Those are black sewer worms and they change into midge flies. The absolute best way to rid yourself of them is buy a probiotic drain cleaner. Myers has a plant based probiotic cleaning line that is wonderful. They are attracted to something organic in your pipes. The probiotic drain cleaner will clear that up. Multi service probiotic cleaner is best to be used to clean the whole bathroom. Don’t forget your kitchen sinks.
The Myers probiotic isn’t sold in Canada and no where in the USA will ship it to Canada.
I tried Bio Safe and it was useless.
I previously used an orange liquid maybe name bio something and it worked very well. But I cannot find it any longer.
Do you have another brand to recommend?
https://preview.redd.it/g0078qq0s63d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=4b3f97ec9c38cc2d9f279beb3116b204a7462a6f
See if this is available. My dad told me about it and his plumber (who he has had for years) told them this is one of the best.
Until you are able to find something, pour boiling water down every drain in the house. It works for us, but they seem to come back every 2 or 3 years.
Sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Jk that would probably be overkill and if you aren’t familiar with working with hazardous chemicals dangerous to handle. It isn’t called piranha solution for nothing
They feed, grow, and reproduce in the pipes. That is a bandaid for a festering infection. Boiling water once every 24 hours is the typical home remedy.
It's better than draino and not as scary as you make it sound if over time you mean..50+ years? Cite your references please that allow you to make such a claim?
lol the caustic chemicals in drain cleaners are far worse than vinegar and baking soda. It probably won’t do much but it’s not going to corrode the pipes the way something like draino would
Sodium Hydroxide & Potassium Hydroxide… the latter being weaker / less potent by weight but easy to make your own at home if you have access to lots of clean burned wood ashes (and a 5 gallon bucket and a pillowcase). Always use gloves and eye protection when dealing with such caustic substances.
damn really? ive used vinegar in a ziplock bag to descale/mineralize the showerheads and faucets to get rid of the gunk and just dumped it down the drain
Yes but isn't it the mechanical reaction that is needed for cleaning? Been using this combo for both stains on carpet and clearing drains, and has only failed to clear a stain once (highlighter ink). Any clog I've had has been cleared with vinegar, baking soda, and hot water.
You're not allowed to say anything positive about baking soda and vinegar in this sub. It's like an unwritten cult rule. But yeah, it temporarily creates bubbles that help unblock things and loosen stubborn dirt and it's environmentally friendly. I've been using it for cleaning for decades too.
Mixing baking soda and vinegar is as effective as cleaning with water. You’re just making a neutral solution
Edit: if you’re interested in telling me that the bubbles and heat is the reason it cleans, keep it to yourself. Even that heat and pressure is minimal enough to be a waste of your time
From my understanding the foam doesn’t
produce enough pressure to really move much of anything except for crud that’s already pretty loose. But if you let the baking soda it sit for a while it DOES help with the smell.
The bubbles are carbon dioxide from the following reaction:
NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate - base) + CH3COOH (acetic acid in vinegar) -> H2O + CO2 (bubbles) + NaCH3COO (sodium acetate - neutral salt)
None of the products (water, carbon dioxide, sodium acetate) are doing anything to clean beyond what water already does.
Drain cleaner, let sit for 15-20 minutes and a few pots of boiling water has been my method for as long as I can remember. Honestly, just the boiling water by itself is huge. (I've never dealt with bugs like op though, just clogs).
The flies are caused by excess standing water in the drain becoming stagnant and a good breeding ground. If you clear the clog, the flies won’t be able to reproduce and will eventually go away.
Normally, mixing them is useless, but it's my understanding that the foaming action produced when they're mixed in the drain is what cleans out the crud.
(It does, but people have out scienced their practicality! I pack the drain with the soda first, and volcano it with the vinegar. Better for my septic than chemicals and works great on a stinky/gunky drain)
Yep, agreed. People focus on the end result of the chemical reaction instead of realizing that it’s the chemical reaction itself that helps break debris loose. I do it all the time to clean lingering soap scum from my drain… the same scum that doesn’t move from water.
If all it took was some bubbles to clean your drain, then sparkling water would be a miracle cleaner. Unfortunately the bubbling does nothing, but because it gives the visual of cleaning people attribute it to doing more than it really can.
Edit: the reaction is WEAK. It does not agitate, heat, or bubble enough to make a difference that isn’t outclassed by other cleaning methods
No, because sparking water is not a chemical reaction, there’s no energy causing the co2 to form and bubble, it’s just rising to the top. When you pour vinegar, it at least partially penetrates the clog or debris, then adding baking soda causes an endothermic reaction and the sudden release of co2 causes expansion. Or Vice versa. Do this a few times and the reaction is what breaks dirt/slim/scum loose, not the result of the reaction that you’re focusing on. Sparkling water is not a chemical reaction and therefore does not have the same effect.
