Summer Pests Part 4 – The Fly

The summer picnic or the afternoon spent in the garden can be spoilt by a common pest – the fly. Buzzing about, they are a nuisance and a pest. They can spread disease when they land on food which is why getting rid of a fly problem is a must.

A Summer Problem

Although the blue bottle can be sizeable, the fly is relatively small and thus, when the cold of winter sets in, most flies die off. But before they do, they have laid hundreds of eggs all over the place so that when spring comes, the fly population thrives once more.

But which fly causes us the most problems? And how are maggots linked to flies?

The Problem with Flies

There are 120,00 identified species of flies across the globe, although it is thought there will be thousands more yet to be discovered.

However, there are many common flies that we deal with including the crane fly – you may call it a daddy long legs – as well as horse flies and sand flies. Although no flies are venomous or poisonous in the UK, they do bite, leaving us with itchy, swelling red lumps.

Here are two flies we deal with:

·      The Bluebottle or Blow Fly

This has an iridescent blue streak on its back that makes it instantly recognisable. Up to half an inch in length, it lays eggs that hatch into larvae within 18 hours. Preferring meat substances, it will try to lay its eggs in meat and sometimes cheeses too.

·      The Cluster Fly

The cluster fly prefers the quieter areas of your home, such as the attic. You can tell it’s a cluster fly if, when it is at rest on a windowsill etc., its wings overlap.

It lays its eggs in late summer in soil, with the larvae developing in earthworms, they host for several days. They moult and pupate in the soil, only leaving the soil when they are mature enough. They survive the winter by finding warm places to shelter – like your attic.

 And maggots are related how…?

The fly lays an egg which hatches within hours in some cases, or over a month later. How long depends on both the species and the temperature. Most fly eggs hatch into larvae, a protective sack that allows the young fly to develop. The maggot is the milky-white capsule that you see wriggling about on rotting carcasses.

As they pupate, the skin darkens and becomes hard. It is from this reddish-brown case that the fly emerges, as this fascinating piece of film shows.

Flies Can and Must Be Prevented

They are unsanitary insects, landing on poop and rotting meat one minute and on you and your food the next.

But, flies are an important indicator that there is something in the local environment that is ‘not right’. This could be an animal carcass or over-flowing bins, or problems with the sewers.

As a pest control company, we don’t come along and just ‘swat flies’ – we find out what the problem is and deal with that too.

Don’t suffer with flies this summer – call us.