Q: I'm having trouble with tiny flies in my kitchen! They are about 1/16" wide, have two tiny fly-type wings, and are slow-moving. I find them mostly around my front door, my kitchen window, counter tops and walls, but they don't seem to be interested in food. Any idea how to get rid of them?
Sent by Gail
Editor: Until I read that they don't seem interested in food, I thought you might have a fruit fly problem. Even so, the same traps for fruit flies might work for these insects:
• Fruit Flies! What They Are and How to Get Rid of Them
• Reader Tip: The Quick and Simple Way to Banish Fruit Flies
• Tip: Repel Fruit Flies with Rue
Readers, any other thoughts?
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I'm so sorry! My usual recourse when I get flies is to scrub everything down really, really well. Sometimes there is a spill under the fridge or in the pantry that you didn't know about that can be attracting flies. (Though maybe your flies are not attracted to food?) Also, despite the saying, apple cider vinegar can work to attract and kill flies. Good luck!
When my apartment was infested with fruit flies we had flies that were a little bigger than the fruit fly, very slow moving, and not interested in food. They went away after we started pouring bleach down the drains to kill the fruit flies, maybe they have the same habitat.
I did have a problem with normal sized flies in my basement when the sump pump backed up. It's possible that there is some stagnate water near your front door that they are using as a breeding ground.
Are they Drain Files?
http://drainflies.org/
i'd pour some bleach or vinegar down your drains for the next few days and set out a jar with apple cider vinegar and soap with a little cone/funnel so they can get in but not out. if that doesn't work, i'd probably move on to some deep cleaning in the kitchen and around the doors. but in my experience, those 2 things usually take care of any bug problems.
You really have to know what species it is or at the very least what food they're after. Some flies will eat anything (even cedar cat litter, paper bags and cardboard!) whereas some only eat one item. Get rid of any standing water (or limit pet water bowl to one corner temporarily) and seal EVERYTHING. Put trash bags over cardboard and litter. If you seal up their food source trust me, they'll probably disappear within a week or two.
....And make sure your surfaces are dry as a bone. You can get clues to what they're eating by observing where you find them. Pantry? Pet bowls? Cereal boxes?
Do you have any potted plants? They may be breeding in the soil.
Here is a trap for the little flies. In a small glass jar, mix 3 tbs water, filtered seems to work better than tap, 1 tbs sugar, 1 tbs white vinegar. After mixing, add a couple squirts of dish soap, generic seems to work better than anything fancy. Place near fruit or sink or wherever they are congregate. If you have kids or pets like i do, i put mine on the top of my cabinets. We get invaded about once a year, in about a week they are gone. I also bleach my sink drains but the jar trap works really well.
@wesaturtle - that's always my first instinct now too. Fungus Gnats. If you have a new or recently repotted plant, they'll often start to reproduce upon watering.
@caseoftornados -- do you have any tips on how to get rid of fungus gnats? They seem to go away but any time I bring a plant into the apartment, they seem to reappear!