Jun 23, 2023 | Florida Pest Control
Once flies get inside your home, they not only become a major nuisance, but they can also be difficult to eliminate. While flies can look very similar at first glance, there are different types, each with their own set of characteristics. It’s important for every homeowner to understand their difference to properly prevent them from invading their home! Check out the common flies you can encounter in Florida and tips on preventing them!
Drain Flies
Commonly found in kitchens or bathrooms, drain flies look like fuzzy moths. They thrive in dark and damp environments, such as floor and sink drains. You can tell these flies apart from others as they are light gray or tan in color and have a dark border around their wings. While these flies don’t bite, their presence can trigger asthma in some people.
Fruit Flies
One of the most common flies known to invade our kitchens is fruit flies. These flies are known to rapidly produce and will breed in dark, moist areas of your home, including drains, garbage disposals, and trashcans. These flies can lay around 500 eggs that hatch in as little as 24 hours! These pests are attracted to and will eat rotting food and usually prefer fruits and vegetables. While these flies won’t sting or bite humans, they will contaminate foods with bacteria and disease-causing pathogens.
Horseflies
Horseflies can often be found near bodies of water they utilize for breeding, both in suburban and rural areas. Horseflies are most active during the hotter days of the year and typically rest on paths and roads in wooded areas. Female horseflies can be a risk to our health as they are known to have a painful bite with their mouthparts utilized for cutting open flesh instead of sucking blood. Their bites are also known to cause allergic reactions too.
How to Prevent Flies from Your Florida Home
- Clean up spills and leftover food crumbs as soon as possible
- Frequently sweep, mop, and vacuum your home.
- Store your food in tightly sealed containers, including your pet food.
- Don’t leave your pet bowls outside and clean up any pet waste in your yard.
- If you are going to open your windows to enjoy the fresh air, make sure to use screens to keep flies from entering.
If you’ve noticed more flies around your property than usual, it could be time to reach out to your local pest control company for help. These pest professionals will be able to find a fly prevention method that works best for your home.
May 2, 2023 | Pest Control
Flies are one of the most common household pests that can be found almost everywhere in the world. They are not only annoying but can also carry a variety of diseases, including typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Therefore, it’s important to properly identify the common types of flies in order to prevent them. In this blog, we’ll discuss how to identify and prevent different types of common flies.
House Fly
The house fly is the most common type of fly found in homes. They are gray in color and have four black stripes on their thoraces. These pests are attracted to food, garbage, and feces, and can transmit bacteria and viruses that cause diseases.
Fruit Fly
Fruit flies are small, brownish-yellow flies with red eyes. They are attracted to ripening fruits and vegetables, as well as fermented liquids such as wine and vinegar.
Drain Fly
Drain flies are small, moth-like flies that are commonly found in bathrooms and kitchens. They are gray or black in color and have hairy wings. They breed in organic matter that accumulates in drains and pipes, as well as in standing water.
How to Prevent Flies:
- Keep drains clean and clear of debris
- Fix any leaks promptly
- Use drain cleaners regularly
- Keep kitchen clean and free of any ripe fruit or vegetables
- Clean up spills promptly
- Store food in sealed containers
- Use garbage cans with tight-fitting lids
By following these tips, you can enjoy a fly-free home. If you begin to see an influx of flies in your home, give your local pest control company a call for a personalized plan.
Aug 19, 2020 | Pest Control
Flies can be considered a huge annoyance, whether you’re outside or inside the home. These pests seem to constantly find their way back to irritate you after you’ve already swatted them away a thousand times! It’s important to know that while at a glance flies can look the same, there are actually different types, each with their own set of characteristics.
House Fly
The house fly is the most common type of fly that is easily identifiable and can be found widespread throughout the United States. These pests are gray with four black stripes on their thorax with slightly hairy bodies. The house fly has red eyes that contain thousands of individual lenses that give them a wider vision. Since house flies do not have teeth or a stinger, these insects feed only off liquids found from human food, animal carcasses, and garbage.
While house flies will not sting humans, they can transfer more than 100 different pathogens including salmonellosis, typhoid, and tuberculosis. They can also contaminate food surfaces by spreading diseases picked up on their legs and mouths when feeding on any trash or feces.
Fruit Fly
Known for their ability to rapidly reproduce, fruit flies can be found indoors year-round. These insects have an oval-shaped body with six legs and antennae on their heads. These flies are attracted to and eat rotting food; more specifically they tend to gravitate towards fruits and vegetables. Fruit flies are also attracted to and will breed in dark, moist areas like drains, garbage disposals, and trashcans. They can also lay around 500 eggs that can hatch in as little as 24 hours.
While these insects won’t bite or sting, like house flies they too can contaminate foods with dangerous bacteria and disease-causing pathogens.
Horsefly
Horseflies are commonly found in both suburban and rural areas, usually near bodies of water that they use for breeding. These insects have large eyes with horizontal stripes along with their bodies. These flies are exceptionally good at flying and can travel more than 30 miles without stopping. They are most active during sunny, hot days and will typically rest on paths and roads, especially in wooded areas where they wait for potential hosts.
While male horseflies do not consume blood, female horseflies do. Female horsefly bites are rather painful since their mouthparts are used for cutting open flesh instead of sucking blood like mosquitoes. These bites are also known to cause an allergic reaction.
If you have an infestation of any species of fly, contact a professional pest control company who can provide you with the appropriate treatment and prevention plan.
