I have small black flies ... - Ask Extension
I have small black flies in the house that have a jerking, rather than smooth flight pattern. I have attached a photo of the fly (next to pencil tip...
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I have small black flies ... #222982
Asked December 22, 2014, 11:27 AM EST
I have small black flies in the house that have a jerking, rather than smooth flight pattern. I have attached a photo of the fly (next to pencil tip), slightly the worse for wear after I swatted it with my hand. When they are alighted on a surface, their walking pattern is a quick dart, wait, quick dart, etc. i don't believe they are fruit flies. I have numerous house plants, but the flies don't seem to congregate around the pots (as I would expect of fungus gnats). How do I positively identify the and get rid of them?.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
There are many types of nuisance flies that can come in our homes.
Our entomologist is not in the office today so we can't give you a definite identification as to type, but it sounds and looks like a house fly as opposed to fungus gnats, drain flies or fruit flies.
None of these insects has a very long life cycle, so control is relatively easy and relies on either just trapping/swatting/killing those you see, which should take care of the problem unless they are breeding inside, in which case you need to find and eliminate those sites.
Here is our page about flies in and around the home and their control: https://www.extension.umd.edu/learn/flies
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Our entomologist is not in the office today so we can't give you a definite identification as to type, but it sounds and looks like a house fly as opposed to fungus gnats, drain flies or fruit flies.
None of these insects has a very long life cycle, so control is relatively easy and relies on either just trapping/swatting/killing those you see, which should take care of the problem unless they are breeding inside, in which case you need to find and eliminate those sites.
Here is our page about flies in and around the home and their control: https://www.extension.umd.edu/learn/flies
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