Flies are pesky insects that always manage to maneuver their way into almost everything. Unfortunately, your basement is not an exception to their infestation. Just a little crack could lead to a ton of flies.
But where are these flies coming from?
Flies troop right into your basement when there’s a crack in the windows, doors, and vents. They can easily multiply by reproducing and hatching eggs which increases their number rapidly. You could have over an infestation of flies in your basement if the cracks go unnoticed and are not properly sealed up.
Your basement can become a new habitat for flies, especially when they detect dead and decaying organic matter. A good example of this is when a rat dies in your basement due to poison or consumption of harmful chemicals.
This paves the way for them to feed and multiply, which makes your basement dirty and unhealthy.
Where Do These Flies Come From?
Keeping trash cans in your basement is something we’d never advise you to do, as flies are always drawn to decaying wastes. Generally, flies are drawn to dirty, untidy, and unkempt environments.
Flies come in from different sources which include:
- Sewer line breaks: flies are often drawn to this area, which you may not notice on time. However, when they multiply and become large in number, you start perceiving a terrible smell.
- Floor drains: A dry floor drain waste allows for flies to travel through the drain.
- A window: There may be a window left open or broken in the basement providing an entry point into the basement.
- The door: If left open the entry door to the basement means flies can travel down and make a home downstairs, especially attractive if it is an unclean and smelly environment.
It is necessary to identify their habitat, destroy and prevent them from spreading further.
Although the flies are not entirely harmful, they make your basement extremely unpleasant and unhygienic. Flies could even go as far as penetrating your house, especially your kitchen, if not appropriately controlled. Therefore, we’d advise you to check all these sources regularly.
What Kind of Flies Infests Your basement?
There are many species of flies that can cause an unnecessary annoyance to you and your home. They are characterized by different feeding modifications and adaptations to habitat.
The most common of them all is the fruit fly and the drain fly.
- Fruit Fly: The fruit fly feeds directly on decaying organic matter from your trash cans in the kitchen. Some of the materials they can feed on include fruits, pastries, sugar, and many more.
- Drain Fly: This fly is also referred to as the moth fly. They breed mainly in microbial films that grow directly in drainage facilities. The drain fly feeds mainly on algae, bacteria, and other microscopic organisms. They thrive in moisture-abundant places such as wet cracks on floor tiles, dirty floor drains, sewers, and the bottom of trash cans.
How to Get Rid of Flies in Your Basement
Sanitation is the basic tool in maintaining good health and a clean environment. The key attraction of flies is dirt and filth.
It is best to adopt hygienic practices to avoid these infestations.
You may wonder if there are ways to help you get rid of these pesky flies. Fortunately, there are, below are some of the ways:
- Drain all the water from your sump pits: the water in this pit gets stale quickly, creating an awful smell. This area is a perfect breeding site for drain flies. Thus, it is necessary to drain all the water out to avoid the breeding of drain flies.
- Clean your sinks regularly: an untidy and dirty sink easily attracts flies. Hence, it is important to clean your sink regularly. You can also do well by using antibacterial cleaners to make your work a lot easier.
- Use an insect growth inhibitor: inhibitors effectively destroy the life cycle of insects, thereby preventing the reproduction of new insects. This is the most effective method of getting rid of flies, and we’d recommend you make use of this method.
- Check for cracks and seal them: this should be done regularly to stop flies from entering your basement. Unfortunately, this is also one of the sources of flies and how they get into your basement.
- Remove trash cans: get rid of all unnecessary waste to prevent decomposition, which will invite flies. Do not keep trash cans in your basement, as it could be the major source of your problem. If you must keep trash cans then, keep them far away from your house. Keeping them outdoors is simply the best option.
- Fix broken pipes: this is a source of flies. They dwell in them and feed directly on decayed wastes. Due to this, it is advisable to employ the services of a plumber or an exterminator to fix and seal up pipes.
You can use enzymatic or biological drain cleaners to eradicate flies, and you can manually clean up any remaining debris. All these lead us right back to hygiene, maintaining a clean environment will keep flies far away from your basement.