Flies generally live within close proximity to suitable food sources and breeding grounds. They feed on various food substances; however, most of the flies found in and around buildings feed and breed in warm, moist decaying organic matter.
Small flies such as drain flies, fungus gnats, and phorid flies are commonly found in and around drains, leakages in slab floors, shower pans, sinks, and overwatered potted plant soils. Fruit flies tend to breed in decaying fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, filthy flies such as house flies, dung flies, blow flies, bottle flies, and flesh flies visit and breed in garbage, trash bins, piles of compost or manure, and the carcasses of animals.
Flies are attracted to light, so they often gather around windows when inhabiting indoor areas. Some fly species such as blow and bottle flies are known to fly long distances of up 20 miles in search of food and breeding sites. Flies undergo complete metamorphosis consisting of egg, larva, pupa and adult stages. Sexual mature female flies lay eggs on suitable material; the number of eggs laid depends on the fly species.
The eggs hatch into tiny, whitish, legless larvae also known as maggots that resemble tiny worms. After completing the larval stage of development, the larvae become pupae from which the adults develop. The development time from egg to adulthood depends on the temperature of the surrounding environment.
Colder temperatures prolong the life cycle, while warmer temperatures shorten it. In general, flies complete the life cycle within a few weeks and live an additional few weeks or months as adults. There are over 15, species of flies in North America. Cluster fly infestation problems occur at two points in their lifespan, one is when the insects get inside while seeking overwintering sites in attics or wall voids in large numbers and the other is when they complete their overwintering phase, known as diapause, and begin to look for a way to leave the home and return to the outdoors.
As temperatures rise, cluster flies can swarm indoors as they look for an exit. Also called bottle flies, these pests develop inside carrion or rotting meat. Finding many of the shiny blue or green insects indoors usually indicates the presence of an animal carcass in the attic or walls. The blow flies found in buildings are fairly large, metallic gray, blue, or black colored flies.
Two of the more common species are the black blow fly and the blue bottle fly. Although often mistaken for a small version of the common house fly species, drain flies have a distinctive furry or moth-like appearance.
They infest sink drains or unused garbage disposals to lay their eggs in the organic sludge that builds up inside pipes. Since their breeding sites are hard to reach, drain flies are tough to remove.
Yellowish-white or tan with red eyes, these pests feed on sugary items. They develop inside drain lines or almost any source of moisture that accumulates inside poorly cleaned garbage containers.
Fruit flies are kitchen invaders that drink and are attracted by vinegar, soda, or the juice of overripe produce. The insects crawl into liquids or sticky syrups, causing contamination. Identifying Characteristics: 2 to 3 times larger than a housefly: gray and black checkboard pattern on the abdomen Host Material: Garbage, manure, and animal carcasses Adult Occurrence : Common in warm months Life Cycle weeks Management Methods : Residual and contact sprays; baits, traps Sanitation, exclusion, habitat destruction.
Blow and Bottle Flies. Identifying Characteristics: About twice as large as house fly; metallic blue or green color Host Material: Animal carcasses, garbage, and manure Adult Occurrence: Spring and Summer Life Cycle: weeks Management Methods: Residual and contact sprays; traps Sanitation, exclusion, habitat destruction. Fruit Flies.
Fungus Gnats. Cheese Skipper. Identifying Characteristics: Black, shiny, with bronze tints Host Material: Moist sources: overripe and moldy cheese, ham. Adult Occurrence: Most abundant in warm and moist conditions Life Cycle: weeks Management Methods: Pyrethrum contact and fogging sprays Sanitation and habitat destruction. When house flies become a problem outside of a structure, look for nearby breeding sites including livestock or compost operations, improperly functioning latrines, and poorly maintained dumpsters or garbage cans.
Household compost piles that are not properly managed may also become a source of house fly breeding.
Fly swatters are an effective control measure for the occasional household fly, though commercial restaurants and other sensitive commercial sites usually use insect light traps. In addition, automatic air cur tains in doorways can help reduce fly infiltration at entryways to commercial facilities.
Soldier flies Family Stratiomyidae are outdoor flies that occasionally enter homes and buildings. Indoors, these flies are most commonly seen as full- grown larvae that have completed feeding and are searching for a place to develop pupate into an adult.
During this wandering phase, soldier fly larvae may travel several yards from their breeding site, and may be seen wriggling along a floor, patio, or fireplace hearth. Soldier fly larvae are about 1 inch long, leg- less, grey to dark brown, and flattened. Though not harmful, most people would consider the presence of these tough-skinned larvae indoors to be objectionable.
Control involves finding and eliminating the food source. Breeding sites include rotting organic matter, such as spoiled grain, dead birds or other animals in an attic or chimney, or a decaying bee nest in a wall. Indoor worm compost bins have been known to harbor soldier flies. Adult flies are sluggish until induced to fly, and are rarely noticed. They may be attracted to light but do not seem attracted to food. Carrion flies include flesh flies Family Sarcophagidae and blow flies Family Calliphoridae.
Immature stages of blow flies feed on decaying organic material—especially dead animals but also garbage, manure, or other rotting plant material. Blow fly larvae are creamy white and legless. Sometimes referred to as maggots, blow and flesh fly larvae are cylindrical and taper to a pointed head.
The presence of these larvae in a home usually indicates that a bird, squirrel, rat, etc. Maggots in homes are usually those that have completed feeding and are searching for a place complete their metamorphosis. Left undisturbed, they will pupate in a crack or other protected spot and emerge as an adult fly. The tip of the abdomen is red or pink in some species. Adult blow and flesh flies are usually seen 1 to 2 weeks after maggots appear in a home.
Flies may continue to emerge for 1 to 3 weeks, after which they should disappear. Ideally, you should remove any dead animal carcasses, though these are sometimes difficult to find or are out of reach. In most cases destroying any maggots and killing adult flies with a fly swatter is the only practical response to such fly infestations.
Blow flies and flesh flies indoors indicate a home that is poorly sealed against wildlife. The house should be inspected for any openings where birds or mammals might enter. These openings should be sealed with sturdy wire, sheet metal, or other pest-resistant material. Chimneys should be sealed with a chimney cap, and roof turbines and vents should be screened to exclude birds, bats, and other wildlife.
The key any indoor fly problem is to find and eliminate the source, that is, anywhere excess moisture and organic debris may have accumulated. Moisture is critical for fly breeding. Fly larvae cannot breed without some source of water, so look for areas with moisture. Sanitation suggestions include:. To check whether a drain is breeding site, place a length of clear packing tape across the drain without totally covering the opening. If you cover the opening completely, there will be no airflow and flies may not emerge.
Check the tape periodically. If you see flies stuck to the tape, you have found a source of infestation. After locating the sources, drains must be cleaned to eliminate any bacterial film inside the plumbing. Chlorine bleach or drain cleaner is largely ineffective at removing such films. To eliminate these breeding sites, you must clean the pipes and traps with a stiff brush.
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