitchen sink pipes, you can get rid of them with the help of this liquid vinegar solution.
To prepare it, you will need 1 cup of vinegar, half cup of regular salt, and a half cup of baking soda.
First of all, mix these three together and pour them down to the drain little by little.
Wherever you pour the solution, leave it to sit for 24 hours and make sure you don’t use water there for 24 hours. After 24 hours, take a glass of hot water and pour it into the drain or sink.
This remedy clears out the clogs of organic matter in the pipes or drains and as soon as they are cleared, you also get rid of drain flies.
Suggested: How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies in Garbage Disposal?
FAQ’s:
Now let us throw light on the frequently asked questions by people about drain flies so that you will get to know more about them.
Question 1: Which species of drain fly is at risk of disease to humans?
Answer: Clogmia Albipunctata is a species of drain fly that can cause diseases such as urinary myiasis in humans.
Question 2: Are drain flies harmful to plants?
Answer: The larvae of the drain flies grow up by eating the roots of the plant. But they are not at all harmful to the plants.
Question 3: Are drain flies harmful to turtles?
Answer: Many times you will see that a lot of drain flies suddenly start appearing in your turtle tank and sometimes turtles also eat their larvae but it does not cause any harm to the turtles.
Question 4: Do drain fleas go away on their own?
Answer: It is not a stubborn pest like termites and in many cases, it has been seen that it goes away on its own in 25-30 days. But if the infestation is severe then you have to take measures to get rid of them.
Question 5: Can you get rid of drain flies with natural methods?
Answer: Of course, vinegar works best on drain flies in natural methods. And both the methods of vinegar mentioned in this article give very effective results.
Also read: How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With Hydrogen Peroxide Effectively?
Conclusion:
Drain flies are generally not harmful to humans and pets, but as I mentioned in this article, there have been some studies in which some of their species have been found to cause diseases like urinary myiasis and asthma.
However, no such research or study has come forward to prove whether it is harmful to pets or not.
Whether they are harmful or not, they are very annoying and spoil the beauty of expensive houses.
As soon as you get the signs of their infestation you should adopt measures to get rid of them.
Suggested: How To Get Rid Of Drain Flies in Bathroom? [4 Fast Ways]
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