Dear John,
I need to learn from you about the most aggressive strategy of getting rid of the drain moth invasion in my basement. The home is only 5 years old. I do not suspect any cracked pipes. However, we have an exhaust fan in the basement . Could that somehow draw the creatures from a nearby sewer well? Please, teach me about the technique and the ammunition I need to get from you! “Survivors” seems to work. Anything else? Accept my compliments on your website. Informative, interactive and dynamic! I hope your products are as good! Hope to hear from you! Thanks!
DRAIN MOTHS (aka: drain flies, sink flies, moth flies, etc.) can be a problem in the spring, summer and fall. As our article explains, they need a good place to reproduce in order for their numbers to reach levels that cause them to be noticed and eventually a problem. Sounds like that has happened in your home and that the problem appears to be focused in your basement. Now even though you mention using a fan; there is no way this could be attracting or pulling in the adults so rule this cause out. My guess is you have some ideal nesting locations that need to be addressed and once they’re located, the problem will be easy to control.
Moth Flies: https://bugspray.com/moth-fly-control.html
Now to reduce the problem, I suggest you first focus on the adults. Control them with either the 565 (you’ll use this daily by manually releasing some into the air) or the Metered Aerosol Machine (which you can set up to run by itself).
PT-565: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/aerosol/pt-565-xlo
Aerosol 2000: https://bugspray.com/equipment/foggers/aerosol-dispenser-2000
Purge: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/aerosol/purge-iii-6-25-oz.html
Either of these will offer up immediate results and could very well eliminate the adults. But if you don’t get them where they’re reproducing, they’ll just keep coming back.
Now even though drain lines are usually the main cause of any problem with drain moths, I’m not convinced this is the main factor for you. I say this because you didn’t mention if you have open drain lines in your basement. If you do, then definitely treat them with Survivors and Gentrol as our article explains to do.
Survivors: https://bugspray.com/sanitizer/liquid/survivors
Gentrol Aerosol: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/aerosol/gentrol-aerosol-16-oz
When combined with the space spray, this should be all you need to do if the problem is coming from any drain lines you have in the basement.
But many basements can contain plenty of moisture without drain lines and this moisture alone can be enough to host drain moth larvae. So if you have a leaky foundation wall, a french drain system, an attached crawl space or leaky basement windows, any of these locations could have enough moisture for eggs from drain moths to prosper. This can happen even if the moisture isn’t bad enough to warrant a repair.
So if you don’t have any exposed, open drain lines in your basement, it would have to be something like one of these locations that’s harboring the moisture and in this case, treating any such area with ONSLAUGHT would be the way to go. Broadcast it over the surfaces where you think they might be nesting both inside and outside the home. Onslaught can last several months so you won’t have to use it a lot. This is especially true if you have a damp crawl space where you think they might be active. But I’ve seen outside basement window wells harbor drain flies so that’s why treating outside can be important in some cases.
Onslaught: https://bugspray.com/catalog/insecticide/liquid/onslaught
Lastly, set out some FLY WEB LIGHT TRAPS. These will also help by collecting adults and in doing so, prevent eggs from being laid.
Fly Light Trap: https://bugspray.com/traps/fly/fly_web
In the end, if you “attack” back, you can defeat this weak pest. The key is getting them where they’re reproducing but killing the adults will no doubt help too. Good luck!
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