Phorid Fly Meeting Archive

This page is dedicated to providing Harrogate Homeowners with information and actions taken with regard to the Phorid Fly problem in the community.

New information will be posted here as it becomes available.

 Please check back frequently for updates.

Phorid Fly Hotline

1-833-574-6743

 

If you have been seeing phorid flies in your home or business or if you have questions pertaining to Phorid Flies please contact the above number set up by Penn State Extension. Information received will help in ongoing research and testing being conducted by Penn State.

Statement from the HNCA Executive Board

The Vetting Team

Harrogate North Phorid Fly Study - Information

Community Presentation from Vetting Team - Nov 16, 2017

Phorid Fly StudyUpdate 7-29-17

Phorid Fly Study Update 7-19-2017

Phorid Fly Study Update 6-26-2017

Phorid Fly Study Update 6-3-2017

Minutes of the HNCA/PFAC and PFAC/NGT Meetings:

Summary PFAC_ NGT Meeting 5_14_2019

PSU Extension PR_2018MARCH20

Notes fr PFAC Phorid Flies Meeting 23 Mar 2018 NGT

Notes from PFAC Phorid Flies Meeting 10-27-17 NGT

Penn State Entomology Activities Report October 2017

Summary_ PFAC_NGT 7_10_2017

Summary PFAC_NGT Meeting 4_10_2017

Summary PFAC-New Garden 3_13_2017

Meeting Minutes_HHOA_2017FEB14

PFAC_Statement of Work 2017Feb15

Meeting Minutes_NGT_2017JAN17

Meeting Minutes_NGT_2016DEC12

Meeting Minutes_NGT_2016NOV14

Meeting Minutes_HHOA_2016OCT 25

Notes from Southern Chester County Phorid Flies Meeting on 2016Oct25

Information from the Phorid Fly Action Committee (PFAC) Meeting held on October 5, 2016 at the Clubhouse

Notes from Phorid Fly Meeting with Bob Johnson of Mushroom Central - 8-29-2016

Phorid Fly Meeting with Bob Johnson of Mushroom Central - 2016-08-29

Excerpt from "The ClipBoard" found in the September 2016 Newsletter - by Roy Schuyler

BY NOW, MOST OF US ARE all too aware of Phorid flies, but also curious as to what is going on now to help us manage this pest. To begin, a few words about what is going on outside of Harrogate North. Margo Woodacre recently spoke to State Senator Dinniman’s office and confirmed that grant money has been allocated to Dr. David Beyer of Penn State (the Mushroom Professor) to study means of controlling Phorid flies. This is important because the money currently funding Professor Beyer’s work was about to run out. Closer to home, Roy Schuyler recently got an email from Eric Toedter (who works locally in the mushroom industry and is our connection to the American Mushroom Institute). Eric reported that they have a promising candidate that they think will be helpful in managing Phorid flies, but funding is required to test its efficacy. He is currently working to get this funding. Neither of these efforts will provide any short term relief from our Phorid fly problem in Harrogate North, but they provide hope that solutions will ultimately be found. Margo also reported that she learned from Senator Dinniman’s office that there is another community in lower Oxford County with the same Phorid fly problem we have. We are currently trying to find out specifically which community it is and open a dialogue. Next, a bit about what steps some residents with fly problems have taken to reduce the number of flies within their homes. A number of different chemicals have been tried, both inside and outside. Experience so far is limited, and consequently no significant results have been reported. FlyWeb Fly Lights (a UV light source that attracts flies coupled with a sticky card that captures flies) have proven useful in capturing flies within homes. The lights are also useful as a diagnostic tool to help locate where flies are entering. The lights are available online, and in use by a number of residents. Sealing entry points identified using Fly Lights or other means has proven useful in reducing the number of flies captured within several homes. One resident has removed mulch under their deck and replaced it with river rock as a means of

trying to eliminate breeding areas. Because fly infestations are so episodic, it is too early to tell whether this strategy is effective. Several residents have begun spraying a detergent (Joy, Dawn, etc.) in a water solution on the outside of their homes with very promising results. We speculate that the detergent repels the flies. Alternatively, if flies leave some sort of “mark” on external surfaces, the detergent either removes of masks the “mark.” In any case, this is an inexpensive and promising means residents can try to control Phorid flies. One drawback of this approach is that it must be repeated regularly to be effective. The areas sprayed with detergent include the foundation, windows, doors, patios, mulch, and out about ten feet into the surrounding grass. Another very basic means of reducing the number of flies that gain entry into a home is limiting the number of inside lights. Flies are strongly attracted to lights, particularly UV lights. Hence, fewer lights results in fewer flies, particularly at night. This suggests that if FlyWeb Fly Lights are used, they be located away from windows, just in case they encourage flies to enter a home from outside. Whenever we get frustrated with our current fly situation, it is useful to remember that although a few residents have been dealing with them since 2009, the flies only surfaced as a serious c o m mu n i t y w i d e p r o b l e m l a s t Thanksgiving. Since then, we have gotten much better organized, better educated, formed a network of residents with serious fly issues, improved community wide communication, and begun the process of managing our problem. In short, for the first time, we have gone on offense. We have much to learn, but given the willingness of residents to work together, we are confident we will prevail.

