There are many different species of fly to be found throughout the world; some are more common than others, especially here in the UK.
The problem with flies
Fly numbers of any species, at some point in the year, will swell due to the weather being in their favour and a plentiful supply of food, to which they can gain easy access with open doors and windows.
The average fly has a lifespan of 30 days during which time they complete a 4-stage life cycle;
- The adult fly lays eggs
- These eggs become larvae
- The pupae is then formed from these larvae as they mature
- This pupae becomes an adult fly, and the whole cycle starts again
Although the fly itself does not present a danger to human health, its habits can. They land on our food and in seconds have chewed it, liquidised it, eaten it and then defecated on it. This leaves a whole of heap of nasty bacteria in our food, which we may unknowingly eat. Ingest enough of this bacteria, and we can be ill, especially as some of the bacteria is cross-contamination from other food stuffs… as well as the unimaginable bacteria that some flies will have all over their bodies from sitting and eating anything from road-kill animals to dog faeces.
This unhygienic behaviour of flies, along with a high nuisance factor is the reason why you must deal with any fly infestation.
But, does it matter what kind of fly it is?
On the whole, a fly infestation is a sign that there is something amiss in the immediate locality and the source of the flies needs to be found, and cleared away. This could be anything from a dead animal on land close to your home, or an opportunist fly lays eggs in your bin.
In most cases, flies are treated in the same way but the habits will vary species to species, so Northants Pest Control’s expertise will first identify the fly… and then provide the correct treatment.
The blue bottle
Up to half an inch in length, they take up to 12 days to mature; with any egg they lay hatching within 18 hours. Blue bottles also love the decomposing conditions found in compost bins but changing habits can have an immediate effect – lids on bins, clearing dog feces etc.
The cluster fly
Exhibiting slightly different behaviour to the blue bottle, cluster flies are found in quieter areas, such as attics, loft spaces, voids in walls etc. as they look for warm places to hibernate over the colder, winter months. This drive for warmth will often see them cluster around windows on sunnier, winter days.
Smaller than their blue bottle cousins, they are slow in flight and darker in colour. They lay their eggs in soil in the summer, with their larvae developing on earthworms, whom act as their host. Depending on the temperature, their breeding cycle from egg to adult can take anything from 27 to 39 days, with warmth speeding up the process.
The house fly
The house fly is surely the biggest and most common nuisance when it comes to flies. The common house fly eats anything, from crumbs left on work surfaces to protein rich sources it can find outside, they will frequent any area where there is decomposing food or rotting animal corpses.
They lay a huge number of eggs at any one time, up to 150 eggs in one batch. These eggs hatch within 72 hours, with the larvae then taking up to 60 days to mature into an adult… and the whole process starts again.
As well as spreading nasty bacteria and disease, the housefly can be a problem just from their sheer numbers.
And there are more…
There are many other kinds of flies – such as fruit flies, horse flies etc. – and all tend to be apparent when there is something favourable in the locality that attracts them there, and keeps them there.
OUR TREATMENT:
We will inspect and identify the fly before deciding on a suitable treatment. It may be that an electronic fly killer is the best solution. Sometimes the areas that the insects land on can be sprayed and in the case of cluster flies an insecticidal “fogging” treatment will be effective. If you are being bothered by flies call us today to discuss the problem.
