How to Kill Fruit Flies Drain Flies and Phorid Flies

Doc shows his full plan on how to kill fruit flies. However, what most will discover is that they don’t have fruit flies but have Phorid flies or drain flies.  It’s critical that you identify which fly you have as they need to be treated differently.  You MUST have a full plan in place or they will continue to breed and last for months. Fruit flies are small insects, typically measuring around 3-4 millimeters in length. They have a tan or light brown body with red eyes. Phorid flies are also small insects, but they tend to be slightly larger than fruit flies. They have a humpbacked appearance, with a distinct “hump” on their thorax. Their body color can vary from pale to dark brown, and their wings are often longer in proportion to their body size.

How to Kill Fruit Flies Video

Fruit Flies and Drain Fly Products

Hose End Spray Around the House

Knock Down Spray

Crawl Space Foggers

Drain Killer

Drain Cleaner

Lights that Catch Flies

The ZEVO Brand

The RAID Brand

1. Wing Shape:
   • Fruit Flies: Fruit flies have relatively large wings in proportion to their body size. Their wings are wider and more oval-shaped.
   • Phorid Flies: Phorid flies have smaller wings that are more narrow and pointed. Their wings give them a distinctive humpbacked appearance when seen from the side.
2. Behavior and Habitats:
   • Fruit Flies: Fruit flies are commonly found around ripe or decaying fruits, vegetables, and other organic materials. They are attracted to the fermenting sugars and yeast produced during the decomposition process.
   • Phorid Flies: Phorid flies are often associated with decaying organic matter as well, but they can also be found in a wide range of habitats, including human-made environments like sewage systems, drains, and garbage. Some species of phorid flies are even known as “coffin flies” due to their habit of infesting buried bodies.
3. Breeding and Lifecycle:
   • Fruit Flies: Fruit flies lay their eggs on the surface of fermenting materials. The larvae (maggots) feed on the decaying matter before pupating into adult flies.
   • Phorid Flies: Phorid flies have diverse breeding habits. Some species lay eggs on various types of decaying organic matter, while others are parasitoids of other insects, including ants. Phorid fly larvae often have a unique behavior called “skip-walking,” where they move in a series of short hops.
4. Impact and Importance:
   • Fruit Flies: Fruit flies are considered pests in homes and commercial settings where they infest stored fruits and vegetables. They can also be a nuisance in laboratories and research facilities.
   • Phorid Flies: Phorid flies are known to be pests in certain situations, such as infesting stored food products and causing sanitation issues in sewage systems. Some species are also important in forensic entomology, aiding in the estimation of time of death in criminal investigations.