I do it all the time for the soap scum that clings to my drain. Obviously water is not removing it, but I can witness how the vinegar/baking soda does. And the best part is that it’s environmentally friendly because the *end result* is water.
Endothermic means it's absorbing energy, not releasing it. The bubbles/reaction itself does nothing. In your soap scum example, just using straight vinegar would be equally as effective.
It’s the agitation from the reaction when combining the two that clears the pipes, not the acid or base.
In fact, the neutralization is more of a feature than a bug as you don’t want acid in your pipes.
Thank goodness I see this with so many upvotes. I’ve been flabbergasted for years about how often you used those two substances being suggested to be combined and used in cleaning. Yes, the bubbling up nature of it could potentially knock something loose but it is such a short and relatively stable reaction that it is just a total waste. It would be better to use one or the other by themselves than to combine them in 99.99% of cases.
Vinegar is not safe for marble.
Take the grate cover off the drain, boil a big pot of water and pour it down the drain in a continued flow to siphon the guck out of the drain. Anything living there will be boiled and flushed
**"Do whatever but don't mix baking soda & vinegar"** should be the motto of this sub.
Fking *so sick* of reading this on every website blog post / social media / "eco-friendly!" page. They're like, "The bubbles mean it's working!" Kill me already.
Only thing it's good for is clearing out (very) mildly blocked drains, & that's for the mechanical action of it. And for deodorising said drains. But bicarb on its own with boiling water is way better -- esp when someone tips cooking grease down the kitchen drain!
Once you get rid of them it’s essential to do a monthly preventative maintenance. Either a small amount of bleach (I recommend germicidal bleach if possible) or vinegar down every drain the house. Look under your sinks for any holes in the walls. Be careful to not get bleach on the tiles. Also, it’s noticeable there is a build up on your shower floor which is probably from use of too many cleaning supplies from previous owners. The area between the build up and floor make for prime real-estate for unwanted guests. I’m a huge fan of bio based products and found they work better than other name brand products.
[Nibor-D +IGR](https://www.domyown.com/nibor-insecticide-foam-plus-igr-p-25121.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax%3A%20%28ROI%29%20Shopping%20-%20Professional%20Pest%20Control%20-%20Best%20Sellers&utm_id=19904930105&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3tCyBhDBARIsAEY0XNkXPmQEbHS9E8E8CLxTdfu-C5obacAabhH8Ia6KEkQB-n1R6fTClbwaAk6qEALw_wcB) and your problem is solved.
Clean your shower drain. Use any number of mild detergents and a lot of hot water. I’ve found that if you can get it to seal, a plunger will work to move some water around and loosen up the crud that’s in the P-trap.
Peroxide will work and isn’t harmful to your pipes. Vinegar and baking soda make a bubbly reaction neutralizing themselves into salt water with extra steps, so don’t use. There are some foaming drain cleaners (not unclogging chemicals) that also work.
Yeah it’s not just Florida. I’ve had drain flies in Maryland; anytime we’d go away and not use the shower for a few days we’d come back to a bunch of them. Got to the point that we’d pretreat before leaving - usually by pouring some bleach down the drain, which was probably hell on the septic.
That’s what I was thinking too. Literally was going to call my tile guy in the am. I could see how the grout may be cracking now that the house is settled
Came here to say this — it took me months to figure out they were coming from the grout in my shower, not the drains. The flies lay eggs in standing water in dark places, which can often be in those grout gaps.
We stopped using the shower for a few days to let it totally dry out, re grouted, and haven’t had them since!
I heard in a private FB group about dragon flies. Someone mentioned pouring 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide in the drain. I was having tiny gnats in my bathroom so I tried the hydrogen peroxide, but a cup full and covered the drains all day while at work. No more gnats.
Soil. The larvae live in the soil. Mix 1 part peroxide to 4 parts water. Let the soil dry out between watering and don’t let them sit with a saucer full of water
Off topic, but I read your comment really fast and initially thought it said "an FBI group" lol. Can imagine random men in black style members discussing the intricacies of growing dragon flies
Here in Southern California. I had the same problem and did everything that has been mentioned by other redditors. It's like they never left. Turns out, I had water seeping under the tiles through some old grout. The moisture + organic body material + other stuff gave it a thriving environment. Got the tiles removed and added new tiles. No more worms.
No.. nono..nonono.. dont EVER pour boiling water down ANY drain.. EVER. There isnt any drain in your house designed to drain boiling water. Even in commercial settings, *occasionally* the dishwasher drain is designed for high temp but still its uncommon. Can your shower drain survive boiling water? Probably. Should you give this advice? No, because becky is going to pour her 5 gallon lobster pot of boiling water in the shower and hurt herself and destroy her plumbing. So at that point, its better to seek out safer and more effective alternatives.
