What Everyone In Hartford Ought To Know About Cluster Flies

When you find a mass of flies getting into your Hartford home, it can be disturbing, especially if you know that common houseflies are implicated in the spread of at least 65 diseases. But you can take comfort in knowing that a mass of flies is often not houseflies. If you see dozens, or hundreds of flies inside your home, they're likely to be cluster flies. You can tell a cluster fly from a housefly by a few important traits. Cluster flies have wings that stack on their backs. The wings of a housefly are divided and shaped like a heart. Cluster flies have a gray coloration, like a housefly, but they also have golden hairs on their backs. Houseflies are ⅛ to ¼ of an inch long. A cluster fly is about ⅜ of an inch, which is slightly larger. The best way to tell these flies apart is by their behavior. Houseflies are spry and lively. Cluster flies tend to be sluggish and act as though they are disoriented. If you see a bunch of disoriented flies in your Hartford home, here are a few more things you should know about them.

Cluster Flies Aren't Known To Spread Diseases

The cluster fly, which is often called an attic fly, is not a disease threat because it isn't drawn to rotting organic matter and feces. Houseflies are, and this exposes them to harmful bacteria and other organisms. Cluster flies feed on nectar. Their larvae, which are called maggots, typically feed on earthworms. Houseflies lay their eggs in very unsanitary places. Their larvae, which are also called maggots, are immediately exposed to harmful organisms. This makes houseflies a threat to human health from the very beginning.

The Problems Cluster Flies Cause

When you have these big flies coming into your home in large numbers, they're going to be banging against your window and door panes, bumping into lamps and other light fixtures, and dying in piles on your window sills and floors. They are an incredible nuisance. These are not indoor pests.

Why Cluster Flies Get Inside

If your Hartford home is not an ideal environment for these flies, why do they get in? There are two primary reasons.

Cold: When the temperatures outside start to drop, these flies start to look for places to hide. Often, they'll get into attic spaces, that is why they're called attic flies. But they can also get into common areas. They start by congregating on the warm exterior walls of your home and, when they see an entry point, they get inside.

Light: Cluster flies are attracted to light. This is why they bump into light fixtures. At night, they'll bump into your windows and the glass on your sliding glass doors. They do this because they want to get in at the light.

How To Keep Cluster Flies Out

There are a lot of flies in Hartford. All of them can be kept out in the same way. If you consider these entry points, you can have some success keeping them out.

An open door is an open invitation. Keep exterior doors open only long enough to get inside.

Unprotected doors and windows. If you keep your doors or windows open in the fall, make sure all of your screens are in good repair. It doesn't take much of a hole for these insects to enter.

Gaps around your exterior doors, such as weakened weatherstripping, missing door sweeps, gaps around your frames, or holes that have been chewed by mice, rats and other pests, can all provide ways for cluster flies to get in.

Gaps around pipes, wires, wire conduits, air conditioning units and other exterior wall penetrations are a quick route for these flies.

Unprotected exhaust ventilation may provide entry. It depends on whether or not there is an opening in the duct. Mice or rats can make this kind of opening when they use these to get into your home.

Simple Cluster Fly Control In Hartford

If you're getting tired of sucking these flies up with a vacuum and you can't seem to find all of the entry points they're using to get into your home, reach out to American Pest Solutions. We know what is required to get control of cluster flies. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance.