Flies in the Home

Fact Sheet No. 5.502 Insect Series|Home and Garden

by W.S. Cranshaw and F.B. Peairs*

Several kinds of flies may be found Quick Facts
within homes and buildings in Colorado.
Most are transients that do not reproduce • Many kinds of flies can be
indoors but move from outdoor sites to found indoors. Some of
buildings, often while seeking protected these flies only temporarily
sites for shelter during the cool months. use buildings for shelter while
Some can breed indoors, developing in other flies may reproduce
sites such as overripe fruit (e.g., vinegar/ indoors.
small fruit flies), in soil of houseplants
(e.g., fungus gnats), within drains (e.g., • Flies that use buildings as
moth flies, humpbacked flies), or in moist temporary seasonal shelter,
garbage. The flies found indoors often are such as cluster flies and
merely nuisance pests, although those that bluebottle flies, are best
develop in manure, carrion, and garbage Figure 1: Life stages of the house fly. (Photo
courtesy Clemson University.)
managed by sealing buildings
may be contaminated with disease-causing prior to periods when they
bacteria, including those associated with move to buildings in late
food poisoning.
summer and early autumn.
The most commonly observed stage of
any type of fly is the winged, adult stage. • Some flies, particularly the
The immature stages (larvae) are in the smaller flies, can reproduce
form of pale, legless maggot. When full in homes feeding on items
grown, the larvae usually wander a bit away such as overripe fruit, fungi in
from their breeding site than transform to a the soil of houseplants, or in
different stage, the pupa. Further changes
material found in drains.
occur during the pupal stage, with the
adult form ultimately emerging. Many flies • Eliminating food sources
can complete a cycle of this development used by developing flies is an
(egg, larva, pupa, and adult) in a short important step to take to limit
Figure 2: Black blow fly
period, a week or two, and produce many problems with flies that can
generations a year (Figure 1). On the other breed within a building.
hand, some flies found in homes during
flies (Calliphora species). Normally these
the winter may be in a dormant condition • Screening, caulking and other
flies breed outdoors, but during the cool
and will remain in the adult form for many methods that exclude flies is
season they seek out sheltered areas, which
months without reproducing. important in limiting problems
often include buildings. Bluebottle flies
and the black blow fly do not go into full that temporarily used
Common Flies Found in winter dormancy and not only may become buildings for shelter, such as
active during warm periods in winter and cluster flies.
Buildings
early spring, but are also capable of laying
Blow Fly
eggs and reproducing if conditions are
The blow flies found in buildings are favorable. These blow flies are scavengers,
fairly large, metallic gray, blue or black flies. particularly of animal-based materials. They © Colorado State University
Common species include the black blow commonly breed in carrion or pet waste. Extension. 3/03. Revised 1/17.
fly (Phormia regina) and various bluebottle The presence of large numbers of blow
extension.colostate.edu
flies within a home may be due to several
*
Colorado State University Extension entomologists reasons. During late fall and winter large
and professors, bioagricultural sciences and pest numbers of flies indicate that there were
management. 1/2017
 several accessible entry points when they
were seeking winter shelter in fall. These
flies may also be attracted to gas leaks,
and are very sensitive to odors produced
by the decomposition of a recently dead
animal.
On rare occasion one might encounter
large numbers of blow flies breeding
on a dead animal - usually a mouse or
squirrel – that has died behind the walls
of a home. Sometimes the presence
of these flies preceded by observations
of migrating maggots, which wander
from the carcass after they are full
Figure 3: Bluebottle fly grown. Although such occurrences are
unpleasant, they are usually short-lived
and self-limiting, as the insects are only Figure 7: Ceroxys latiusculus, a
capable of breeding on freshly killed picturewinged fly that commonly enters
buildings in autumn.
animals.

Cluster Flies
Cluster flies (Pollenia species) are
often the most common fly found in
homes during the cool months and are
particularly abundant in higher elevation
areas of the state. They can sometimes be
serious nuisance problems, particularly
in taller buildings where they tend to
concentrate on upper stories on the south
Figure 4: Cluster fly
and west sides. Cluster flies are moderate
sized, generally dark gray and are
distinguishable by the presence of golden Figure 8: Fungus gnat on a soil surface.
hairs on areas of the thorax.
Cluster flies are actually a type of blow
fly, but have very different habits than the During the cool season cluster flies
bluebottle flies and black blow fly. They normally remain inactive, resting in
are not a type of “filth fly” that develop as cavities behind walls, often in large
a scavenger, but instead are parasites of clusters. Some flies may become active
earthworms. In spring and summer the during warm periods, move about a bit
adult flies are present in lawn areas, where and may then incidentally wander into
they lay eggs on the soil in sites where living areas, where they may be seen
earthworms are present. When eggs flying lazily about a room. However,
hatch, the tiny larvae of the cluster flies cluster flies do not feed nor reproduce
Figure 5: House flies feeding on a ripe melon. burrow into the soil to seek an earthworm within buildings and those that move out
on which they will feed. from their sheltered sites behind walls will
Cluster flies survive winters in the usually die within a couple of weeks.
adult stage, but in a semi-dormant
condition (diapause) during which time House Fly
they neither feed nor reproduce. In late The house fly (Musca domestica) is the
summer and early autumn they may be best known of the house-infesting flies
seen sunning themselves on sun-exposed but is generally not the most common
sides of buildings during warm periods. species found in buildings in Colorado.
Many of these will move into cracks and House flies generally are gray, with the
crevices of the building, seeking cavities thorax marked with broad dark stripes.
behind walls as a protected sites to spend Most often there is some yellow coloring
the winter months. In the process of along the sides.
Figure 6: Little house fly. (Photo courtesy of seeking these sheltering sites within the House flies usually are found where
David Shetlar, Ohio State University.)
building they tend to migrate upwards, humans are present. Larvae commonly
and thus are found most abundantly in develop in or near man-made sources of
upper floors of buildings. food and can be found in garbage, animal
 waste, culled fruits and vegetables, and Small Fruit Flies/Vinegar Flies
spilled animal feed. The adult flies feed Small fruit flies, also known as vinegar
on a wide range of liquid waste but can flies, are among the smallest flies found in
eat solid foods, such as sugar. To digest homes (2.0-2.5 mm). They usually are light
solid foods, house flies liquefy food by brown and the most common species
regurgitating it. Because of this habit, have bright red eyes. The larvae develop
house flies can pose serious health threats feeding on yeasts and within a home
by mechanically transmitting disease they are most often found associated
organisms. During mild winters, house with overripe fruit. Other sources of
flies may fly and breed continuously, as fermenting materials that support growth
temperatures permit. of yeasts, such as residues present in the
Figure 9: Fungus gnat on a sticky card bottom of unwashed beer or beverage
Little House Fly containers, are other common sites where
Little house flies (Fannia species) small fruit flies will breed. They are also
are smaller than house and face flies readily attracted to open bottles of wines,
but similar in appearance. Indoors, they beer and vinegar. Populations tend to
fly for long periods and rarely rest. The be greatest in late summer and early fall
adult flies lay eggs in decaying organic as they infest fruits during the harvest
matter, particularly decaying animals or season and then are moved indoors.
very moist manure, where the maggot-
stage larvae feed. The presence of large Moth Flies
numbers of little house flies are most Moth flies, sometimes called “drain
often associated with sites where poultry flies” or “filter flies”, are occasional
and livestock are being raised. problems in homes, most often seen in
and around drains of sinks and bathtubs.
A Picturewinged Fly The adults are very small flies (2 mm),
Ceroxys latiusculus is a fly of house often grayish and superficially resemble a
fly size that has distinctive dark band tiny moth. The larvae develop by feeding
patterning on its wings (“picture wings”). within the gel of bacteria that often
Figure 10: Small fruit flies (“vinegar flies”) on the
surface of an overripe peach. In some areas they are a common invader coats the inside of continuously wetted
of homes in early autumn, often found plumbing. Moistened filters of swamp
around windows. However, unlike cluster coolers, fish tanks and other similar sites
flies, Ceroxys latiusculus does not survive may also be breeding areas of moth
indoors through winter and those that flies. Large numbers of the flies can be
do enter buildings usually are all dead produced where there is a problem with
by the end of November. Larvae of this broken or leaking drain pipes. There can
picturewinged fly develop within the be many areas outdoors where moth flies
stems of Senecio, which include several can breed outdoors and these may be
native plants in the aster/sunflower attracted outdoor lighting.
family.
Humpbacked Flies/Phorid Flies
Fungus Gnats The humpbacked flies, also known as
Fungus gnats are small, dark flies most phorid flies, are another type of “drain fly”
Figure 11: Moth fly often found collecting around windows that may be associated with plumbing.
during fall and winter. Fungus gnats can In general size (3 mm) and appearance
be found indoors infesting potting mixes they somewhat resemble a small fruit
used for houseplants or hopping across fly, but can be distinguished by the large
the soil surface. High organic matter plant humped thorax when viewed from the
mixtures and organic fertilizers, such as side. Larvae of humpbacked flies can
fish emulsion, encourage fungus gnat develop by feeding on an extremely
development. Overwatering, a common wide range of moist, decaying organic
problem during fall and winter, increases materials including garbage, dead animal
fungi and fungus gnat development. matter, and even some paints. Those that
Fungus gnats can reproduce on indoor occur indoors are often breeding in food
