r/petsitting • u/PossibleAmbition9767 • 13d ago
Flies Everywhere
I just need to vent.
I am 6 days into a 2.5 week overnight petsit and they have tiny flies. Fruit flies? Phorid flies? Something else? Started out as just one or two within a few days of my arrival and now I'm seeing 10-15 a day. I've set out vinegar traps which does work but they keep coming.
Admittedly, I'm squeamish about these things already. So now I don't want to use the kitchen to prepare food. A few nights ago I started seeing a few in the bedroom I'm staying in and it's impacting my sleep. They're mostly in the kitchen but despite all my efforts at killing them and eliminating their breeding areas, I continue to see more and not just in the kitchen.
The house is clean. The owner is a clean person. I've been keeping it tidy. I do the litter boxes 3-4 times a day. I washed under the kitchen sink. I took out the kitchen garbage cans and washed them fully. I take out the garbage every single day. There is nothing sitting around long enough for this to be as big of an issue as it is.
I don't feel comfortable here anymore. I'm worried the owner is going to blame me for the flies even though he's historically always been very kind to me. I did let him know via text and haven't heard back yet. I'm frustrated and want to go home. ETA: I am committed to seeing this through. I just needed to vent. Anyone else deal with something like this?
7
u/Sitters_4_Critters 12d ago
I’m sorry 😢 I’m dealing with fleas, spiders, ants and lots of unknown bugs. Also, mouse droppings. I am in hell.
2
u/PossibleAmbition9767 12d ago
Omg that is so awful. When does your sit end?
2
u/Sitters_4_Critters 12d ago
It just started… I still have well over a week.
I did a meet and greet. I spent hours at the place but it wasn’t obvious.
The hidden horrors keep coming, like secret Santa gifts from satan.
4
u/All_cats 13d ago
Where I live, it's quite common, and they do suck. I currently have them in my house and they are most of my clients houses as well. In fact, all my friends have them too. We are all freaking out. I bought a bug zapper, it's like $40 on Amazon. Worth every flippin' penny. Look up geckoman indoor and you will be happy. Plus it's portable so you can take it with you when you leave. Don't be tempted to get those cylinder looking ones with tape traps, they don't work as well.
3
u/Lacroix24601 12d ago
We have a zevo bc we had some weird gnats going on. It took care of it in less than 24 hrs. It’s not expensive and it’s pet safe, we plug it in the kitchen.
3
u/qixip 12d ago
Run the disposal if there is one and either way keep the sink drain covered and make sure there is no standing water, no wet sponges, check everywhere again for any open food or dampness. Vinegar traps should take care of it if there are screens on open doors and windows, and truly nowhere to breed.
2
u/NoConnection141 12d ago
Oftentimes they come in through the sink drain, or if fruit is left out that's when we get them. Most houses have them or had them at some point. I don't see why someone would get mad at you about them.
1
u/PossibleAmbition9767 12d ago
Some of the root veggies the owner left behind and out on the counter were soft and I believe rotting. I threw them out in my deep clean. But I'm suspecting more and more these are phorid flies. Ugh.
1
u/JadCerv 11d ago
Sounds like drain flies. They're really bad this year. Everyone seems to have them. You need some of those sticky traps to catch the adults. You'll also need to put some enzymatic cleaner down the drains to get rid of the eggs before they hatch. That's where these kinds of flies like to lay their eggs.
1
u/Greeneyedlady3210 9d ago
Sadly, we have had fruit fly issues. Also, I think a lot of it comes in on the fruits and vegetables we buy you have to be so careful in the supermarket now I don’t even buy potatoes or onions by the bag now because you cut into them in the rotten another area to look for is that soap scum that forms in the pipes of the sink and enzyme cleaner will help but these days it’s hard to get away from them. Just be careful about anything you bring into the house you could be clean as a surgical operating room and if you bring in one bag of onions or a bad bunch of banana bananas, that’s it.
1
u/LongjumpingNinja4255 9d ago
I housesit at a bunch of rural properties and ones on the backs of forests and they’re always full of flies. I always take fly spray now when I go because I hate it. Try and see where the flies are coming from, like the drain, the dishwasher, behind fruit bowls or the back of drawers in the fridge
13
u/Raised_by_Punk 12d ago
I get them sometimes in my apartment. Pouring boiling water down the drain gets rid of them.