Phorid flies are a small, dark brown, hump backed family resembling fruit flies. They can be best identified by their tendency to scatter rapidly across a surface, instead of using their wings to fly away. A Toby’s Pest Control technician recently encountered this unusual pest species. A family experienced a leaky pipe under the slab of their house. The pipe leaked through walls, baseboards and floor, and eventually into the ground. The homeowner estimated the pipe had been leaking for a couple of months before they were able to fix it. However, after recently fixing the pipe Phorid Flies began to appear around the area. The Phorid Flies had begun to breed in the wet and decaying drywall, carpet, and soil under the house. Once this happens, there is only one way to solve the problem, remove the moist breeding ground. Spraying chemicals will only aid in the removal of the flies but not totally solve the problem. A combination of breeding ground removal and insecticide treatment will rid the area of these pests.