HOW ARE THERE SO MANY FLIES IN YOUR HOUSE???
There is nothing like sitting down to a delicious meal after a long day. Especially when diving in to take a big bite and on your fork lands… a fly. Talk about suddenly losing your appetite. At that point, you open the door to let the flying pest out, and five more soar in! You might wonder if the flies in your house are out to get you.
Flies in your house are not just a nuisance as they can carry bacteria, germs, and diseases into your home. Drawn to food, waste, and moisture, your sanctuary soon becomes the perfect breeding ground for these pests.
We can dive into what makes your house so appealing to flying pests, how they find their way inside, and ways to protect your home.
Common Types of Flies in Your House
House Flies
House flies are the buzzing culprits most likely to enter your house in multitudes. These pests have a gray-black body with red eyes, translucent wings, and are about 1/4” long. Quick and dexterous fliers, they easily avoid many of our attempts at capture.
Finding their next meal is the top priority for flies. Far from picky eaters, they are drawn to anything that smells remotely edible—inside your refrigerator to your trash can. Unfortunately, food theft is the least of your problems when it comes to house flies. They are notorious for carrying and transmitting bacteria like E. coli through touch, regurgitation, and bodily excretions.
Once you find them in your house, they will begin breeding quickly. House flies lay eggs in moist, decaying matter. These eggs will hatch within 2-3 days and emerge as larvae, aka maggots. If they lay eggs on your food (talk about gross!) and are ingested, you can develop intestinal myiasis.
These reasons, and more, are why you want to get rid of flies inside your house ASAP.
Blow Flies
Blow flies, also known as bottle flies, are much larger than the typical house fly. Often quite pretty—if you like that sort of thing—with metallic bodies in black, blue, or green they can grow up to 1/2 inch long.
Blow flies inside your house have a flair for finding the foulest things. Decaying organic matter is their food of choice, whether it be spoiled meat, or a dead animal hidden in attics or even inside walls. With intense sniffing ability, they can smell decay from miles away. Now THAT’S impressive.
If you spot one of these metallic pests inside your house, it’s a sign of something smelly, and possibly dead, lingering nearby.
Fruit Flies
The opposite of blow flies, fruit flies are teeny-tiny little pests coming in at only about 1/8 of an inch. As their name suggests, you will find them swarming around ripe and rotting fruits and vegetables.
What makes these hard-to-see pests so maddening is how quickly they breed. A single piece of fruit can turn into a reproductive hub, with female fruit flies laying up to 500 eggs at a time. Wowzers! Once they emerge, the tiny larvae feed on the surface of the rotting produce and can soon begin the entire process over again. Due to their intense numbers, you will have an infestation on your hands within days.
Drain Flies
Drain flies, also known as sewer flies or moth flies, are small, fuzzy insects that love to live within drains. If you see these tiny, flying nuisances, you can bet there are others close by. Drain flies can multiply quickly and because they hide within drains, you might not know about these stealthy house guests until many flies are present. The best way to remove them is to take a wire brush and scrub the inside of the drains/pipes thoroughly. Follow-up by regularly pouring a mixture of baking soda and vinegar down your drains to keep them at bay.sonal midnight buffet.
Flies Inside Your House During the Fall
As the weather cools down in fall, flies have extra motivation to invade your home—and, it’s not because they are craving your company! Flies, just like other pests, are seeking warmth and shelter before the harsh winter months set in. With stable temperature and access to food, you will see flies inside your house if proper precautions are not taken. A few preventative measures can go a long way in protecting your home against these pests.
Companion Planting
One of the easiest and most effective ways to control pests is to bring in some co-habituating plants. Certain plants act like natural defenders, keeping unwanted bugs away. Marigolds, for example, can send pests like aphids running for the hills, while herbs like rosemary, mint, and basil can deter everything from slugs to caterpillars. Plant these pest-fighting champs alongside your crops and watch as they become a turn-and-run sign for pesky plant destroyers.
