How could something I had never heard of until today be causing me so much trouble?
Every summer we have an infestation of fruit flies. Due to our mild October and November weather, they seem to be hanging on longer than usual. Normally, by this time of year, they are a memory.
But although some of them were acting like normal fruit flies, others weren't.
Yesterday and today, I entered my bathroom to use the sink and found, to my amazement (other emotions were in play, too) little flies hanging around the drain. And in my kitchen, the same thing.
Tens of them. Daring me to brush my teeth and take my morning pill.
Still later later, I had something that looked like a really small moth alight on me. I looked at it closely.
Then I went online.
One search later, I knew what my problem was - drain flies.
This is my first experience with them, and if I can figure out how to fight them, I'll let you know. We went to the local hardware store and their solutions were a bit on the toxic side.
But then, this evening, Nature decided to mess with me some more.
I looked up from my blogging and saw a beautiful sky. I ran outside just in time to take a couple of pictures from my back porchlet (too small to be called a porch), with the sun reflecting from a creek behind my house.
OK, Nature, I'm not (that) angry at you right now. The sunset apology is accepted. But tomorrow, as far as the drain flies, it is war.
Have any of you, my valued readers, had experience with drain flies?
Day 21 of NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month.
I have always poured bleach down my drains when I get drain flies. I don't know why they come or where they come from.
ReplyDeleteI've heard white vinegar is a good insect repellent for drains. Quite regularly, I clean my bathroom sink and tub drains first by pouring a ton of baking soda down them, followed by a lot of white vinegar, which quickly bubbles up. While it's working it magic, I boil a huge pot of water on the stove. When it's bubbling pretty good, I pour it down the drains and it quickly freshens them up, so no little critters or bugs are attracted to the gunk inside. I don't know if it will work for drain flies, but we had a couple of sewer cockroaches a few years back, and it got rid of them fairly readily. Thankfully, our city decided to start treating city pipes again, because those things were nasty!
ReplyDeleteRaises her hand high on fruit flies bit! Me! And I have researched so much on them but alas :|
ReplyDeleteRicha
Oh dear! I've not heard of drain flies but they sound pretty awful. Will stay tuned for the solution - hope you find it soon.
ReplyDeleteDrain flies? Never heard of them and hope I never see them. My neighbor has had spiders crawling up out of the drain. That's pretty weird too.
ReplyDeleteNo... unknown to me... Good luck fighting them:-) looovely sunset:-)
ReplyDeleteNever heard of drain flies. But I've had a few gnats (or whatever they are) that like to linger and get in the way, so I completely understand.
ReplyDelete