Pest Guide for House Flies
The common house fly is probably what you think of when you think of a fly. These insects are usually grey with black stripes and measure 4-7.5 millimeters long. They also have large red eyes and are covered in small hairs. Once a house fly is in your home, it can be quite a nuisance and can be difficult to track down and eliminate.
Behavior
While adult house flies only live 2-4 weeks, they can breed quickly. These pests feed on and breed in manure, fermenting vegetables, dumpsters, feces, garbage cans, and other decaying matter and females can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetimes. The eggs hatch within a day and the larvae take two weeks to three months to develop into adults.
Adult house flies tend to fly very fast and may only rest on surfaces for brief moments. Inside, you can find them on corners and edges as well as walls and ceilings. Outside, you’ll likely find them around dumpsters, garbage cans, plants, and more.
Dangers
Because house flies feed on decaying matter, they can easily pick up bacteria, fungi, and even diseases and transfer them to wherever they land next. This makes having house flies around a serious health concern; they can transmit diseases like cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, anthrax, and more. That’s why it’s important to get rid of a house fly when you see one.
Infestations
Although house fly infestations are less common than other pest infestations, they can still happen. If you have any kitchen waste, animal waste, or compost piles around your home, these are ideal sites for house fly breeding. While you’ll likely see adult flies around these things, you may also see the larvae as it crawls out of them, indicating you have an infestation. If you believe you do have an infestation, call our pest control experts right away.