Recent Phorid Fly Related Board Actions

A meeting was held August 8, 2016 with a group of home owners who have been experiencing continuing issues with Phorid Flies. Discussions centered on what is happening in the community and what individuals have been doing to try to eliminate the problem. The group asked the Board to consider several suggestions.

1. A request was made to thatch grass in selected areas near homes with chronic Phorid fly problems to inhibit breeding of Phorid flies in these areas. Within the last few years, the Board retained a turf expert to determine whether our grassy areas would benefit from thatching. The expert determined that our turf is in excellent condition and recommended against thatching. More recently, we have learned from Mushroom Central that grassy and mulched areas around our homes, unless they are chronically wet, are unlikely to be areas where Phorid flies breed. The Phorid flies seen in these areas are most likely resting and just take flight when they are disturbed. Just because we see flies in our grass or mulched areas, does not necessarily follow that they breed in these locations. Mushroom Central recommends that we treat these areas with a liquid insecticide to kill flies that attempt to rest in these areas. The Board has authorized Mushroom Central to treat grassy areas surrounding two homes with chronic Phorid fly problems for two months as a test to see if such treatments are effective in reducing the number of flies noted in these homes. Even if flies reside in the ground well below the turf, the insecticide should be effective when the try to emerge.

2. In a related request, several homeowners have requested that Forever Green be asked to try to limit the amount of grass clippings blown against home foundations and particularly basement windows. Our mowing contractor, Forever Green, has been contacted and asked to do their best to reduce the amount of grass clippings mown or blown against foundations and windows.

3. Information was requested from the Board about the Phorid fly treatments Mushroom Central is doing in the community. In addition to the insecticide treatments noted in (1) above, Mushroom Central has been spreading a granular larvicide around all the bio-basins, in all the storm drains and around all three large basins (A, B, and C) on a monthly basis beginning in April. If standing water exists, the large basins are also treated with a floating larvicide. Grassy areas saturated with water throughout the community are also treated with a granular larvicide. Although targeted at Phorid flies, these treatments are also effective in controlling mosquitos. We do not yet know whether the treatments have been effective in controlling Phorid flies, but the treatments do appear to have been effective in controlling mosquitos.

4. We recently learned that there is a community in lower Oxford County that is experiencing a Phorid fly problem similar to ours. Efforts are underway to identify the community and make contact with them through the Board to share what we both have learned.

5. The group requested that the Board conduct another survey later this year to determine the number of homes experiencing Phorid fly problems this year versus last year, and degree to which they are affected (low, medium, high). The Board agrees and will work with the group to determine when this survey should be initiated.

On May 19 the HOA Board and several members of our Community met with Senator Dinniman about the Phorid fly problem. Please find attached a summary of the May 19 meeting with Senator Dinniman about the mitigation of Phorid flies that includes a consolidation of input from the Harrogaters who attended.

State Senator A. Dinniman’s Phorid Fly Meeting
Harrogate Clubhouse, May 19, 2016

PA State Senator Andy Dinniman hosted a meeting at the HAN Clubhouse on May
19, 2016 from 1 to 3 PM to gain insight into the problems Phorid flies pose to
mushroom growers and residents in this area, and better define what can be
done to mitigate these problems.
Meeting Attendees:
PA State Senator Andy Dinniman and several members of his staff
Tony Schievert, New Garden Township Supervisor
Dr. David Beyer, Ph. D., Professor of Mushrooms, Penn State College of
Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology
Michael Zuk, Chester County Conservation District, Agricultural Resource
Conservationist
Eric Toedter, Kaolin Mushroom Farms Employee & American Mushroom Institute
Representative
Several Members of the Press (Richard Gaw and one other)
HNCA Board Members (Les Clarke, Joan Feldpush and Roy Schuyler)
Harrogate North Residents who have experienced severe infestations (Helene Intraub,
Barbara Runkle, Pete Mrozinski, Lou Taylor and Larry Van Deusen)

