What Every Western Massachusetts Property Owner Needs To Know About House Fly Dangers

There are a lot of flies in the world. Do you think you would be able to pick out a house fly in a lineup? Just in case you don't know exactly what a house fly looks like, it is about ⅛ to ¼ of an inch long, dark gray, with light stripes running lengthwise down its back. These are the specific flies we're going to be talking about today. Some of what we'll be sharing will come as no surprise. Some of it is likely to shock you. Hopefully, you will find all of it helpful.

House Flies Spread Disease

Let's start by establishing something that many people don't realize. House flies are a serious health concern. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) flies are responsible for transmitting at least 65 diseases. Among the diseases that are known to be spread by flies are salmonellosis, conjunctivitis, cholera, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and dysentery. Why are flies such a health threat? It has to do with where they breed and what they feed on.

Where Flies Breed — If you have flies in your home, you can bet that there is rotting organic matter somewhere. House flies lay their eggs in things that are rotting. This is where their larvae (also called maggots) develop into pupa and emerge as adult flies.

What Flies Eat — Larvae feed on the rot they hatched in. Once a fly becomes an adult and takes to the air, its diet doesn't get much better. It will feed on many dirty things. One food source that you may want to consider is feces. If you have a dog or a cat, flies can be exposed to the feces of these animals.

How Flies Eat

Have you heard that flies regurgitate onto their food to dissolve it and suck it up with their straw-like mouthparts? This is true. While the thought of this is certainly disgusting, it is important to understand that the contents of a fly's gut can contain dangerous organisms. While it is doing this, it may also leave its waste on your food, or lay some eggs on your food. We don't recommend eating food that you've caught a fly crawling on.

How Flies Get In

It is important to protect yourself from the threat flies present. One way to do this is to quickly address interior breeding sites. Since flies reproduce in rotting organic matter, it is actually pretty difficult for flies to reproduce in your home. If you have flies buzzing around inside, there are a few likely reasons:

• They've found a breeding site in a location of your home that you don't visit often. One example is a freezer in your basement losing power and the foods inside beginning to rot. If this is where flies are developing, you're going to notice the smell.
• You have an issue with your garbage disposal and there is just enough rotting matter under your kitchen sink to give flies a breeding site without creating a terrible odor.
• You have rotting juices in the bottom of a trash bin that is stored in an interior garbage room.
• There is an exterior source and a point of entry.

How To Keep Flies Out

If you have an exterior breeding site, such as a dirty garbage can, an improperly mixed compost heap, fertilizer, pet feces, or some other source, these need to be cleaned, removed, or protected. Once you've addressed breeding sites, you need to consider potential points of entry.

• Make sure all of your door and window screens are in good shape. It doesn't take much of a hole or tear for a house fly to get into your home.
• Inspect the frames around your windows. You can have a perfectly sound window screen and have flies getting in through a gap in your frame.
• When you go in and out of your home, keep your doors open only as long as needed. Flies can fly right in through that giant opening.

Pest Control

If you live in Western Massachusetts, remember that American Pest Solutions is available to assist you with solving pest problems or establishing ongoing pest control to manage the threat of pest-borne diseases and property damage caused by pests. Connect with us today for fast service.