How to Treat Phorid Flies
Phorid flies require moisture and decaying matter to breed. They can breed in potted plants, on rotten food, in drains, or even in cat litter boxes. While they prefer to breed indoors, they can also breed outside as well, in areas like compost piles, decaying plant debris, trash cans, dead animals, mulch beds, or even wet soil. If they are breeding outside, they can certainly fly into your house when you open a door window.
As with any species of flies, the best way to eliminate them is to remove their breeding areas. However, sometimes the best we can do is treat the breeding areas.
To treat drains, please watch my video on how to treat drain flies. The same treatment works for phorid flies. A link to that video is below.
Make sure that you have no decaying food or vegetables.
Clean trash cans and empty the trash cans frequently.
Make sure that cat litter boxes are cleaned every day.
If you have potted plants, make sure that you do not over water them. You can treat the soil in your potted plants with Raid House and Garden insect killer. This product kills on contact, but it has little or no residual action, so you must continue to apply it until they infestation is gone. I recommend that you spray the soil everyday at the same time for 21 days. This will not harm the plants.
After you treat all the breeding areas in your home, you can kill the stragglers with Raid Flying Insect spray. You should wear eye protection and respirator when doing this treatment. After you kill the flies, you should keep all people and pets out of the treated area for a couple of hours. If you like, you can also hang a couple of fly traps in areas where you are seeing activity.
Look for potential breeding areas outside and eliminate them. One of the most obvious at least treated areas are trash cans. Dirty trash cans can be a breeding area for different species of flies, including phorid flies. You can treat trash cans by spraying all surfaces inside the can with Raid Ant and Roach Killer. One application usually does the trick, but you may repeat it if necessary.
Video on how to treat drain flies: Easy 3 Second Fix for Drain and Fruit Flies
Raid House and Garden insect killer: Amazon.com: Raid House and Garden Insect Killer, Kills Ants, Roaches, Spiders and Flies on Contact, 11oz
Raid Flying Insect spray: Amazon.com: Raid Flying Insect Spray, Outdoor Fresh Scent, Kills Flies, Mosquitoes, and Other Flying Insects on Contact, for Indoor and Outdoor Use, 18oz : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Raid Ant and Roach Killer: Amazon.com: Raid Ant & Roach Killer Spray For Listed Bugs, Keeps Killing for Weeks, Lemon Scent, 17.5 oz : Industrial & Scientific