The following information was compiled from input by the residents and Board
members in attendance to share what was learned with the community.
Key Learnings:
The beginning of our problem traces to the banning of the use of Diazinon as a
means of controlling Phorid flies in mushroom houses circa 2008. Since then,
they have increasingly become a serious pest for mushroom growers, and more
recently for residents near mushroom houses. No really effective chemical means
for controlling Phorid flies has yet been found to replace Diazinon.
Contrary to what we previously believed, stagnant water is not a prerequisite for
Phorid fly breeding. They primarily breed in the substrate on which mushrooms
are grown; hence standing water is not a prerequisite. Although the primary
target of the treatment program currently being used to treat standing water in
the community is Phorid flies, mosquitos are also targeted. In view of the
likelihood that Phorid flies do not generally breed in Harrogate, the Board will
need to reassess the value of continuing to treat areas of standing water in the
community.
Although Phorid flies can likely breed in moist decaying organic material in
residential areas, the experts at the meeting agreed that the overwhelming
majority of the flies we see in Harrogate are coming from mushroom houses near
the community. The flies most likely lay their eggs in the mushroom substrate.
The eggs hatch, go through larval (during which time they feed on mycelium, the
fruit of which is the mushroom) and pupate stages before emerging as the adult
flies that bedevil us.
The experts were unable to explain why certain homes in HAN are repeatedly
infested year after year and others are not. This remains a mystery.
Harrogate residents and Board members at the meeting were justifiably
disappointed to learn that there is no clear solution to our problem that we can
employ near term. What we can do, per Senator Dinniman’s suggestion, is to
continue to collect data on our experience with Phorid flies and share it with
others. We can also stay abreast of current research and encourage our elected
representative to continue to fund this research.
Professor Beyer has a five year $1.4 million grant from the USDA to study
mushroom flies and diseases. He has succeeded in breeding Phorid flies in the
lab, a precursor to developing means to control them. His funding ends next year.
Senator Dinniman sees his role as assuring that research funds are made available
to continue this work. To do so, he needs to develop a better understanding of
the economic stake to businesses and residents in Chester County. Mushroom
farming in Chester County is approximately a $1 Billion business. Phorid flies
reduce mushroom yields significantly and are increasingly a quality of life issue for
county residents.
Senator Dinniman was very appreciative that industry representatives and
community residents are working together to better define the problem and
jointly develop solutions as quickly as possible. He noted that this level of
cooperation is not always the case and it is refreshing to see.

The Blue "Signs"                                                                                                                                                                    March 31, 2016

As many have already noticed, several small blue "signs" have been placed at strategic locations around the Community.  They were placed yesterday by the Application Specialist from Central Pest Control and are positioned in areas thought to breed Phorid Flies.  The signs are "sticky" and will attract and capture the flying pests.  They can be seen near and in our bio-basins, large basins, moist areas, etc.  Periodically, they will be evaluated for signs of the Phorids and potentially moved to other locations.  This is being done by Central Pest Control to best manage the pest treatment program for maximum effect.  So, please do not remove the signs.

Thanks,

Your Executive Board

Dear Harrogate Residents,

To all those who attended the Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, March 23, I would like to say Thank You!  In my opinion, we had an effective exchange of information that was made more so by your participation.   I hope you agree that both Roy Schuyler and Pete Mrozinski did a great job in concisely reviewing much information about the phorid fly situation in Harrogate, our mitigation plans that will begin in early April, and the related supporting efforts being discussed by our Township and State/County agencies.  Please know that although Roy and Pete were in the spotlight on Wednesday, the Board has been unanimous in its search for an answer to the problems caused by the fly.

We were also very fortunate to have Anthony Leone in attendance.  Anthony is one of the owners of Central Pest Control, a business located in Toughkenamon that has served the local mushroom industry for decades.  As you now know, we have contracted Central Pest Control to provide larvicide treatments to those suspected breeding areas within the Community.  After the initial three months of treatment, we will evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments and make any changes necessary.  Your help would be appreciated: please provide us ongoing information about any infestation that might occur in or on your home during the next several months.  Specifically, the types of information requested are: date, time, and degree of infestation; was it inside or outside of your home; if outside of your home, where exactly and what was the soil condition.  Send your comments directly to Joan Feldpush at jfeldpush@aol.com. 

For those of us who would like to discuss larvicide treatments around our homes, please contact Central Pest Control's Anthony Leone at 610-268-2211.  

By combining Central Pest Control's on-site efforts and your observations, we expect to be successful in reducing the number of phorid flies breeding within the Community.  In addition, your Board will continue to lobby State, County, and municipal agencies and officials to undertake mitigation efforts external to Harrogate.  There is the recognition that a reduction of phorid flies would be significant benefit to communities and businesses within our Region.

Shortly, you will receive written communication pertaining to the upcoming Harrogate North Annual Meeting to be held on Wednesday, May 18.  This meeting provides the opportunity to "formally" review the "state of the Community", and, for those who may have the interest to serve on the Board, to self-nominate for a position.  Two of your Board members will have reached the end of their three-year term:  Joan Feldpush and Pete Mrozinski.  Both may opt to run for an additional term.   During their term, the Board has been united in its approach to supporting the Community's needs and positive Spirit.  So, prior to May 18, please give thought to whom you believe would best represent the Community.

Thanks,

Les Clarke