# Flies in bathroom - Phorid flies? Help with identification, please



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

I think there might be body parts behind the wall. This species of fly are the ones that find dead organic matter first due to their extremely keen sense of smell.
Are(were) you married?


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## ScurryRay (Jul 24, 2015)

No, I am not married. So that looks like a phorid?


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Scurry Ray:

I expect the flies are breeding in the overflow drain channel in your bathroom sink.

When you use the sink, soap scum, human hair and skin cells find their way into that overflow drain. As the mass of organic matter inside that overflow channel accumulates, it becomes an attractive location for flies to lay their eggs.

What I do is remove the upstream half of the P-trap and plug up the bottom of the tail piece somehow. In my case, I use a 1 1/4 inch hub trap adapter cemented to a short piece of plastic pipe with a clean out at the other end. I put a 5 gallon pail under the sink open side up and set a board across the the pail. I adjust the height of the pail so that the plastic clean out is resting on the board. Then I fill the sink with water so that the entrance to the overflow channel on the sink is submerged.

Now, I plunger the sink drain. Since the water surge can't go down the drain, it travels up the sink overflow channel to break up all the rotting putrefaction inside there. Then I slip the board out from under the plastic clean out, unscrew the plastic plug from the clean out and let all the dirty water drain into the 5 gallon pail.

I repeat this procedure several times until no more crap comes out of the overflow channel when I plunger the sink drain.


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## ScurryRay (Jul 24, 2015)

Thanks so much for the detailed advice. I am mechanically inept so not sure I follow all of ghat but Googled the P-trap and see what that is. Assuming if I shut off my water supply, take off the P-Trap and clean those pipes out that will achieve the same result?

Do you think those are phorid files or does it even matter? Thanks for the help!


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## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

Kidding aside, animals can get in the house and die. Sometimes in the attic, crawl space, basement, walls, etc.. Flies will find these carcasses.
Have you smelled anything recently that was...unpleasant?
Check for opening in the house. Vents in the attic, on the side of the house. Openings in the fascia boards.
Squirrels will find these openings and build nests.


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## ScurryRay (Jul 24, 2015)

Thanks, Ron. Wasn't sure if the earlier post was a joke or not. Ha.

Have not smelled anything. That said, I did have some roofing repairs a week or so ago and there was one night where part of an area was left open to dry so I suppose something could have crawled in. That said, that work was far away from where there current issue is but who knows. It does seem like the problem started shortly after that although i definitely saw some of the flies peridiocally now and then well before just not in these numbers. I will check the attic and crawl space again and see if I can find anything. Also got some foaming drain cleaner and will try that tomorrow. Thanks a lot, guys.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

No, the previous post was not a joke. I own a small apartment block, and I find that flies will lay eggs in the organic matter that accumulates in the sink overflow drain channel. I have made a special fitting out of a 1 1/4 X 1 1/2 inch hub trap adapter and a 1 1/2 inch clean out that allows me to remove the P-trap and block off the drain pipe at the bottom. Then I fill the sink with water until the overflow drain is completely submerged. I fill the sink with the drain plug out because the fitting described above prevents the water from draining out of the sink. Then I plunger the sink drain. Since the water surge can't go down the drain (because it's blocked), it goes up the sink overflow drain channel, thereby clearing all the crap out of it. If you can't clear that overflow drain channel, then fill the sink with water up to the overflow drain channel and then pour a gallon of bleach into the sink as quickly as you can without getting it all over the floor. That bleach/water solution will flood the overflow drain and kill all the flies in it, and hopefully their eggs, too. I think boiling water might work equally well, too.


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## 78Vette (Nov 25, 2009)

Do you have a exhaust vent going into or hopefully through the attic, out the soffit or roof? If so, i would get up there to inspect the duct to make sure there are no holes in it that the flies could enter the house through. And while up there, check for dead mice etc....


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## die4irish (Nov 10, 2014)

clean up under the rim of the toilet. they love that spot also.


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