plants and cause little if any damage. They waste associated with drains.
also occur outdoors where they breed
Figure 12: Adults of the humpbacked fly in mushrooms and other decaying plant
Megaselia scalaris materials.
Management of Indoor controlled by eliminating the bacterial gel can be found in homes. If traps do exist
Flies coat or lodged food waste that supports they are used in combination with other
these types of flies. This may be done by management methods – sanitation and/
Sanitation
thoroughly scraping the pipes and drains or exclusion. Used alone, no kind of fly
The most important first step to with a brush. Drain cleaners formulated trap will provide satisfactory control.
manage almost any type of fly that may to remove these materials can also be Perhaps most widely used are traps
be found indoors is to eliminate the used to clear plumbing. Cleaners that are to capture small fruit flies, as these traps
sources of food on which they develop. effective for this purpose often include can be easily and cheaply made. Many
This will prevent additional breeding of enzymes and are formulated as a foam types of baits can be used that are highly
the flies, although adults that are already that can allow persistent contact to allow attractive to the adult flies, including cider
present may remain for a week or more, them time to effectively break down and vinegar, red wines, and mashed banana/
until they die out. eliminate the food sources that coat the beer mixtures. When such baits are
Where small fruit flies (vinegar flies) plumbing. Pour down drain cleaners, placed in the bottom of a jar with a paper
are a concern this often involves either such as lye, and hot water do not do a cone over the top large numbers of small
consuming, covering, or storing all good job of eliminating this material and fruit flies can be trapped for disposal.
susceptible fruit in a refrigerator for at kill few, if any, of the flies developing in Commercial traps based on the same
least a week, until the remaining adult plumbing. These “drain flies” also may principles are also available from many
flies have died out. Any discarded develop in sites where there are drips or hardware stores and some nurseries.
fruits/vegetables should be promptly cracks in plumbing or where water may Various food-based “fly traps” also are
disposed of outdoors. Used beverage condense and moisten areas behind walls for sale, usually in the form of some sort
containers should be thoroughly washed or under floors. If this occurs then these of jar with a cone at the top. Various lures
before being discarded and are best moisture sources must be corrected and are used to attract the flies and the type
stored outdoors during outbreaks. Food the area allowed to dry out. of lure used is critical for how well they
residues that may collect on the bottom capture flies. For example, lures used for
of waste containers also should be Exclusion house flies often have some sugar/yeast
washed. based bait while blow flies are often more
Screening and other exclusion
House flies, little house flies, and attracted to baits that have a protein-base
techniques can be important steps to
blow flies can breed in many types of or ammonium carbonate.
take to limit several types of indoor fly
moist garbage. They are also capable Some flies are attracted to lights,
problems, particularly with flies that
of developing rapidly, particularly such as moth flies, humpbacked flies
develop outdoors and use homes for
with warmer temperatures. Garbage and house flies. Lights that produce
temporary shelter. Tight fitting screens
containers should be covered to prevent wave lengths most attractive to these
can prevent indoor access by many flies.
access by flies within the building and insects can be used to capture flies
However, cracks and crevices around
then should be regularly removed to on a sticky surface or to electrocute
windows, under soffits, and around
covered outdoor storage for disposal. them. The latter designs, known as “bug
ventilation openings are common sites
Removal of household garbage may zappers”, often cause many insects to
that allow flies to work their way behind
need to be done as often as every 4 to 5 break apart, scattering body pieces that
walls and later enter living areas. These
days during summer to prevent flies from can contaminate the area near the trap.
openings must be sealed before flies
successfully breeding within a home. Because of this bug zapper traps should
enter buildings. For example, cluster flies
To control fungus gnats, allow the never be used near areas where food is
rarely are found indoors until late winter
soil of houseplants to dry thoroughly prepared or consumed.
and spring but typically enter buildings
between watering and eliminate
during late August and September. To
decomposing plant materials. This
prevent later problems with cluster
reduces the amount of fungi where
flies and other “winter flies” all sealing/
fungus gnats breed. Some insecticides
caulking activities should be done by
are also available to control fungus gnat
Labor Day, before these insects start to
larvae breeding in soil of houseplants.
filter into cavities behind walls for winter
Certain formulations of the biological
shelter.
control bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis
Exclusion can also involve methods
var. israelensis (GnatrolR, Mosquito
that prevent flies from accessing
BitsR) are often sold at nurseries or
foods. Sealing garbage cans, tightly
garden centers for this purpose. (More
covering foods and beverages, or storing
information on fungus gnats and their
susceptible foods in a refrigerator can be
control is found in Fact Sheet 5.584,
useful for limiting flies that breed in these
Fungus Gnats as Houseplant and Indoor
materials.
Pests http://extension.colostate.edu/
topic-areas/insects/fungus-gnats-as-
Trapping
houseplant-and-indoor-pests-5-584/.)
Moth flies and humpbacked flies that Traps are available that can capture Figure 13: A homemade small fruit fly trap,
are breeding within plumbing can be some, but not all, of the kinds of flies that baited with cider vinegar.
 Sticky strips of “fly paper” has long
been used to control house flies. This
type of trap is effective for house flies
because of their habit of moving to
vertical surfaces to rest. Fly paper strips
usually catch few of the other kinds of
flies that can occur indoors.
Some chemicals have been shown
to have some repellency to flies. As with
the chemicals used for as attractants the
effect of various repellents varies greatly
depending on the species of fly.

