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 watch a tiny creature fly up out of the drain. Is that a gnat? Then you see more of them buzzing around the kitchen. These aggravating little guys are actually fruit flies. And if you’re wanting to know how they got in there and what you can do 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.” Because they’re attracted to moisture and decomposing food, they’ll frequently appear in your trash can, your overripe fruit and the kitchen drain, which is filled with moisture and little chunks of food. Sometimes you’ll watch them appear up out of the drain. This can be notably bad if you have a partially clogged sink or disposal that clears out slowly. This preserves more moisture and food waste that attracts these insects and lets them thrive and reproduce. 

How Bad Are They? 

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

What Can I Do About Them? 

Because of this bacterial risk, keep your surfaces clean at all times. Use a kitchen surface cleaner that eliminates bacteria. Don’t reuse sponges that can soak up, retain and transfer germs. It’s cleaner to use paper towels and dispose of them. 

Bug sprays can kill the adult fruit flies but won’t kill the eggs. And you most likely don’t want to spread insecticide all over your kitchen. Instead, run boiling water into your drain. Before bed, close off your drains with clear packing tape. In the morning, you can see some fruit flies trapped to it. 

Here are other ideas you can also use, all utilizing a jar: 

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

• Old fruit—Same as above, but use rotten fruit instead of wine. 
• Apple cider vinegar—Same as above but you’ll use apple cider vinegar. 
• Apple cider vinegar and dish soap—Same as above with dish liquid in addition, which makes it harder for flies to break free. 
• Yeast—Add two or three ounces of water, one packet of activated dry yeast along with a teaspoon of sugar. 

To minimize encouraging fruit flies: 

• Clean your produce immediately after bringing it home. In some cases they can contain fruit fly eggs or larvae. 
• Refrigerate whenever you can. 
• Don’t keep spoiled produce in your kitchen. 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 eliminated your fruit fly issue, there might be an issue with your p-trap. That’s the part of your drain pipe bent in a u shape to hold water and keep foul air from moving up into your home. It also stops flies from surviving in your pipes and flying up out of the drain. If your pipe has a leak and is missing a water seal, this can produce a fruit fly problem. Run the water and look below for a leak. If you see one, get it fixed promptly. Leaky pipes can cause mold and structural damage to your home. 

You should also call a plumber if your kitchen sink or garbage disposal is draining slowly. This problem not only helps breed fruit flies, but over time the sink drain can entirely clog and become unusable. The Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing plumbing team has the equipment, experience and knowledge to diagnose the problem and resolve it right away. We use a video drain inspector to clearly see what’s occurring in the pipes, and multiple methods to clean them, depending on the type and severity of the blockage. If the problem is your garbage disposal, we can repair or replace it at a price you can afford. We also fix leaky pipes. 

If you need any sort of plumbing service at all, get in touch with 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 happy. 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.