One common indoor fly pest, Phorid flies, have particularly disgusting habits, drawn to all that is unsanitary and putrid. If you suddenly begin seeing a lot of these flies inside your home, it is a pretty sure bet that you are living in some very unsanitary conditions. If you have an infestation of Phorid flies, it’s probably time for a very deep and thorough clean, possibly done while wearing a Hasmat suit.
Phorid flies look similar to fruit flies, around 2-4 mm in size and tan to dark-brown or black in color, with the exception of their hump-backed appearance. Because of the enlarged femurs on their third pair of legs, they are adept runners. A Phorid fly can often be seen running and then stopping repeatedly before they take flight, which has earned them the nickname “scuttle fly”.
Their breeding sites are especially disgusting, their eggs found in any habitat that is moist and contains plenty of decaying material. This can include garbage, dung, drain pipes, broken garbage disposals, feces, fungi, garbage cans, compost heaps, and decomposing animal carcasses, just to name a few. As you can imagine, this makes their presence in any kind of sterile area or kitchens a big problem.
Phorid flies’ love for decaying matter doesn’t stop at animal carcasses, however. They will happily take advantage of decaying human corpses as well. This is unfortunate for our loved ones that have passed on, as Phorid flies have a unique ability to penetrate far beneath soil in order to find the perfect decaying breeding site. Phorid flies are known for traveling as far down as six feet or more under the ground to gain access to decaying bodies inside caskets. Their pentiant for infesting caskets has earned them another nickname, the “coffin fly”. As you can imagine, they frequent cemeteries and mausoleums, where they can bask in decaying liquid waste and pay the ultimate disrespect to us humans after we shed this mortal coil.
Have you ever come across Phorid flies while visiting a cemetery?