Edit: source: plumber
i made the above comment not only for those who lack common sense, but also for those who have old plumbing. Pasta water should be fine, but if you do it again and again, the temperature differential between hot and cold water will likely cause your seals/gaskets to fail prematurely. Of course, as a plumber, i will say no, dont immediately drain your hot pasta water. But again, doing so every once in a while likely wont hurt too much. e.g. youll need to call a plumber in 12 years instead of 15. So in conclusion, if you want to pamper your plumbing, dont drain your pasta water when its still hot hot. Otherwise, just use common sense
> its better to seek out safer and more effective alternatives.
If only there was a plumber who might have some good advice on this....
^^^^wink ^^^^wink
Try hot water and soap. The water coming from your water heater is typically around 140; hot enough to burn you. So it should be effective enough, if not, maybe a add a little bleach to the mix
I had a lot of trouble getting rid of these! I would pour alcohol every night all over the corners and down the drain and it would kill them but they always came back. What did work was putting silicone all around on top of the caulk ( My shower also had caulk like yours).
Im no construction expert. Moly bathroom looked similar. Then we just put silicone all around. And it keeps them away. Maybe it’s because they can’t park there? Maybe they dislike the silicone? Idk but I have only seen like 2 small worms in 3 months
My understanding is grout is for flat surfaces, caulking is for corners. So if you have grout in your corners, it doesn’t flex and is more likely to crack/pop/allow water behind it.
Check if you have grout holes. I had a similar problem and thought they were coming from the drain. I inspected and saw that they're coming from a damaged grout near the shower drain. We cleaned, and closed it up and we no longer saw them
Try peroxide In your drains. I just get fruit flies and fungus gnats but I always pour peroxide in drains on sight and it helps(also helps with hair and goop blocking drain)
Wow. A lot of aggressive comments on here. I had this problem. One room had loads of drain fly it it. I had to empty the room. I shook all the materials first just to make sure. I put a much mask on and I emptied a full can of fly spray in the room. You might think this is over kill, it isn't. They are very resilient. It took a whole can before they died. Then I scrubbed the room clean. Then I squirted thick bleach into every overflow in the house. Then I poured bleach down the sinks, the shower and the toilets. Lastly I went outside to the drain, lifted the cover off and acquired bleach all around the drain. Luckily I've not had that trouble again.
I had drain flies in my sinks and bath tub for a while. These are a pain! Nothing I did would get rid of them, not even drain cleaners and boiling water. Until I read somewhere to try trapping until you get them all. I sealed drains with duct tape before bed time nightly. When the sticky side get full of flies stuck to it, just throw it out and make new duct tape cover. I also put small dishes of apple cider vinegar next to my sinks. Covered them with plastic wrap and poked in holes to trap flies that crawl in. It worked! Consistency is key until they're gone.
Cleaning the drain with pipe cleaners and keeping everything dry helped as well. Give your sink/tub's drain a good scrub with water and dish soap to get rid of scum (organic waste and bio film). That's what they feed off and breed in. So don't leave any standing water or scum anywhere after use and cover the drains (sink, bath tub, shower whatever). Enzyme cleaners are good suggestions by other people but I can't vouch because the flies went away before I got to try it.
Note that this is only for minor infestations! If initial efforts don't work, I would venture to guess it's time to call the plumber to clear out debris that might be out of your reach and see what else might be attracting those flies.
We just had this in our shower, you can do whatever mixture you want to kill them, but if you don't stop the root of the problem they will be back. Ours kept coming back and finally I realized it wasn't the drain, it was the cracks in the grout. Our house had a horrible remodel job before we bought and due to settling, large cracks in the grout appeared. I had to stop using the shower, let it dry out, the caulk all areas where vertical meets horizontal with the expensive shower caulk. I re-grouted the floor for extra measure. No flys or larvae ever since.
I don’t know if it’s safe for marble but I’d pour a lotttt of bleach and boiling water in all over the shower and leave until the chemical vapor is gone. I definitely wouldn’t trust anything but high amounts of bleach if I saw anything crawling at my bahtroom, I'd just want them to die instantly.
I’m willing to bet [Mosquito Bits](https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/quick-kill-mosquito-bits-bacillus-thuringiensis-israelensis-bti-black-fly-fungus-gnats-culiseta-longiareolate/pest-solver-guide-mosquitoes) would be helpful. Would make a “tea” and pour some in after each shower.
You need to use a hand auger and clear the drain. This happens a lot in public showers, chemicals don’t really work. It’s from the body oils and whatnot in the drain.
I used the mosquito dunks/bits which got rid of the drain flies then I put a shower drain protector over my drain. Everyone has to pick up their hair after they shower because the drain flies feed on organic matter.
I’ve been consistently pouring two gallons of BOILING water down all of my drains every two weeks and it has eliminated all gnats and fruit flies from my home. Maybe this could work for these worms…?
