Fruit Flies Vs. Drain Flies: What Are The Major Differences?

It is frustrating when your home is seemingly overrunning by tiny, annoying little pests with wings. Typically, this means that you either have an infestation of fruit flies or drain flies. While most people use terms interchangeably, fruit flies and drain flies are not the same thing. They are, however, two nuisance pests that are commonly found inside and are small compared to house flies, but they do have key differences.

One of the main differences between fruit flies and drain flies has to do with their appearance. Fruit flies have red eyes with a striped body with bright colors on them, while drain flies usually have gray bodies and fur on their wings. Additionally fruit flies tend to congregate around and lay eggs on overripe fruit and vegetables, whereas drain flies prefer dark, damp areas, like your drain.

This article is here to help you tell the difference between fruit flies and drain flies while explaining how to get rid of each one. This will help you know the correct steps to take to get rid of these pesky little insects so you can have your house back and free of infestation.

Fruit flies and drain flies are often mistaken for each other as they both look quite similar. However, there is a difference. While breeds of flies are small, the fruit fly usually has a bright-colored abdomen striped, and it also has red eyes.

On the other hand, the drain fly is usually gray or has a darker-colored body and has fur on its head, antennae, and wings. Their borders are generally in a heart shape, which sets them apart from the fruit fly.

However, their differences extend beyond the looks. You can usually determine whether the insect is a fruit fly or a drain fly, depending on its behavior. Below, we have included several of these behaviors to help you understand the differences.

If you have ever left an orange rind sitting on the counter overnight, you most likely have woken up to that rind being swarmed by annoying little flies. These are fruit flies. They typically like the rotting fruits and are usually more often in the kitchen area rather than any other area of the house.

However, drain flies only go for any food that is decaying in the bottom of your drain. They are not picky about what they eat, and they will not show their faces when there is light on the outside of the drain. On the other hand, fruit flies will come out at any time of the day.

One significant difference between fruit flies and drain flies is whether they disappear once the food source is removed. For instance, if you have a bunch of browning bananas, the chances are that you have fruit flies. However, if you were to remove these bananas, then the fruit flies will disappear with them.

As far as drain flies go, they do not just infest the food stuck in your drain, but they infest the drain. So even if you were to get rid of the food that is stuck in your drain, the flies would stay, and you would need to figure out how to get them out as well.

Drain flies are attracted to bacteria and stagnant water sitting in your sink or bathtub drain. Eventually, you will see these little moth-like creatures coming out of your tub, or sink, which means you have a drain fly problem. While they are quite common, they can be a doozy to get rid of since they reproduce as quickly as every 48 hours.

The good news is that they are relatively easy to get rid of as long as you are thorough and diligent. If you have drain flies in your bathroom, chances are you may have them in your kitchen as well. When you exterminate them, you will need to follow through with all the drains and pipes in your home.

You can use a few tablespoons of baking soda mixed with ¼ cup of vinegar and two teaspoons of salt. Mix the ingredients all together and let the banking soda expand into the vinegar. You can pour this solution down the drain before boiling water to achieve the best results.

The baking soda will expand into areas that the water is not reaching and help make it impossible for the flies to stick or hide in your drain. Then, when you pour the boiling water, it will help to flush them all through.

Fruit flies can be confusing. If you had ever dealt with them before, you probably were left wondering where exactly they came from. Often, there are fruit fly eggs on the fruit that you buy from the store. The female fruit fly lays around 500 eggs in one laying, and they hatch in less than 24 hours.

Therefore, it is crucial that you wash your fruits and vegetables to ensure the eggs are gone. However, you most likely will not get them off every time, so when you are faced with a fruit fly infestation, what do you do?

Often, you can get rid of drain flies and fruit flies without professional intervention. However, there are those times when you may need it, depending on how bad the infestation is. By taking the steps in this article to prevent the infestation and deal with it as soon as you notice it, you should have no problem getting rid of the pesky flies.

While most people use fruit fly and drain fly interchangeably, they are two different breeds of fly, and you will need to act in various ways to get rid of them. Applying the correct removal method according to the fly species, you will be able to get rid of them in no time and enjoy a pest-free living space.

However, if you cannot get them to leave, there is always the option of hiring a professional exterminator to do the job for you, but this could be a bit spendy.