The flies are not just annoying insects that keep on buzzing around, but they can also pose a serious threat to public health if found in restaurants or stores that are keeping and preparing food. Whether you are at home or at a restaurant, having flies buzzing around is not safe and the problem should be addressed as soon as possible. In this article, we’ll do a detailed fly control on how to guide.

While the flies themselves are not dangerous because they do not bite or sting, they are known to spread more than 200 pathogens and parasites to humans. They usually feed on trash cans, decaying flesh, rotting food and manure, and that’s where they get all the nasty parasites from. And from there they can transfer them to your own food, whether at home or at the restaurant. Some of the major diseased causes by flies are typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.

Fly Control How To Guide

The first step in fly control is exclusion and sanitation, and only then the usage of insecticides, fogging materials, traps or baits.

– The first step would be to eliminate the things that are attracting the flies, whether they are rotting foods, dirty drains, trash cans, pet waste or outdoor lights
– Then it is important to sanitize your home, especially the kitchen and the bathroom
– It’s not only important to remove the adult flies, but their eggs and larvae as well. So foods and materials on which the flies can lay their eggs should be removed or destroyed
– Garbage cans and dumpsters should have lids and be cleaned on a regular basis
– Openings of buildings should be screened

After these steps are taken, it’s time to eliminate the adult flies that are buzzing around the home.

Using Insecticides

During the day, the house flies like to rest on sunny surfaces. So you can use insecticide residual concentrates to spray these surfaces, and when the flies lay on them, they will get in contact with the substance.

You can also use insecticide dust, as they can be applied to cracks and crevices, flowing into the void areas. For fast and short term results (aka to kill the flies on the spot), you can spray insecticide aerosols directly at them. These substances do kill the flies on contact, but they are also toxic and have a strong smell. Do not spray them near pets, children, food or drinking water.

In some cases, fogging insecticides are more suited or fly baits. The baits are distributed along walls, window sills and other areas where flies congregate. Sanitation is very important when using a fly bait, so make sure to remove any trash, food or other possible sources of food. The bait should be the only available source of food for the flies.

Various fly traps are available, whether for indoors or outdoors. Some of them are sprayed, others are painted, while others are scattered on the ground or placed inside bait stations.

Other Types of Traps

Besides the insecticide traps, you will also find electronic light traps that work great for indoor spaces without causing any unpleasant smells or toxicity. They are commonly used in kitchens, restaurants, and warehouses, and very easy to use.

While not as effective as light traps, glue traps are much cheaper. They are long tubes with sticky glue and fly pheromones that attract the nasty insects and capture them.

Other possible options include window fly traps and outside traps. They have special lures that attract the flies and then trap them inside. They can be placed in sunny areas on cooler days and in shady areas on warmer days.

How To Prevent Flies

Having just one or two flies may not be an issue, but they can multiply really quickly and cause serious issues down the road. So it’s important to prevent flies or to get rid of them as soon as they appear. Here are a few prevention tips:

– Add mesh screens around doors and windows to keep out any invading insects, including flies
– Keep a fan running during the hot summer days. Not only it will keep you cool, but it will also discourage flies from flying nearby or landing on food
– Remove things that attract flies such as rotting food and dirty drains. Take the trash out as often as possible, clean the sinks and do not leave food out, especially during hot summer days
– Clean and sanitize your kitchen and bathroom on a regular basis
– Clean up pet waste and feces in your home or yard
– Install sodium vapour lighting in outdoor light fixtures in order to attract fewer insects
– Remove rotting fruits and vegetables from your garden

Common Flies

There are various types of flies out there and here are some of the most common ones:

The House Fly

It has a medium size (1/6 to a ¼ inch long) and can be found all over the world. It can be recognized by the fourth wing vein being sharply angled and the four dark stripes on the top of its thorax. The female has a wider space between its eyes compared to the male.

A female can lay 5-6 batches of 75-100 white oval eggs. If the weather is warm enough, these eggs can hatch in just 12-24 hours and start feeding on the source of food they were born in. The larvae grow and pupate in 4-7 days and then turn into adult flies. They are ready to mate as soon as they emerge and to lay their eggs in things like food, meat, animal manure, human feces, garbage, decaying fruits or vegetables, and others.

The Blow Fly

The name of this fly comes from an old English expression which said that meat with fly eggs on it is “fly blown”. The adult blowfly has a shiny metallic colouring, with bodies that are either blue, green or black. They have bristles on their meron and a well-defined posterior callus.

Adults are attracted to flowers with odours that resemble rotting meat, and the larvae are scavengers of carrion and dung. The flies lay the eggs on dead animals, and then the larvae feed on the decaying flesh. So they do have an important role in the ecosystem. There are more than 1,100 known species of blowflies.

Sterile blowflies were even used during the war in order to remove decaying tissue and prevent bacterial growth in open wounds.

The Fruit Fly

They become a problem mostly during late summer or fall, and they are attracted to ripened or fermenting fruits (especially melons, tomatoes or grapes) and various vegetables (squash, potatoes, onions). This makes them common in restaurants or supermarkets.

They are about 1/8 inch long and usually have red eyes. Their back is black while the front part is tan. They lay their eggs on the surface of fermenting or decomposing fruits or vegetables, and the larvae will then feed on them.

The fact that they only feed on the surface of the fruits or vegetables is a good thing and it means that the eaten parts can be cut away, while the rest of the fruit is still edible. They can multiply very quickly, being able to lay about 500 eggs and reaching adult form in just about a week.

The March Fly

They have 6 to 25 mm in length and very large eyes and are also known as horse flies or tabanids. They feed on nectar and plant juices, but can also inflict painful bites.

The March Fly is a major pest to humans, livestock, domestic or wild animals. They breed in places like damp soil, rotting vegetation, sand or rotten holes in trees. It takes them months or even years to reach the adult form, and then only live for 3-4 weeks.

A species of the March fly found in Western Australia can produce serious allergic reactions to people, hives, fever or wheezing.

How To Get Rid of Flies

Whether you want to keep flies away from your home and protect the health of your family, or you are running a restaurant and want to protect your reputation, fly control is highly important. If you don’t want to waste time reading about and shopping for various products and then applying them, we are here to help!

Safeguard Pest Control is a family-owned and operated company that has been operating since 1989. We have extensive knowledge and experience in this field and can provide you with professional results.

Book your Safeguard fly inspection and treatment now by calling 07 5477 6675 or emailing info@safeguardpestcontrol.com.au and allow us to protect your home against flies.