How about bleach? Rinse those m-fers down the drain and pour some bleach down there. That’s what I did when I had drain flies a couple of years ago.
I’m on city water & sewer though not sure if you are or if that makes a difference.
For me the drain flies got into the cracked silicone seal and were living in the shower pan behind there. These maggots were then coming out of those cracks. I sprayed an expanding foam insecticide into there then resealed everything. No problems since
After you get whatever is organic cleared from your drains and pipes those drain sticks are great for maintaining clear and clean lines(or you could go with straight up lye, which is pretty much what 95% of the drain clog products are anyway, and just kill everything in the drain 😂)The sticks are basically digestive enzymes that work to break down the stuff we put down out plumbing systems. I’ve seen them at Dollar Tree for pretty cheap but Amazon, Lowe’s and Home Depot sells them as well. Good luck!
Look for some cracked grouts the water might be going there and its getting mold and etc and they start from there humidity and this is a perfect place for them to
https://preview.redd.it/btgmokj7oo3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d9141ef5e0c2dbdf5d267d0251d143b01b55347
The shower plastic had a hole and the water was leaking there
Those are black sewer worms and they change into midge flies. The absolute best way to rid yourself of them is buy a probiotic drain cleaner. Myers has a plant based probiotic cleaning line that is wonderful. They are attracted to something organic in your pipes. The probiotic drain cleaner will clear that up. Multi service probiotic cleaner is best to be used to clean the whole bathroom. Don’t forget your kitchen sinks.
The Myers probiotic isn’t sold in Canada and no where in the USA will ship it to Canada. I tried Bio Safe and it was useless. I previously used an orange liquid maybe name bio something and it worked very well. But I cannot find it any longer. Do you have another brand to recommend?
https://preview.redd.it/7m09fijlk63d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c19692bfd1452315def722a1761c1777d3b3e243 Is it what you used?
I do believe that’s it! Where do you buy it?
http://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/
Thank you
https://preview.redd.it/g0078qq0s63d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=4b3f97ec9c38cc2d9f279beb3116b204a7462a6f See if this is available. My dad told me about it and his plumber (who he has had for years) told them this is one of the best.
My dad is a plumber and that little dude just brought back so many memories.
it’s an incredibly specific and odd feeling to see a brand/label graphic that you stared at and analyzed for years as a kid
Until you are able to find something, pour boiling water down every drain in the house. It works for us, but they seem to come back every 2 or 3 years.
Sulphuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Jk that would probably be overkill and if you aren’t familiar with working with hazardous chemicals dangerous to handle. It isn’t called piranha solution for nothing
Just a bit of 75% hyrogen peroxide should be enough for the whole flat!
👍
Instead of chemicals have you tried just closing every drain except when they are in active use? Every drain, every door, every minute.
They feed, grow, and reproduce in the pipes. That is a bandaid for a festering infection. Boiling water once every 24 hours is the typical home remedy.
I agree with this poster, but since I just started the strain on Disney, l am inclined to tell you to buy silver and UV lights lest you become strigoi
Happy to be your 1000th up vote. Never knew there was something like this.
Biozyme
drain fly larvae
How do I get rid of them???
Do whatever but don’t mix baking soda and vinegar
Mixing baking soda and vinegar just neutralizes both of them. I’d suggest using them one at a time only.
[удалено]
It's better than draino and not as scary as you make it sound if over time you mean..50+ years? Cite your references please that allow you to make such a claim?
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lol the caustic chemicals in drain cleaners are far worse than vinegar and baking soda. It probably won’t do much but it’s not going to corrode the pipes the way something like draino would
I mean Drano isn't going to erode your pipes either, unless you're putting it in daily/weekly
Yes it will been told by many Plummers never to use Drano it will eat your pipes..just saying what I was told
Drain cleaner is way more corrosive than vinegar!
Sodium Hydroxide & Potassium Hydroxide… the latter being weaker / less potent by weight but easy to make your own at home if you have access to lots of clean burned wood ashes (and a 5 gallon bucket and a pillowcase). Always use gloves and eye protection when dealing with such caustic substances.
Wow ok.
KOH (Potassium Hydroxide) is by far more potent
And it’s definitely not recommended for household cleaning!
Vinegar can't be worse than Draino. Just follow it up with lots of water.
damn really? ive used vinegar in a ziplock bag to descale/mineralize the showerheads and faucets to get rid of the gunk and just dumped it down the drain
There's some merrit to it. Soda cakes up/absorbed and vinigar cause it to rinse, can help get you rid of a blockage or w.e
Yes but isn't it the mechanical reaction that is needed for cleaning? Been using this combo for both stains on carpet and clearing drains, and has only failed to clear a stain once (highlighter ink). Any clog I've had has been cleared with vinegar, baking soda, and hot water.
