Do you see small flies flying around your home? If so, you might believe that they are fruit flies. However, if you look closely at them you may be in for a surprise. They may not look exactly the way that you thought. There’s a good reason for this, and that’s because they are not fruit flies but phorid humpbacked flies.
Today we are going to look at all of the information about these pests and what you need to know about them. This will help you know how to get rid of phorid flies if you ever have a problem with these types of flies.
These are tiny flies that measure around 1/8” in length. They look very similar to fruit flies except they have a humped back. Because they are so small, you may need to use the zoom feature on your phone to see this detail. However, their unusual behavior will usually give them away. When they are disturbed, rather than flying away, a lot of phorid flies will scuttle across a surface to get away.
You should know that not all of these types of flies are a problem, since many of them will take care of invasive pests such as fire ants. Therefore, unless these kinds of flies get into the house, you shouldn’t assume that trouble will follow.
Phorid flies are very tiny, measuring only 0.5 mm to 5.5 mm. They often resemble the common fruit fly. They are dull brown or black and color usually, but sometimes they are yellowish. They have an arched thorax as an adult, which gives them their humpbacked appearance. That’s why they are sometimes called phorid humpbacked flies.
Like the majority of flies, their life cycle is four-phase. This includes the egg stage, the larvae stage, the pupal stage, and the adult stage. Depending on the temperatures, the environment’s hospitality and the species, they can take anywhere from 11 – 22 days to become an adult.
Keeping these kinds of flies out of the house is sometimes difficult. The reason is because of their small size. Even though it can be hard, caulking around your doors and windows and making sure that your screens don’t have rips or holes in them is a good place to start. You also want to replace worn-out door insulation and sweeps too. Another thing that you can do is to seal the holes around any wires and pipes that are coming into the house with expanding foam or caulk is another essential step that you can take to stop phorid flies from getting in.
Unfortunately, battling these kind of flies isn’t always cut and dry and is very much a two-step process. Even though they likely enter the house in the ways listed above. However, they also come in ways that are unexpected, such as through a broken drain pipe or through a floor drain. Therefore, you want to monitor your drains regularly because this can help you with preventing an infestation. Use tape over the drains when you’re not using them to help with monitoring the movement of phorid flies.
Another way that phorid flies can get in is by hitching rides on things such as rotten potatoes. So you want to carefully check any produce before you bring it inside.
These ways of prevention are similar to ones in our article about how to get rid of moths. So if you are having a problem with these pests, check it out.
So you have a problem with phorid flies. Now you want to know how to get rid of phorid flies. Below are some things that you can do to control phorid flies.
Before you can start taking control of the problem, you have to find out where the infestation originated. The common breeding and feeding areas of phorid flies are similar to the ones of fruit flies, including:
When you are trying to find the source of the infestation, these steps are good ones to take.
Regular preventive steps and sanitation will be needed to help you with getting rid of the phorid flies. They also will help you with preventing future problems. Below are some tips to use for sanitation.
Now that you know where the phorid flies are coming in, you are ready to take care of the problem. Pyrid aerosol can be used both for space spray and contact spray. For space spray use, make sure that there aren’t any people or pets inside the room where you are applying the pyrid. You also should turn off the air conditioner and close doors and windows. Apply pyrid at 1-3 seconds / 1,000 cubic feet. If you’re using it in your kitchen, be sure that there isn’t any plates, pots, bowls or utensils exposed.
If you suspect that you have phorid flies in your drains and you want to know how to get rid of phorid-humpbacked flies with drain gel, you will be happy to know that there are also gel options for your drains.
Another way that you can get rid of the phorid flies is by using fly traps. These kinds of traps will attract the flies with pheromones and help you with getting rid of the problem. Generally, any fly killers or traps will suit. More so, you can check out our guide on the best electric fly swatters.
They will need anything organic so that they can survive. Garbage foodstuff or meat is usually what is going to help them prosper. Like the majority of small flies, they are simple to control. We have listed a few things that you can do to help you with controlling the problem of phorid flies.
If you are worried about the environment, chances are you want to know how to get rid of phorid flies naturally. The one thing to know is that pesticides won’t work on phorid flies. The best way that you can deal with them is to guard against infestations. However, sometimes they sneak into the house.
One of the ways that you can detect having a phorid fly problem is through using glue traps. This is particularly helpful if you believe they are inside your drains or other areas that are hard to observe. When you use this along with fly taped, they can help with catching the adults. There are some good options in our article about the best moth traps, too.
Something else to note about phorid flies is that, unlike fruit flies, vinegar will not work with them.
Because they come into contact with food and garbage, they can carry diseases into your house. This may include E. Coli, salmonella, and other types of food borne pathogens to your house.
Phorid flies usually aren’t interested in plants unless they are decaying, such as rotten potatoes and other kinds of produce. So chances are that you don’t have to worry about how to get rid of phorid flies in your plants unless your plants are in really bad shape.
We hope that you found this article helpful, and you now know how to get rid of phorid flies in your house. Keep in mind that the best defense against phorid humpbacked flies is a good offense.