Table 1. Common flies that occur in buildings and their management.

Fly Species Scientific Name Controls
Black blow fly Phormia regina Tightly seal garbage containers and regularly remove animal manure from areas
Bluebottle flies Calliphora species around the home. Screen windows in summer and seal areas around windows. Use fly paper or fly traps.

Cluster flies Pollenia species By early September, caulk and seal all openings around windows and other sites where overwintering
flies may enter homes. Give particular attention to entry points on south and west sides near the top of the
building. Desiccant (drying) dusts can be blown behind walls to help kill flies before they move into living
areas.

House fly Musca domestica Screen windows. Reduce outdoor breeding sites (decaying plant matter). Fly traps may supplement
control.

Little house fly Fannia species Screen windows. Reduce outdoor breeding sites (primarily decaying animal matter and animal waste).
Fly traps may supplement control.

Picturewing fly Ceratoxys latiuscula Picturewing flies are harmless, minor nuisance pests that move into buildings in autumn. Preventive
practices that restrict other flies from entering homes will also prevent these flies from occurring indoors.

Fungus gnats Bradysia species Reduce watering of house plants to allow increased drying and limit development of soil fungi on which
larval stages feed. Discard rotting or decaying plant materials. Some insecticides (including Bacillus
thuringiensis var. israelensis) can be applied to houseplant soil to kill larvae.

Vinegar flies/Small Drosophila Remove all sources where breeding can occur, including overripe fruit and fermenting materials (e.g.,
fruit flies species stale beer or soft drinks). Vinegar/red wine baited traps can capture many adults.

Humpbacked fly/ Megascelis scalaris Thoroughly clear drains through a combination of mechanical scrubbing and drain cleaners to effectively
Drain fly remove all semi-solid food material lodged in drains. If problems are related to plumbing leaks/breaks
then these need to be corrected.

Moth flies/Filter fly Psychoda species Mechanically scrub and/or use drain cleaners to remove the bacterial gel coating of plumbing
within which this insect breeds. If problems are related to plumbing leaks/breaks then these need to be
corrected.

Colorado State University, U.S. Department of

Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating.
CSU Extension programs are available to all without
discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned
is intended nor is criticism implied of products not
mentioned.