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IdentificationLow risk

What Kind of Fly Is This?

Written by PestMan Editorial TeamTechnical review pendingPublished Updated

Quick answer

Size, colour and where you see it identify most household flies. Grey, 6–7 mm flies around food and bins are house flies. Large, shiny green or blue flies at windows are blowflies. Tiny tan flies with red eyes near fruit are vinegar flies, fuzzy moth-like flies near drains are drain flies, and small dark flies around pot plants are fungus gnats.

Why this happens

Identifying the fly matters because each type breeds somewhere different, and removing the breeding source is how you get rid of them. Spraying the adults without finding where they come from rarely lasts.

Most flies in Australian homes fall into a handful of groups. House flies and blowflies breed in rubbish, meat, pet waste and dead animals. Vinegar flies breed in fermenting fruit and sticky residue. Drain flies breed in the slime inside drains. Fungus gnats breed in damp potting mix.

Outdoors, bush flies crowd around your face in summer and breed in dung in paddocks, while biting flies such as March flies and biting midges (often called sandflies) are found near bushland, creeks and coastal areas.

What you may be seeing

  • House fly: 6–7 mm, grey, four dark stripes on the back of the thorax, landing on food and benches.
  • Blowfly: 8–12 mm, often metallic green, blue or bronze, loud buzzing, gathering at windows.
  • Flesh fly: large and grey with a checkered abdomen; breeds in similar places to blowflies.
  • Vinegar fly: 2–3 mm, tan, red eyes, hovering around fruit, bins and drinks.
  • Drain fly: 2–4 mm, grey, fuzzy, wings held like a roof, resting on bathroom walls.
  • Fungus gnat: 2–4 mm, dark, slender and mosquito-like, running over pot plant soil and flying weakly near windows.

What you can do

  • Note the size, colour and where the flies gather; a photo helps.
  • Match it to the list above, then look for the breeding source that type uses.
  • Many large flies at once: see why there are suddenly lots of flies.
  • Tiny flies around fruit and bins: see small flies in the kitchen.
  • Fuzzy flies near the shower or laundry: see flies coming from the drain.
  • Small dark flies around pot plants: let the potting mix dry out between waterings and empty saucers.

What not to do

  • Do not rely on fly spray before finding the breeding source.
  • Do not spray insecticide near food, fruit bowls or food-preparation areas.

When professional help may be needed

Most household flies are solved by finding and removing the breeding source. Professional help is useful when the source is hidden, such as a dead animal in a wall or roof, or for food businesses with ongoing fly activity.

Flies

Two-winged insects that breed in rotting organic matter. House flies, blowflies, vinegar flies and drain flies each point to a different breeding source, and finding that source is the key to getting rid of them.

Species mentioned

House Fly

Musca domestica

The common grey fly found indoors worldwide. It breeds in rubbish, compost, manure and pet waste, and can carry bacteria onto food.

Blowflies

Family Calliphoridae

Large, often metallic green, blue or bronze flies that breed in meat and dead animals. A sudden swarm indoors usually means something has died nearby.

Vinegar Fly ("Fruit Fly")

Drosophila spp.

Tiny tan flies with red eyes that hover around fruit bowls, bins and drains. Often called fruit flies, but different from the Queensland fruit fly, which attacks fruit on trees.

Drain Fly (Moth Fly)

Family Psychodidae

Small, fuzzy, moth-like flies that breed in the organic slime lining drains and appear on bathroom and laundry walls.

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Sources & further reading

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