Keep Phorid Flies Away from Your Home and Restaurant

Phorid Flies

Do you own a restaurant or any other food establishment? Do you want to keep your home kitchen clean and safe? Then, don’t ignore the flies sliding across your service table or kitchen shelf. These can be Phorid flies which are not only extremely annoying, but extremely harmful too.

Phorid flies or ‘drain flies’ as we commonly call them, is commonly found in homes and restaurants etc. These flies resemble fruit flies, but they don’t have the red eyes like fruit flies. Phorid flies are pale brown in color and their eyes are black. They also have a hump on their back which is their most visible feature. Common Mistaken for Fruit Flies.A very peculiar habit of these flies is that instead of flying away (like other kinds of flies), these run away quickly when faced with a supposed danger. You can find such flies in house kitchens and food establishments like restaurants, fast food centers, cafes etc. They can also be found in hospitals and food warehouses.

The history of a Phorid fly starts in the egg form. The female fly lays about 40 eggs within a 12 hour period.  An adult female Phorid fly lays about 500 eggs in her lifetime.  It lays the eggs in or near a decaying organic matter, which could be anything from animal excreta to raw meat. It takes only a day for the larvae to emerge out of the eggs. The larvae stay there from 8 to 16 days and feed on the decaying matter they were laid on. At the end of this period, the larvae can crawl to drier spot.

If the conditions are ideal, then a Phorid fly can complete it life cycle, from an egg to an adult in just 14 days. But it may take them up to 37 days to go through these stages. They have a rather short life-span but even this short time; they can spread many diseases and infections.

They can also infect patients and injured people in the hospitals. Phorid flies can even lay eggs in the wounds of patients who did not get proper medical help in time. Hence, it is very important to eliminate these flies from any establishments. For this, you will have to first find out the source of the flies and eliminate it.

Phorid flies are found in almost any kind of environment, but their ideal place is on or near decaying materials. They can be near garbage bins or any decaying material. In homes, these flies are generally found in the kitchen near kitchen sink, garbage disposal and garbage containers. They can also be found in the bathrooms and basements of homes and food establishments.

The biggest problem with these pests is that it’s very hard to locate their exact breeding area. But for complete elimination of these pests from any structure, it is crucial to find the location from where these flies are originating in the building. Too look for their breeding source, look in every place that might have some decaying and moist matter because Phorid fly’s larvae can only survive in such places.

Therefore, the first place where you should look will be where food and meat is stored outside the cooler or refrigerator. If you store fruits or vegetables outside the fridge for a long period, then it might become a breeding ground for these pests. The next obvious suspect would be your garbage cans or recycling bins which have not been cleaned in a while. The bins where you throw away your organic garbage can also become breeding grounds of these flies. You should also look beneath your refrigerator, water coolers, freezers etc. These places are generally moist and dark with a lot of organic garbage trapped in them. Thus, can be a perfect source of Phorid flies in your home or food establishment. Also, don’t overlook your drainage area and toilets during your search.

The tiny food particles can gather near the feet of tables and cabinet which can get accumulated in tiny cracks or spaces in the walls or the floor. This is especially common in commercial food establishments where a lot of people dine in one place.

You must remember that there might be more than one breeding places of Phorid flies in a particular structure. So, don’t stop after finding one and check the entire area. Breeding spaces might also be outdoors like in your backyard or porch.

Once you find out all the sources, your next step should be sanitize each and every one of those areas. For this, you should first dispose all the solid organic material in that area. Mop the floor and walls around that area with water mixed with some kind of disinfectant. After this, you must spray an effective anti-bugs spray to eliminate any larvae. Don’t forget to spray inside the tiny holes and cracks in the floor and walls.

To ensure that these pests don’t return, keep those areas and any other such areas where these flies can breed, absolutely clean. As far as possible, don’t let organic material fall on the ground and don’t store it out of the refrigerator.

You can also call a professional exterminator for this purpose. Getting professional help will not only make your job much easier, but will also be more effective on the flies. If you think Phorid flies are your pest problem, call Beyond Pest Control today. We can help you

The sanitation and cleanliness of your home and business is up to you. So, take the right steps to keep it free of any pests.

If you have any questions about pest control check out the rest of our website or go to our blog at http://nypestpro.blogspot.com.

Beyond Pest Control.

Our pest control specialists service all NYC boroughs, including Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island (both Nassau & Suffolk counties), Staten Island and even both Westchester & Rockland counties.