Why Are There Fruit Flies in My Kitchen Sink Drain?

Has this ever happened to you? You’re scrubbing a dish in the kitchen sink and notice a tiny creature buzz up out of the drain. Is that a gnat? Then you notice more of them flying around the kitchen. These irritating little guys are actually fruit flies. And if you’re asking how they got in there and what can be done about them, you’re in the right place. 

Why Are They Here? 

Fruit flies exist all over the U.S., and grow quickly. According to WebMD, “An adult female fruit fly can lay up to 2,000 eggs on the surface of anything that’s moist and rotting. Within 30 hours, tiny maggots hatch and start to eat the decayed food. Within two days, they’re all grown up and ready to mate.” Since they’re drawn to moisture and rotting food, they’ll head for your trash can, your old fruit and the kitchen drain, which is packed with moisture and small pieces of food. In some cases you’ll see them fly up out of the drain. This can be notably likely if you have a partly clogged sink or disposal that empties slowly. This maintains more moisture and food waste that draws these insects and allows them to thrive and reproduce. 

How Bad Are They? 

When fruit flies move from a dirty surface to a clean one, they bring germs with them. This can include listeria, salmonella and even E. coli. All of these bacteria can cause severe cases of food poisoning. 

What Can I Do About Them? 

Because of this bacterial exposure, keep high-traffic surfaces clean at all times. Use a kitchen surface cleaner that destroys bacteria. Don’t reuse sponges that can absorb, retain and exchange germs. It’s best to use paper towels and dispose of them. 

Bug sprays can kill the adult fruit flies but won’t kill the eggs. And you likely don’t want to spray insecticide all throughout your kitchen. Instead, pour boiling water into your drain. Before bed, close up your drains with clear packing tape. Each morning, you ought to see some fruit flies attached to it. 

Here are other traps you can also use, all with a jar: 

• Wine—Pour an ounce of wine into the jar. Add a hole in the lid so the fruit flies can access the wine. You can also utilize a funnel or paper cone rather than a lid. 

• Spoiled fruit—Same as above, but use rotten fruit in place of wine. 
• Apple cider vinegar—Same as above but using apple cider vinegar. 
• Apple cider vinegar and dish soap—Same as above with dish liquid in addition, which makes it more difficult for flies to escape. 
• Yeast—Put in two or three ounces of water, one packet of activated dry yeast along with a teaspoon of sugar. 

To minimize encouraging fruit flies: 

• Wash your produce immediately after bringing it home. Sometimes they can contain fruit fly eggs or larvae. 
• Refrigerate whenever you can. 
• Don’t keep overripe produce in your home. Buy only what you’re going to eat. 
• Empty your kitchen trash often, and keep it closed. 
• Keep your surfaces clean and disinfected. 

• If you prefer to keep windows up, install well-fitted screens. 

If the above methods haven’t taken care of your fruit fly issue, there could also be something wrong with your p-trap. That’s the section of your drain pipe bent in a u shape to trap water and prevent foul air from drifting up into your home. It also stops flies from hiding in your pipes and flying up out of the drain. If your pipe has a leak and is missing a water seal, this can lead to a fruit fly infestation. Run the water and look below for a leak. If you find one, get it fixed right away. Leaky pipes can encourage mold and structural problems with your home. 

You should also hire a plumber if your kitchen sink or garbage disposal is draining more slowly than usual. This problem not only helps attract fruit flies, but over time the sink drain can fully clog and become useless. The Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing plumbing team has the tools, experience and expertise to diagnose the problem and solve it right away. We employ a video drain inspector to plainly see what’s going on inside the pipes, and a variety of methods to clean them, depending on the type and severity of the blockage. If the problem is the garbage disposal, we can repair or replace it at a price you can afford. We also fix leaky pipes. 

If you are looking for any sort of plumbing service at all, call the professionals at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. Whether we’re warming, cooling or making the water run, we take great pride in keeping our customers satisfied. With more than 4,000 team members, we can deliver and innovate better than anyone. Our can-do family attitude helps us get the job done on time, and right—the first time.