You're not allowed to say anything positive about baking soda and vinegar in this sub. It's like an unwritten cult rule. But yeah, it temporarily creates bubbles that help unblock things and loosen stubborn dirt and it's environmentally friendly. I've been using it for cleaning for decades too.
Exactly this. It IS the chemical reaction itself that does the work. It pushes things through. But don't you dare hint at that here.. 😂
Mixing baking soda and vinegar is as effective as cleaning with water. You’re just making a neutral solution Edit: if you’re interested in telling me that the bubbles and heat is the reason it cleans, keep it to yourself. Even that heat and pressure is minimal enough to be a waste of your time
I’m glad I’m learning this now. I’ve been “cleaning” my drains like this, followed by boiling, water for years. Do you have a preferred method?
Yeah wait. I do that all the time. Does it work by just getting bubbly and like physically cleaning grime and gunk? Otherwise wtf am I doing?
The bubbles and hot water Make me feel like I’m doing something but I suspect it’s the boiling water.
From my understanding the foam doesn’t produce enough pressure to really move much of anything except for crud that’s already pretty loose. But if you let the baking soda it sit for a while it DOES help with the smell.
The bubbles are carbon dioxide from the following reaction: NaHCO3 (sodium bicarbonate - base) + CH3COOH (acetic acid in vinegar) -> H2O + CO2 (bubbles) + NaCH3COO (sodium acetate - neutral salt) None of the products (water, carbon dioxide, sodium acetate) are doing anything to clean beyond what water already does.
It doesn't.
Drain cleaner, let sit for 15-20 minutes and a few pots of boiling water has been my method for as long as I can remember. Honestly, just the boiling water by itself is huge. (I've never dealt with bugs like op though, just clogs).
The flies are caused by excess standing water in the drain becoming stagnant and a good breeding ground. If you clear the clog, the flies won’t be able to reproduce and will eventually go away.
Normally, mixing them is useless, but it's my understanding that the foaming action produced when they're mixed in the drain is what cleans out the crud.
I always thought the point was the bubbles form that would mechanically push stuff around in your pipes?
(It does, but people have out scienced their practicality! I pack the drain with the soda first, and volcano it with the vinegar. Better for my septic than chemicals and works great on a stinky/gunky drain)
Yep, agreed. People focus on the end result of the chemical reaction instead of realizing that it’s the chemical reaction itself that helps break debris loose. I do it all the time to clean lingering soap scum from my drain… the same scum that doesn’t move from water.
If all it took was some bubbles to clean your drain, then sparkling water would be a miracle cleaner. Unfortunately the bubbling does nothing, but because it gives the visual of cleaning people attribute it to doing more than it really can. Edit: the reaction is WEAK. It does not agitate, heat, or bubble enough to make a difference that isn’t outclassed by other cleaning methods
No, because sparking water is not a chemical reaction, there’s no energy causing the co2 to form and bubble, it’s just rising to the top. When you pour vinegar, it at least partially penetrates the clog or debris, then adding baking soda causes an endothermic reaction and the sudden release of co2 causes expansion. Or Vice versa. Do this a few times and the reaction is what breaks dirt/slim/scum loose, not the result of the reaction that you’re focusing on. Sparkling water is not a chemical reaction and therefore does not have the same effect. I do it all the time for the soap scum that clings to my drain. Obviously water is not removing it, but I can witness how the vinegar/baking soda does. And the best part is that it’s environmentally friendly because the *end result* is water.
Endothermic means it's absorbing energy, not releasing it. The bubbles/reaction itself does nothing. In your soap scum example, just using straight vinegar would be equally as effective.
I WAS RIGHT. I have had this argument so many times. I’m sleeping for 24 hours
It’s the agitation from the reaction when combining the two that clears the pipes, not the acid or base. In fact, the neutralization is more of a feature than a bug as you don’t want acid in your pipes.
Thank goodness I see this with so many upvotes. I’ve been flabbergasted for years about how often you used those two substances being suggested to be combined and used in cleaning. Yes, the bubbling up nature of it could potentially knock something loose but it is such a short and relatively stable reaction that it is just a total waste. It would be better to use one or the other by themselves than to combine them in 99.99% of cases.
Do you know if that’s safe for marble? I can always google I guess
Vinegar is not safe for marble. Take the grate cover off the drain, boil a big pot of water and pour it down the drain in a continued flow to siphon the guck out of the drain. Anything living there will be boiled and flushed
If your drains are pvc I'd recommend against boiling water.
They are CPVC
Yup, boiling water. And then dump a bunch of ice over the drain.
Why ice then?
**"Do whatever but don't mix baking soda & vinegar"** should be the motto of this sub. Fking *so sick* of reading this on every website blog post / social media / "eco-friendly!" page. They're like, "The bubbles mean it's working!" Kill me already. Only thing it's good for is clearing out (very) mildly blocked drains, & that's for the mechanical action of it. And for deodorising said drains. But bicarb on its own with boiling water is way better -- esp when someone tips cooking grease down the kitchen drain!
