How to Get Rid of Flies from Moisture

Moisture flies, also called drain flies or moth flies, swarm where there is sewage. Detecting them is not easy, since they hide inside the pipes. We usually see them perched on the tiles, near sinks, sinks or bathtubs, and this means that there are many more that we cannot see.

They reproduce quickly, laying thousands of eggs in any crevice where there is moisture. A single pair of flies can turn into 1 million insects within 6-8 weeks. Therefore, although their life is short – they only live about 4 weeks – a few of these small flies can create a real plague.

The bathroom is an especially attractive place for moisture flies: tile coverings, mirrors, bathroom fixtures, bathtubs and sinks, shower screens or curtains … everything contributes to the humidity that we generate during our toilet do not dissipate quickly. For this reason, moisture flies are potentially dangerous to our health when they are in bathrooms. Do not forget that moisture flies survive in sewage or contaminated water, so they can cause allergies or even transmit diseases, especially to children.

Understand how to kill flies from moisture It is not that difficult if we know what to do. Basically you have to attack 3 fields: pipes, drains and their surroundings.

• Clean the pipes: we can clean the pipes with any specific gel for this (draining, plunger, etc.). Some are more corrosive than others: there are them with bleach, with ammonia, and with less aggressive chemicals, but to use any of them we must protect ourselves adequately and faithfully follow their instructions for use. These gels disinfect the pipes, preventing moisture flies from feeding and reproducing. In addition, they destroy eggs and larvae of any insects that have settled in them and leave a pleasant smell.
• Scrub the drains well: we must scrub the drains well, helping us with a scouring pad or brush, since their grooves, gaps and holes are some of the favorite places of moisture flies. To do this, we will use antibacterial cleaning gels or disinfectants. It will not be enough to do it only once, it is preferable to repeat the operation several consecutive days to completely eradicate the presence of larvae.
• Clean the surroundings of the affected areas: as the moisture flies do not travel very far from their origin, we must pay special attention to cleaning the affected areas, especially the sanitary parts, their edges and joints and the surrounding coatings. For this, we can use the same products that we use for the drains and, as with them, we will repeat the cleaning of the areas for several consecutive days.

If you have moisture flies in the kitchen or in other parts of the house with high concentrations of humidity, you should also attack the pipes and sinks.

If you want to prevent flies from moisture, keeping clean is one of the most important steps. In our article How to prevent flies from entering the home we tell you more ways to prevent them.

Plants need water to live, and moisture often collects in the substrate or at the bottom of the pots. This is why we may see moisture flies hovering around our plants.

In the market they sell specific products to keep flies away from plants, but there are also some very simple tricks that you can apply to remove flies from moisture on plants:

• You can place a lemon peel – cut into several pieces – on the soil of the pot.
• Another trick is to semi-bury some aromatic spices, such as cinnamon or cloves, on the surface, since their pungent smell will keep flies away from your plants.
• Garlic can also be used, as its smell causes the same effect as spices.

Moisture fly infestation on plants will prevent the plant from feeding properly and cause damage to its leaves and stem. On some occasions, you may see that the leaves of your plant have small spots as if they were fungi. In reality, they are likely infested with the larvae of the moisture fly. If this happens to you, you should take the following measures:

1. Cut off infested leaves to prevent the pest from spreading.
2. Use an insecticide or fungicide product to treat the substrate, as there will probably be larvae in it. These products will give you the guarantee of killing both the eggs and the larvae
3. Water the substrate with hydrogen peroxide. This is a homemade trick that only serves to contain the plague, as it will kill the larvae of the moisture fly but not the eggs.

Do you want to know more natural remedies to eliminate flies? Enter our article How to eliminate flies with home remedies and find out more.

If you want to get rid of these little flies as soon as possible and you don’t want to use chemicals, there are some home remedies for damp flies that will help you get rid of them quickly. Moisture flies have a sweet tooth and, due to their greed, it is easy to make a trap to catch them:

1. Partially fill a plastic bottle with vinegar, a little cider and some pieces of citrus fruits (orange, lemon, tangerine, among others), this mixture will attract them immediately.
2. Drill small holes in the lid that allow them to enter. Once inside, they will hardly get out, so they will end up dying in the bottle.

Another homemade trick to kill flies from moisture requires the following steps:

1. Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a bowl
2. Add a few tablespoons of sugar and a few drops of soap.
3. The mixture will attract them and they will get trapped as they settle in the liquid.

In our article How to make homemade fly traps, we tell you more methods to end the plague once and for all.