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Teeny Flying Bugs Have Invaded Your Home? Here's What You Need To Know

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For health and longevity, you should eat one to two cups of fruit on a daily basis, depending on your gender and age. Unfortunately, sometimes having fruit in the home results in fruit flies. Fruit flies can multiply rapidly, leaving you with many of the teeny bugs swarming around your home, primarily in your kitchen. In fact, fruit larvae hatch in only 24 hours from the time the eggs are laid. 

However, fruit flies aren't the only teeny bugs that can invade your home. There are also drain flies and fungus gnats that also reproduce rapidly and quickly become a nuisance. Here's what you need to know.

Similar but Different Types of Teeny Flying Bugs

It can be difficult to determine which type is which since they are so tiny. However, with a little understanding of what they prefer, you can start to eliminate the areas where they are prone to breed. 

Fruit Flies – While most people like to keep fruits and veggies out on their kitchen countertops, doing so is just a welcome invitation to a problem with fruit flies. Instead, store fruits and veggies in the refrigerator. Fruit flies also love rotting food, such as is found in your trash can. Therefore, remove trash daily or put food waste into containers or bags to keep the fruit flies away from the rotted food. 

Drain Flies – Drain flies prefer to breed in the slimy gunk that is in your drains, including underneath the rim of your toilets. They can be nuisances as they fly around haphazardly and land in food while you are preparing meals. Like fruit flies, they also like to find rotted food in trash cans and your teenager's bedroom. 

Fungus Gnats – Fungus gnats thrive and breed in potting soil of household plants, particularly when there's a nice layer of water or moistened soil on top for the larvae to grow into adult gnats. This doesn't mean that you need to get rid of your household plants, but it does mean that you may need to use insecticides and reduce the amount of water you give your plants. Fungus gnats are similar in size and shape to fruit flies and drain flies, which can pose a problem in identifying them. 

Since these teeny bugs are often misidentified by homeowners, it's a good idea to consult with a pest control company if you are having an infestation and aren't sure which type of bug you are dealing with. Reach out to companies like Affordable Pest Control for more information.


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