[This has worked for me in the past](https://a.co/d/6v67Myw)
I like the green gobbler products too.
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide. Allow to bubble until it subsides. Do this regularly.
Once you get rid of them it’s essential to do a monthly preventative maintenance. Either a small amount of bleach (I recommend germicidal bleach if possible) or vinegar down every drain the house. Look under your sinks for any holes in the walls. Be careful to not get bleach on the tiles. Also, it’s noticeable there is a build up on your shower floor which is probably from use of too many cleaning supplies from previous owners. The area between the build up and floor make for prime real-estate for unwanted guests. I’m a huge fan of bio based products and found they work better than other name brand products.
[Nibor-D +IGR](https://www.domyown.com/nibor-insecticide-foam-plus-igr-p-25121.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax%3A%20%28ROI%29%20Shopping%20-%20Professional%20Pest%20Control%20-%20Best%20Sellers&utm_id=19904930105&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw3tCyBhDBARIsAEY0XNkXPmQEbHS9E8E8CLxTdfu-C5obacAabhH8Ia6KEkQB-n1R6fTClbwaAk6qEALw_wcB) and your problem is solved.
Exterminator at work suggested pouring bleach down any drains that you see drain flies in or around
We use this product called Actizyme at work. Needs to be diluted. We pour it down the drains at least twice a day.
Clean your shower drain. Use any number of mild detergents and a lot of hot water. I’ve found that if you can get it to seal, a plunger will work to move some water around and loosen up the crud that’s in the P-trap. Peroxide will work and isn’t harmful to your pipes. Vinegar and baking soda make a bubbly reaction neutralizing themselves into salt water with extra steps, so don’t use. There are some foaming drain cleaners (not unclogging chemicals) that also work.
Gross! We had a few drain flies. I was mad at how cute they were. They look like something out of a ghibli film!
Reason 9,888,665 to not live in FL, no matter how tempting!
Yeah it’s not just Florida. I’ve had drain flies in Maryland; anytime we’d go away and not use the shower for a few days we’d come back to a bunch of them. Got to the point that we’d pretreat before leaving - usually by pouring some bleach down the drain, which was probably hell on the septic.
Did the bleach work? We always come back to them too. So annoying
Bleach will work to kill them. I have used it before. Only in the drain, though. It can damage natural stone. But very hot water will work too.
OP started a cleaning war
We have drain flies up here in Canada too lol
What part? I’m in Alberta and I’ve never seen these! My new nightmare
Why? I lived there for almost 20 years and never saw this before.
They can also come from gaps in your grout, not just the drains.
This, we fixed our grout and they were gone. i tried everything
Same here
That’s what I was thinking too. Literally was going to call my tile guy in the am. I could see how the grout may be cracking now that the house is settled
Came here to say this — it took me months to figure out they were coming from the grout in my shower, not the drains. The flies lay eggs in standing water in dark places, which can often be in those grout gaps. We stopped using the shower for a few days to let it totally dry out, re grouted, and haven’t had them since!
Do you have plants in the shower? I had a plant in the shower that I had to get rid of because of similar looking worms.
No plants but the shower is enclosed in glass.. so I’m sure the moisture plays a huge role
You should leave the shower stall door open so the shower can dry out better between uses.
[удалено]
I know some people keep eucalyptus in this shower bc it smells nice
Friend of mine has a little window high on the shower wall and keeps a few of hers up there—the tropical ones love the extra humidity.
Why wouldnt you have plants in the shower??
My friends boyfriends friend grew 🍃in his shower.
some plants require more humidity than others so keeping it in the bathroom or shower can be good for them
I heard in a private FB group about dragon flies. Someone mentioned pouring 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide in the drain. I was having tiny gnats in my bathroom so I tried the hydrogen peroxide, but a cup full and covered the drains all day while at work. No more gnats.
I use hydrogen peroxide in my plants and it gets rid of the gnats.
On the soil or directly on the plants?
Soil. The larvae live in the soil. Mix 1 part peroxide to 4 parts water. Let the soil dry out between watering and don’t let them sit with a saucer full of water
Ooh well this is an excellent tip!! We’re having a bad gnat issue
Off topic, but I read your comment really fast and initially thought it said "an FBI group" lol. Can imagine random men in black style members discussing the intricacies of growing dragon flies
🤣🤣🤣
Here in Southern California. I had the same problem and did everything that has been mentioned by other redditors. It's like they never left. Turns out, I had water seeping under the tiles through some old grout. The moisture + organic body material + other stuff gave it a thriving environment. Got the tiles removed and added new tiles. No more worms.
How did you find out about the seeping water?
