Drain flies outside house - help

Mish_Mash

Hi all

Looking for some advice. I have a cluster of small black furry flies that seem to be congregating outside my front door. Having done a bit of research I  think they are drain flies. I am a bit bemused as I don’t have any in the house. Just on the front door and porch. And there isn’t a drain nearby, the sewer is on the other side of the house. Where could they be coming from and how do I stop them? 

Note. I did have a kitchen extension finished about a year ago so am hoping this isn’t related and there isn’t something fundamentally wrong. I did find a couple of these flies some months back in the bathroom and I cleared them and haven’t had an issue since. I am wondering if either my roof gutters, driveway gutters or sewage pipe might need clearing? Or could it be the mains gutters? arghhhh 

Any help appreciated. 

greyteam1959

Post a picture of these supposed 'drain' flies please.

twopenny

And seeing the situation around the front door would help. Garden, pots, type of path etc.

Mish_Mash

greyteam1959 said:

Post a picture of these supposed 'drain' flies please.

I couldn’t get a good photo as have been out of the house all weekend but I do have a blurry one. This one was on my car. Hope this helps. 

Mish_Mash

I’ll need to look for a photo of the outside, but in summary I have a block pave drive and no plants either in pots or in the ground. The neighbours have a shingle garden with some plants. I have lived here for 14 years and never seen these flies before. And it’s weird the way they cluster on my door. There aren’t any on my neighbours doorway. 

twopenny

It's possible that they have bred somewhere nearby and you door is lighter, sunnier, warmer that attracts them.
You could try wiping it with either vinegar or cedar/sandalwood oil to repel them and they'll go elsewhere.
Difficult to tell from the photo, could be musca autumnalis the Autumn fly which likes warm walls but hides in cracks at dusk.. Are they still there at night?

Mojisola

Mish_Mash said:

I have a cluster of small black furry flies that seem to be congregating outside my front door. Having done a bit of research I  think they are drain flies.

there isn’t a drain nearby, the sewer is on the other side of the house. Where could they be coming from and how do I stop them?

Although they're called drain flies, they only need an area of stagnant water to breed in.

Any puddles on a flat roof, slightly blocked gutters, water not draining properly through the neighbour's shingle?

Mish_Mash

twopenny said:

It's possible that they have bred somewhere nearby and you door is lighter, sunnier, warmer that attracts them.
You could try wiping it with either vinegar or cedar/sandalwood oil to repel them and they'll go elsewhere.
Difficult to tell from the photo, could be musca autumnalis the Autumn fly which likes warm walls but hides in cracks at dusk.. Are they still there at night?

Yes they are still there at night. About 7 or 8 of them. Only on my door and they fly into the house when the door opens, it’s driving me slightly insane.

Mish_Mash

Mojisola said:

Mish_Mash said:

I have a cluster of small black furry flies that seem to be congregating outside my front door. Having done a bit of research I  think they are drain flies.

there isn’t a drain nearby, the sewer is on the other side of the house. Where could they be coming from and how do I stop them?

Although they're called drain flies, they only need an area of stagnant water to breed in.

Any puddles on a flat roof, slightly blocked gutters, water not draining properly through the neighbour's shingle?

 I can’t see anywhere where there would be stagnant water, it’s been pretty dry recently. There is a Road gutter nearby and also my driveway gutter which I clear regularly. The front roof gutter isn’t blocked but does have some minor debris and moss there. 

I haven’t resanded the driveway since the building work, could they live in the crevices?

What are my options here to deal with it? I’ll try and clear the front roof gutter (which is going to be a bit difficult) and driveway gutter. Should I pour bleach into the gutters? 

The problem is it looks like they could becoming from anywhere 😭. Should I get the professionals in? A drain guy in or pest control? Am worried the problem will get worse. 😔

Jeepers_Creepers

I understand, in general, there are lots more insects around this year due to the warm weather. So the cause might not be any more than this.

(More flies = more dragonflies - and mil had two come into her room yesterday. One was the size of a small Cessna. ... )

I guess try natural deterrents as 2'penny says?

FaceHead

Agree with treating the symptom in the first instance when the cause isn't obvious. Natural deterrents are an option. There are also less natural sprays that would be persistent on the door, such as this:

3 x 500 ml Neudorff permanent fly spray insect protection. : Amazon.co.uk: Garden & Outdoors

(not specifically recommending this product, but just an example of what's out there)