Everything You Need To Know About Flies
Entering into late spring through the fall months, you might notice more flies around your house — or in your house. Most enter looking to eat your trash, reproduce, or seek moisture. Knowing what attracts flies into your home and what kind of flies are around will help you to prevent them from entering. Our pest exterminators at Champion Termite and Pest Control, Inc. are here to teach you everything you need to know about flies.
If you suspect a fly infestation in your home, contact our pest control company today to schedule a free pest inspection or to learn more about our pest control services!
Feeding Habits Of Flies
House flies feed on decaying organic material, including fruit, vegetables, meat, and animal and plant secretions. House flies lack the mouthparts needed to chew food, meaning they can only take in liquids and semi-liquid food. So, when a fly lands on solid food, it will vomit on it to create a solution it can eat, contaminating the food.
Common Types Of Flies
In North America, there are three common types of large filth flies, a fly that feeds and lays eggs on decaying organic material. To help treat your fly problem, it is important to identify what kind of flies are in your house. House flies, known to be one of the most common flies in Florida, are ash gray to black and can infest trashcans, sewers, and decaying flesh. Cluster flies are slightly larger than house flies with different colors on their body, plus they don’t spread diseases. Blowflies, or bottle flies, are shiny blue or green and can indicate an animal carcass in your home’s attic or walls.
House Flies Can Be Dangerous
Hearing the persistent drone of a housefly buzzing around your head can be a nuisance, but they can also carry harmful diseases to humans and animals. Houseflies can carry over 100 pathogens, spread by contaminated food and water, that can cause serious health problems, such as food poisoning, dysentery, and tuberculosis. They also spread bacteria when eating, as they throw up their food to eat it again in liquefied form. In addition to contaminating your food or water, they also lay their eggs in the same place they eat, which can be on garbage, manure, or dead animals.
How To Prevent Fly Infestations?
- Seal entry points. Flies are small, pesky insects, so check your screens for holes or tears and ensure your windows, doors, and vents are properly sealed and free of holes and damage.
- Sanitize your home. Unclean areas of your home are a buffet for flies, so make sure to clean any dirty dishes, put away food left sitting out, and take out the trash that needs emptying.
- Clean up after your pets. Flies are attracted to rotting matter, including feces, and can lay eggs in your cat’s litterbox or the backyard if these aren’t regularly cleaned.
Signs Of A Fly Infestation
If you notice a couple of pesky flies around your house, you might not have an infestation. Instead, check for the following signs. If any of these are in your home, contact our fly exterminators right away!
- Small dark clusters of spots. These small clusters are fecal matter left behind when flies land and are often found in hard-to-reach places.
- Regular sighting of flies. If you are noticing a large number of flies around water pools, you may have a fly infestation.
- Maggots. Finding these larvae could indicate a potential breeding site on your property.
What Can You Do?
If you decide to search for breeding sites, you should also check your outdoor trash. This is a popular place for flies to reproduce because when the larvae hatch, they will have something to eat. With more flies in your trash, there are bound to be more flies in your home. In addition, food sources, such as berry bushes, fruit trees, or other natural food sources, will increase the number of flies you have near your home, increasing your chance of an infestation. We recommend keeping your home clean, as cleanliness is the first line of defense to keep flies out of your home and backyard. A local exterminator will also be able to help handle a housefly infestation with high-quality pest control while keeping you and your family safe.