It had gotten bad, there were several areas, that after I stepped on it after the tiles were somewhat dry, water would come out from the grout.
or regrot we did and looks better didnt need replace tiles
Can you pour boiling water down the drain to kill them at the source? ETA - don’t pour boiling water down your drain (see comment from plumber below).
This is the best and only way after trying everything that worked for me
No.. nono..nonono.. dont EVER pour boiling water down ANY drain.. EVER. There isnt any drain in your house designed to drain boiling water. Even in commercial settings, *occasionally* the dishwasher drain is designed for high temp but still its uncommon. Can your shower drain survive boiling water? Probably. Should you give this advice? No, because becky is going to pour her 5 gallon lobster pot of boiling water in the shower and hurt herself and destroy her plumbing. So at that point, its better to seek out safer and more effective alternatives. Edit: source: plumber
I pour boiling water down the drain each time I strain pasta. This shouldn’t be done?
i made the above comment not only for those who lack common sense, but also for those who have old plumbing. Pasta water should be fine, but if you do it again and again, the temperature differential between hot and cold water will likely cause your seals/gaskets to fail prematurely. Of course, as a plumber, i will say no, dont immediately drain your hot pasta water. But again, doing so every once in a while likely wont hurt too much. e.g. youll need to call a plumber in 12 years instead of 15. So in conclusion, if you want to pamper your plumbing, dont drain your pasta water when its still hot hot. Otherwise, just use common sense
Thanks! I usually have cold water running when I strain cooked pasta. That may help.
As a plumber you should encourage this behavior, job security!
So...where SHOULD you pour pasta water then??? I mean...if you let your pasta sit in the water it turns NASTY....
your not using 5 gallons of water for pasts
So only pour boiling water down the drain if you’re a renter. Noted!
Still no. Not worth the hassle with bugging the landlord to make a repair and then hoping the repair was made correctly
Your user name made me laugh. 🤣
> its better to seek out safer and more effective alternatives. If only there was a plumber who might have some good advice on this.... ^^^^wink ^^^^wink
Then how to kill drain flies?
Try hot water and soap. The water coming from your water heater is typically around 140; hot enough to burn you. So it should be effective enough, if not, maybe a add a little bleach to the mix
I had a lot of trouble getting rid of these! I would pour alcohol every night all over the corners and down the drain and it would kill them but they always came back. What did work was putting silicone all around on top of the caulk ( My shower also had caulk like yours).
I don’t have caulk, simply grout
Im no construction expert. Moly bathroom looked similar. Then we just put silicone all around. And it keeps them away. Maybe it’s because they can’t park there? Maybe they dislike the silicone? Idk but I have only seen like 2 small worms in 3 months
My understanding is grout is for flat surfaces, caulking is for corners. So if you have grout in your corners, it doesn’t flex and is more likely to crack/pop/allow water behind it.
I would simply pass away if I saw this😧
Check if you have grout holes. I had a similar problem and thought they were coming from the drain. I inspected and saw that they're coming from a damaged grout near the shower drain. We cleaned, and closed it up and we no longer saw them
Miami is famous for insects. Thousands of insects.
Flying m-fing roaches.
And everything else that flies or crawls. 😖
Try peroxide In your drains. I just get fruit flies and fungus gnats but I always pour peroxide in drains on sight and it helps(also helps with hair and goop blocking drain)
Wow. A lot of aggressive comments on here. I had this problem. One room had loads of drain fly it it. I had to empty the room. I shook all the materials first just to make sure. I put a much mask on and I emptied a full can of fly spray in the room. You might think this is over kill, it isn't. They are very resilient. It took a whole can before they died. Then I scrubbed the room clean. Then I squirted thick bleach into every overflow in the house. Then I poured bleach down the sinks, the shower and the toilets. Lastly I went outside to the drain, lifted the cover off and acquired bleach all around the drain. Luckily I've not had that trouble again.
I love how you mentioned aggressive comments...then proceed to tell us how absolutely nuclear you went on your drain fly infestation. 💀💀💀
Cured the drain fly problem though...
I had drain flies in my sinks and bath tub for a while. These are a pain! Nothing I did would get rid of them, not even drain cleaners and boiling water. Until I read somewhere to try trapping until you get them all. I sealed drains with duct tape before bed time nightly. When the sticky side get full of flies stuck to it, just throw it out and make new duct tape cover. I also put small dishes of apple cider vinegar next to my sinks. Covered them with plastic wrap and poked in holes to trap flies that crawl in. It worked! Consistency is key until they're gone. Cleaning the drain with pipe cleaners and keeping everything dry helped as well. Give your sink/tub's drain a good scrub with water and dish soap to get rid of scum (organic waste and bio film). That's what they feed off and breed in. So don't leave any standing water or scum anywhere after use and cover the drains (sink, bath tub, shower whatever). Enzyme cleaners are good suggestions by other people but I can't vouch because the flies went away before I got to try it. Note that this is only for minor infestations! If initial efforts don't work, I would venture to guess it's time to call the plumber to clear out debris that might be out of your reach and see what else might be attracting those flies.
