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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Nematocera" (Non-Brachycera) » Psychodomorpha » Moth Flies and Sand Flies (Psychodidae)
Photo#103547
bathroom pest
Copyright © 2007 bfollett

bathroom pest
Panama City, Florida, USA
April 16, 2007
Size: 1/4 inch
These small insect keeps showing up in our bathroom (which has no windows) so I'm concerned as to where they are coming from and what they might be doing in there. Its pretty small(I'd say smaller than your average pea in diameter) and dark colored (the flash lightened it up a bit in the photo). Any help is appreciated.
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Contributed by bfollett on 16 April, 2007 - 11:12am
Last updated 16 April, 2007 - 12:15pm

This is a 'Moth Fly' (Diptera
This is a 'Moth Fly' (Diptera: Psychodidae). The larva are scavengers in your plumbing. They're not easily gotten rid of; you can try pouring caustic liquids (bad for the environment) or boiling water down your pipes... but they can seemingly survive anything... so I'd suggest you try befriending these interesting creatures... they're quite harmless.
… Joe, Entomologist (in training), 16 April, 2007 - 11:24am login or register to post comments

 
Thank You
Thanks for the quick ID. We haven't seen a lot of these, but I was concerned that they were doing damage in the wood... Now I find I just need to clean drains better... Sigh
… bfollett, 16 April, 2007 - 12:22pm login or register to post comments

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