We have a problem with having irritating, but seemingly non-harmful flies. These are just a bit bigger than fruit flies, a bit fatter. The seem like fungus flies but they dont have the long legs that fungus flies have. These flies are black, and very slow, you can just grab a papertowl and place it over them to catch/kill them. They seems to be solitary, they dont cluster like cluster flies. They hang out on the walls and there is seldom more than 3 in any room viable on the white walls. another reason I dont think they are fungus flies is we have no soil in the house, no plants. Any ideas what they are and how to get rid of them?

-- joe duider (calvin12d@attbi.com), May 03, 2002

Answers

I've seen similar flies, too. The last time we had a bunch I sucked them all up with the vacuum cleaner! It worked! I plan to do this in addition to my fruit fly traps this summer.

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), May 03, 2002.

If they are all black (wings too) & triangular shaped they may be sewer files. Pour a little bleach in any drains, ejector pump holes, sump pump holes etc... You may need to repeat occasionally.

-- Debbie in IL (debbie@fli-soft.com), May 03, 2002.