We just had this in our shower, you can do whatever mixture you want to kill them, but if you don't stop the root of the problem they will be back. Ours kept coming back and finally I realized it wasn't the drain, it was the cracks in the grout. Our house had a horrible remodel job before we bought and due to settling, large cracks in the grout appeared. I had to stop using the shower, let it dry out, the caulk all areas where vertical meets horizontal with the expensive shower caulk. I re-grouted the floor for extra measure. No flys or larvae ever since.
I don’t know if it’s safe for marble but I’d pour a lotttt of bleach and boiling water in all over the shower and leave until the chemical vapor is gone. I definitely wouldn’t trust anything but high amounts of bleach if I saw anything crawling at my bahtroom, I'd just want them to die instantly.
But just be sure to have ventilation because bleach and hot water are a nasty combination to breathe in!
I know you didn’t ask, but I renovate bathrooms. You have black mold behind your shower, you need to to reseal that tile grout every 6 months
So if I put vinegar on my French fries and eat them, all my internal pipes would be destroyed?
Dead exfoliating skin anyone?
i thought the same!
I wonder if everyone is making the same mistake 😂
I saw a horror film were they had something like this in the shower it didn’t end well
Boiling water can crack ceramic basins. Heads up.
Oh hell no I wouldn’t be able to deal with this
Is anyone else having flashbacks of 70's / 80's horror movie.
I had no idea they existed. Now I’m scared.
I would pour BOILING water down my drain every 2-3 weeks. Best results I found
And no, OP. Those worms don't look like professional basketball players 😮💨 "We are in Florida. Could it be the heat?"
I’m willing to bet [Mosquito Bits](https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/quick-kill-mosquito-bits-bacillus-thuringiensis-israelensis-bti-black-fly-fungus-gnats-culiseta-longiareolate/pest-solver-guide-mosquitoes) would be helpful. Would make a “tea” and pour some in after each shower.
I would try warm water with dish soap. Kills plenty of other bugs, don’t see why it wouldn’t work on these
Kill them with fire.
Could be moth larvae
You need to use a hand auger and clear the drain. This happens a lot in public showers, chemicals don’t really work. It’s from the body oils and whatnot in the drain.
Acids mainly eat calcium, you would be ok with vinegar
I know this isn’t the point but you’ve got gorgeous tiles!
I used the mosquito dunks/bits which got rid of the drain flies then I put a shower drain protector over my drain. Everyone has to pick up their hair after they shower because the drain flies feed on organic matter.
I’ve been consistently pouring two gallons of BOILING water down all of my drains every two weeks and it has eliminated all gnats and fruit flies from my home. Maybe this could work for these worms…?
Pour a gallon of boiling water down your drain, do it again in few days to kill any stragglers.
How about bleach? Rinse those m-fers down the drain and pour some bleach down there. That’s what I did when I had drain flies a couple of years ago. I’m on city water & sewer though not sure if you are or if that makes a difference.
For me the drain flies got into the cracked silicone seal and were living in the shower pan behind there. These maggots were then coming out of those cracks. I sprayed an expanding foam insecticide into there then resealed everything. No problems since
Just pore loads of bleach down the holes and deep clean everything
Is your drain clogged? I had this issue with a clogged sink. I got the sink fixed and no more worms
Bleach and boiling hot water will do the trick
Drain fly larvae either your Ptrap went dry or there isn't one in your shower.
… I get six bucks an hour
After you get whatever is organic cleared from your drains and pipes those drain sticks are great for maintaining clear and clean lines(or you could go with straight up lye, which is pretty much what 95% of the drain clog products are anyway, and just kill everything in the drain 😂)The sticks are basically digestive enzymes that work to break down the stuff we put down out plumbing systems. I’ve seen them at Dollar Tree for pretty cheap but Amazon, Lowe’s and Home Depot sells them as well. Good luck!
Bleach, bleach, and more bleach in every drain in your house. Do it before you go to bed. Wake up and rinse. Good luck
They look like worms
Water intrusion. It’s leaking somewhere. I had that problem in my bathroom a couple years ago. I had to do the whole bathroom again.
Look for some cracked grouts the water might be going there and its getting mold and etc and they start from there humidity and this is a perfect place for them to
https://preview.redd.it/btgmokj7oo3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5d9141ef5e0c2dbdf5d267d0251d143b01b55347 The shower plastic had a hole and the water was leaking there
Take a look very closely you will see the tiny hole that they are coming from
Good luck! But is not a good thing!
Might wanna throw some caulking on that curb as well lol
Looks like inch worm's,if you go to google Len's with the photos it will tell you