While it may be overwhelming and irritating, it isn’t uncommon to find little flies inside your home. In fact, a massive amount of homeowners are constantly seeking help to identify and eliminate tiny pests every day.
If you are one of these homeowners fed up with unwanted guests and ready to reclaim your home, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will be discussing:
- Which fly species are you dealing with?
- How to identify each fly by physical appearance?
- Where you will frequently find little flies in your house
- How to get rid of little flies
Which of These 7 Fly Species is Invading Your Home?
There are a wide variety of insects, bugs, and flies that have no problem taking over your home if the opportunity presents itself. However, some of these little pests are easier to identify than others.
Here is a list of the seven most common tiny flies frequently seen swarming inside homes, making the residents feel helpless.
- Fruit Flies
- Gnats
- Lesser House Flies
- Black Flies
- Drain Flies
- Phorid Flies
- Indianmeal Moths
Identifying House Flies by Physical Appearance
If you know what you are dealing with, you will have a much easier time getting rid of them and keeping them out of your home for good.
Fruit Flies
Fruit Flies are tiny insects that fly around the home, congregating in areas that are soiled or have fresh foods sitting out.
These flies are about a tenth inch to a fifth of an inch long, with a small set of wings, yellow bodies with black stripes, and distinct red eyes.
Gnats
A gnat closely resembles a mosquito, with some of them having the ability to bite and others that can’t.
Gnats have six long legs, a body divided into three sections, and a pair of wings. Gnats are typically a yellowish color, tan or dark brown.
Lesser House Fly
Lesser houseflies resemble your basic house fly quite a bit, with the biggest difference being their size. These flies are on average 5 to 6 mm in length.
Lesser houseflies are a yellowish color with three black stripes on their back.
Black Flies
Black flies are very small in size, ranging from around 5 to 15 millimeters as full-grown adults.
These flies have arched thoracic regions like the hump on a buffalo’s back, small antennas, and large fanned-shaped wings.
Black flies are annoying blood-sucking insects that can be a huge nuisance in the warm summer months.
Drain Flies
Drain flies are one of the smallest flies you will ever see in your home, mainly sticking around moist, humid areas.
Drain flies are mostly brown with a fuzzy or furry appearance and can grow anywhere between 1.5 – 5 mm long.
Phorid Flies
Adult Phorid flies are tiny insects, about 1/16” to 1/8” in length. Phorid flies are yellowish-brown or black in color.
Phorid flies have a small head, a short, narrowed abdomen, and large legs with a hind femur laterally flattened (adapted for jumping).
Indian meal Moth (Meal Moth)
The Indian Meal Moth is around 0.3 to 0.5 mm in length and often a whitish pink or grey color. You will notice they have dual coloring on their wings, making them stand out amongst other bugs.
The front half of the meal moth is often a lighter color than the back and the thorax.
Where Do Little Flies Hide Out in Homes?
Before you can successfully get rid of the little flies taking control of your house, you first have to understand their patterns and behaviors, such as what they eat and where they hide?
Once you know how they are surviving in your home, you can work towards kicking them out.
Damp Areas
All living organisms require water to survive, and this includes all seven of the flies listed above.
Many homeowners notice that a lot of the insect activity frequently happens in the bathroom and kitchen, which has a lot to do with the sinks and drains.
For example, drain flies are attracted to sewage and sludge, so they often hang out inside sink and tub drain or basin.
Garbage and Food Waste
Another huge attraction for little flies inside homes is where food and waste can be found rotting and decaying.
A location like trash bins, fruit buckets, or garbage disposals is all ideal locations for flies to flock to, providing a perfect spot for food and shelter.
Fruit flies are frequently seen hovering around sweet food items or rotting fruits. These same locations are also known as hideouts for fungus gnats, black flies, Phorid Flies, etc.
Cupboards and Pantries
Your cupboards and pantries are also idyllic for little flies because they are dry, cool, and dark. It wouldn’t be a surprise if you walked into your food pantry one day and found some Indian moths inside your cereal, oatmeal, or rice boxes.
Most food cupboards and shelves will contain spilled food or open boxes, which is a calling to tons of flies looking for a quick and easy meal.
Potted Plants
Having potted plants inside your home is a great way to attract a large number of different insects. Many fly species will flock to your lovely house plants, including a few of the ones mentioned above.
There are numerous reasons flies like indoor plants, with the most common ones being ample amount of water, rotting or decaying plants, and a safe place to hide.
How to Get Rid of Little Flies for Good
Now that you have a good idea as to which type of fly you are dealing with and where to find them, you can now do what is necessary to get rid of them.
Here are a few ways you can eliminate little flies from your home.
Keep Your Home Cleaned Up
While it is possible to have an infestation in a spotless home, more times than not, bugs and flies are attracted to sludge, garbage, and leftover food.
This doesn’t mean you have an unhealthy home; it just means you may want to do a bit extra mopping during the summer months, clean your garbage bins out more often, and keep your sinks and cupboards cleaned out and dry.
Make Necessary Repairs
If you have leaky or dripping pipes, faucets, or drains, quickly make the proper repairs, so there are no moist areas in your home or rotting wood for little insects to feed on.
Make sure your refrigerator is not leaking or dripping, and check the rest of the appliances around the house to make sure everything is working properly.
Keep Your Yard Bug Free
It is nearly impossible to eliminate all flies and bugs from your yard, but spraying insecticides and treating your grass, especially close to the home, is important to keep unwanted insects from buzzing their way into your house.
Treat your garden flowers, potted plants, and other spaces for bugs, and keep compost piles, garbage cans, and dog food and water bowls as far from home as possible.
Purchase Products Designed to Eliminate Flies
If you have an infestation or you want to get ahead of the flies in order to prevent one, you can purchase insecticides and other products to keep these critters under control.
Insecticides: You can purchase some extremely effective yet toxic insecticides from pretty much any store you visit or online. Always be careful when using these products and never use them around pets or children.
Flytraps: There are a lot of different fly trap options available on the market today. You can purchase ones that hang from the ceiling, stick to the windows, or plug into the wall. These fly traps use glue that holds the fly in place once it lands, trapping it where it sits.
Fly Repellents: You can always try to stop flies before they become a problem with fly repellents. There are a few different products that offer this service, including oils, sprays, and sound transmissions.
DIY repellents: If you are not comfortable with using insecticides, there are many different ways you can create your own DIY formulas that are believed to help control fly activity in your home.
Things you can consider using include witch hazel, apple cider vinegar, eucalyptus oil, other essential oils, soaps, basil, etc.
There are a ton of great mixtures you can find online that can help you reduce the number of flies inside your home.
Call in Pest Control- If you are having a hard time identifying the flies in your home or aren’t sure where to start when it comes to getting rid of them, call in the professionals who have experience and knowledge in this particular field.
Summing Things Up
Although it isn’t uncommon to find bugs in your home, no one ever wants to deal with it. The best way to handle little flies infiltrating your house is by having the knowledge required to identify them and the proper information to eliminate them.
Alright, that’s it for this article, here are a few hand-selected articles that you might also find interesting reads:
Small Brown Bugs In Kitchen – What Are They?What Are Those Tiny Black Bugs in the House That Bite?
What Are the Tiny Jumping Bugs in My House?
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