You would expect to find fruit flies where there is fruit, right? Or at the very least where there is food and leftovers. So why are there fruit flies in my bathroom, I hear you cry? Fruit flies are not especially fussy; obviously they prefer places where they have easy access to food, but you can find them pretty much anywhere in the house.
These little pests are tiny, and they can get into just about any room, but it can be baffling to work out why they like certain places more than others.
You may have cleaned your kitchen to within an inch of its life, and made sure there are no flies buzzing around your food, but then still had them pop up in other parts of your house.
This is frustrating, annoying, and can even be dangerous to your health, as flies can carry germs and bacteria from place to place.
Fruit flies start as little eggs, then turn into larvae and pupae. Their life cycle is very fast, so one or two flies can turn into many flies very quickly – within a month you can have up to 500 new fruit flies from one female alone.
As you can imagine, the problem of fruit flies is one that you will want to get on top of very quickly!
Why do fruit flies like bathrooms?
Although fruit flies eat primarily fruit (e.g. bananas, apples, plums, etc), vegetables and organic matter, they do like a warm, damp place in which to breed. A bathroom is a haven of places like this!
The plughole, especially one that is a little clogged and less than clean, is the ideal spot. Damp towels thrown onto the floor are another great fruit fly breeding ground (this gives you absolute license to shout at anyone in your house who does this!)
Cups or glasses with liquid in them left in the bathroom can also be breeding grounds for flies, as can little puddles of water dripping from taps or broken pipes.
Even a recently used sink, which has a little residue of water in it, can attract these tiny mites.
How to get rid of fruit flies in the bathroom
Getting rid of fruit flies in the bathroom is not as simple as getting rid of them in the kitchen, in some ways – you can’t just clear away old decaying fruit and veggies and hope for the best!
There are ways to get them out of the smallest room though, so read on for the solutions:
1. Keep everything clean
Plug holes especially are a great spot for breeding flies, so keep them clear of blockages and make sure they stay grime free.
2. Use bleach
This chemical is very strong and harsh, and it will clear the majority of pests from your bathroom. A regular dose of bleach followed by a kettle of hot water down your drains will kill flies and their eggs, and prevent future infestations.
3. Wipe up spills
These flies especially like damp environments to breed, so keeping your bathroom dry is almost as important as keeping it clean.
4. Check the pipes for leaks
As far as you are able, check your water pipes, both inside and out, for leaks. Leaks can not only bring moisture for the flies to breed, but broken pipes can also allow them to get into your house in the first place.
5. Repair any broken tiles where water may collect
This will remove any potential breeding grounds for fruit flies, and prevent them making unseen nests behind the tiles.
6. Make sure there are no fruit flies in the kitchen
This is a flys’ favourite spot, as there is plenty of food for them to eat, and if you have them in the kitchen they can very quickly migrate to other parts of the house.
Keep your kitchen clean, and free from leftover food and debris, as a starting point at keeping them out of the bathroom.
Final words
Fruit flies in the bathroom are an irritating problem, and one that is potentially dangerous to your health, because all flies transport bacteria on their feet when they land.
Getting rid of them will not be instant, but it is something that is well worth sticking at.
All good tips, but what are they eating in the bathroom?