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Why Are There Tiny Black Bugs in My Bathroom Sink?
| Featured Image – SKU: LB21137 | Bathroom sinks are usually cleaned less often than kitchen sinks, but they may appear perfectly clean and still develop a sudden infestation of small black bugs. These bugs tend to fly and escape from the bathroom sink drain itself, spreading through the home and often becoming a problem in the kitchen sink as well. Known as drain flies, sewer bugs, or the Psychodidae family of insects, these black bugs won’t bite but can spread bacteria. |
Where Do Drain Flies Come From?
Drain flies base their lives around the damp, bacteria-rich environment inside a sink drain. They also like wet soil that is high in nutrients, sewers, and septic tank vents. Even wet mops or birdbaths can hatch them. The flies lay their eggs inside the drain on the wet walls, allowing the larvae to feed on the bacteria that grow there. In the kitchen, food waste contributes to the problem, but even in the bathroom, there are enough bacteria in a damp sink drain to keep these flies growing. Eventually, they become adults and start the cycle over again.
Why Do They Keep Returning?
The trick is that a single adult drain fly can lay 300 eggs in 48 hours, leading to a sudden explosion of flies, if even just a handful of those make it to adulthood. They hatch and become adults with 48 hours as well, meaning that it’s very easy for them to return again and again. You can knock down the population and miss out on a few adults just to watch them return. They usually stop returning once winter temperatures arrive, much like gnats and fruit flies, but warm home temperatures can keep them going year-round.
How to Get Rid of Drain Flies
The treat to getting rid of drain flies is thoroughness and persistence. Treat every drain in the house, not just the one that appears to have the problem. Use bowls with vinegar in them to attract adults that will drown. Boil water in a kettle and pour it down the sink drains twice a week—at least two cups for each drain—until the problem stops for a few weeks. Stopping this routine at the first sign that the flies are gone will only allow them to return. Continue for a week or two past the last sign of a drain fly to ensure the very last eggs are wiped out.
Shop Kingston Brass
Sometimes older drains get so full of debris and bacterial film that it’s hard to keep drain flies under control. Try swapping in new hardware from Kingston Brass. Find a whole new sink and drain combo to get a fresh start on controlling drain flies in the bathroom.