Nature’s Bodyguards
Who said all bugs are bad? In fact, some bugs are your best friends when it comes to protecting your garden from pests in New Jersey. Ladybugs, lacewings, and hoverflies feast on aphids, spider mites, and other troublemakers, while parasitic wasps make life miserable for caterpillars. To keep your garden crawling with these mini superheroes, plant things like dill, fennel, and daisies, which deliver an open invitation to these garden friends.
Building a Garden Fort
Sometimes, the best offense comes down to good defense. To physically block pests from attacking your plants, you can use row covers, netting, or even copper tape for slugs. These barriers act like security gates, keeping fall pests in New Jersey out while allowing your plants to breathe and soak up sunlight. Set these up in early autumn to begin protecting your garden from fall pests—before they move in for winter.
Professional Pest Control
While natural pest control methods are highly effective for managing most garden invaders, sometimes professional help is needed to tackle more severe infestations. When protecting your garden from fall pests in New Jersey, persistent problems like overwhelming aphid colonies, slugs and snails blazing a trail, or caterpillars creating havoc may require the expertise of a professional pest control service. Experts like our Kapture Pest Control team have the knowledge and tools to address large-scale issues safely and efficiently, without harming your plants or the environment. If you notice damage that’s beyond your DIY efforts, or if pests are threatening your fall harvest, calling in the pros can ensure your garden stays protected and healthy year-round.
Protecting Your Home Against Flies
Proofing your home against flies is one of the best ways to prevent so many flies from taking over your space. While it might appear they have gained an advantage over you, a few proactive steps can turn the tables back in your favor.
Seal Entry Points
This seems like a no-brainer, but sealing entry points is one of the most important and effective ways to defend against flies this season. It can be harder than it seems because flies can squeeze through the tiniest cracks and crevices. Be sure to thoroughly inspect your windows, doors, and walls for any cracks or openings. Use caulk or weather stripping to seal these areas against getting flies inside your house.
Be sure to repair or replace window screens—even small rips can be an easy way for flying pests to enter your home. Install mesh coverings over other entry points such as chimneys, vents, and gaps around pipes.
Have a Consistent Cleaning Schedule
Flies inside your house will take every opportunity while sourcing food. Keeping your home clean, especially in areas like the kitchen, helps to deter pests from encroaching on your safe haven.
- Store foods in airtight containers
- Wipe down surfaces after meals
- Avoid leaving over-ripe produce on counters
Keep trash and compost bins closed and remove promptly
Manage Moisture
Leaky faucets, wet towels, and standing water become the perfect “water cooler” gathering spot for flies in your house. Moisture is like a beacon for these flying pests, so check for plumbing leaks around pipes and under sinks and repair them as soon as possible.
Fly Traps and UV Lights
If flies make their way inside, traps can be an inexpensive way to catch them before you have a bigger problem on your hands. Sticky traps are a simple option which you can place near windows and doors. However, they can be unsanitary and unsettling due to dead flies remaining out in the open.
UV light traps attract flies with UV light. Utilizing electrocution, UV lights mimic sunlight for flies and this attraction traps and zaps them on contact. While effective outdoors on individual flies, they do not treat the fly infestation inside your house.
Professional Fly Control
Recognizing it’s time to call a professional for insect infestations can save you a lot of time and frustration. If you see these signs, go ahead and pick up the phone.
- Persistent infestation
- Multiple types of flies inside your house
- Large numbers of flies
So, while flies may be a pesky part of life, they don’t have to take over your home. With some pre-planned steps, you can stay one step ahead of these crafty critters. Flies inside your house might find the cozy and plentiful environment appealing at first, but you can kick them to the curb with the right approach.
If you are ready to rid your house of the many flies inside, give our experts at Kapture a call. We’ll be there in a flash, ready to take on these flying invaders so that you can enjoy a clean, pest-free home.
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Fall Pest Control Tips for New Jersey Homeowners
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