Tips On How You Can Make It A Fly Free Summer

Unsettling Facts About Flies

May through August is the prime season for flies in this part of the country. The warm temperatures and humid conditions during the summer create the ideal environment for flies to thrive and multiply. They love to land on your sweaty skin, take a sip of your soda, and enjoy a nibble from the grill.

Why are flies so unbearable? You might consider them annoying relatives who show up without notice and stay too long. Flies are persistent and can outsmart you and the fly swatters. If you’ve ever chased a fly around the room only to strike out time and again, you know the determination of these insects.

If they weren’t annoying enough with their buzzing about, their feeding habits are questionable and toxic. They eat the filthiest things, then fly onto your food to share the germs. It’s disgusting to consider that flies land on carcasses of dead animals, feces, and garbage, and bits of the bacteria from these items stick to their legs.

Sadly, they transfer these particles to you and your food when they land. Flies can make you sick, and if you think shooing the insect away is good enough, you shouldn’t take that chance and eat the food they’ve touched.

Females are massive egg layers, always looking for a new place to safeguard their offspring. They’re drawn to anything with a strong smell, especially if it’s rotting. So, while you enjoy the summer fun, these busy pests turn your backyard into a maternity ward.

Should you embrace the chaos, keep the fly swatter handy, and invest in some bug spray? Yes, you need to do everything you can and more to keep these insects at bay. No one wants these uninvited guests around when you’re trying to enjoy Mother Nature and your family.

What Species of Flies Are Freely Buzzing Around Your Home This Summer?

A few types of flies make themselves right at home in this part of the country. Here are the most common species of flies, how to identify them, their eating preferences, and how to keep them away.

Houseflies

Houseflies are the most common species found in homes in New England. They have gray bodies, big red eyes, and four dark stripes on their backs. They’re about the size of a pencil eraser, and when they land on you, they always manage to be ticklish.

Eating Preferences:

Houseflies aren’t picky eaters, as they’ll eat just about anything. However, they especially love the grossest things. They’re big fans of garbage, rotting food, and even fecal matter. If it’s stinky and gross, they’re all over it. They have sponge-like mouths that let them slurp up liquids, and if their food isn’t runny, they’ll spit on it to make it easier to eat.

Lifespan and Reproduction

Thankfully, this species of fly doesn’t have a long lifespan. They typically live for about 15 to 25 days. In that short time, they buzz around, eat everything in sight, and lay tons of eggs. A female housefly can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime, usually about 75 to 150 eggs at a time. She prefers a cozy pile of rotting food or animal waste to lay her eggs in, ensuring her offspring have plenty to eat when they hatch.

Ways to Keep Them Away

Houseflies are drawn to food and garbage, so keeping things clean is vital. Make sure to take out the trash regularly, especially if it has food scraps. It’s better to use a waste disposal to ensure that no food is rotting in a garbage bin.

Clean up spills and crumbs immediately and keep your counters and floors free of food debris. Houseflies love an open buffet, so don’t give them one. Also, keep your doors and windows closed or ensure they have screens without holes. A good old-fashioned fly swatter can be your best friend if a fly is bothering you.

 

Fruit Flies

Fruit flies are those tiny pests that appear out of nowhere, and they’re easy to find if you have a bowl of ripe fruit sitting out. They’re super small, about the size of a pinhead, with tan or light brown bodies and big, bright red eyes.

Eating Preferences

These little guys have a very specific taste when it comes to food. Fruit flies love anything rotting, so they’re always hovering around bananas, apples, and even your kid’s juice box. They also like to hang out in drains, garbage disposals, and any place where there might be some tasty, decaying matter, but they shouldn’t be confused with drain flies.

Lifespan and Reproduction

Despite their tiny size, fruit flies have a surprisingly active lifestyle. They lived for about 30 days, but they are incredibly busy during that time. A female fruit fly can lay up to 500 eggs in her short life. She’ll lay her eggs on the surface of fermenting fruits or other moist, organic materials, ensuring that when the larvae hatch, they have plenty of food to munch on.

So, while fruit flies might drive you crazy buzzing around your kitchen, you’ve got to admire their persistence. They’re like tiny, annoying marathon runners, constantly on the move, looking for their next meal and ensuring their offspring have a head start.

Ways to Keep Them Away

Fruit flies are tiny but determined. They love fruit and anything fermenting, so keep your fruit in the fridge if you don’t eat it immediately. Clean up spills, especially sugary ones, and take out your garbage regularly. If you see fruit flies, you can set out a trap with apple cider vinegar in a cup with a few drops of dish soap. The vinegar lures them in, and the soap makes it hard for them to escape.

Drain Flies

Drain flies, also known as moth flies, are those tiny, fuzzy critters that love your bathroom and kitchen sinks. They’re super small, about the size of a grain of rice, with hairy bodies and wings that make them resemble tiny moths.

Eating Preferences

When it comes to food, drain flies have unique preferences. They love to feast on the gunk in drains and pipes. Can you imagine anything thriving on the slimy, organic matter that collects in those hard-to-clean spots? If you’ve got a slow drain or a sink that doesn’t get much use, it’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet for these little critters. Think of them as the dumpster divers of the insect world.

Lifespan and Reproduction

Drain flies have a short lifespan, as they only live for about one to two weeks. The female drain fly can lay up to 300 eggs during her lifetime. She deposits her eggs in the slimy film found in drains and pipes. If you have more than a couple of these critters lurking around, it can indicate a problem with your plumbing, which should be investigated.

Ways to Keep Them Away

Drain flies are all about the gunk in your drains. To keep them away, clean your gutters regularly. You can use baking soda and vinegar, followed by hot water, to break down the slimy sludge. Make sure to scrub the sides of the drains with a brush to remove any buildup. If you’ve got a slow drain, fixing it can help, too. These flies love to hang out in stagnant water, so keep things flowing smoothly.

Blowflies

Blowflies are shiny, metallic-colored insects that buzz around trash cans or rotting matter. They come in colors like blue, green, or even bronze, making them unique. They’re a bit bigger than your average housefly, and their flashy looks and loud buzz make them hard to miss.

Eating Preferences

Don’t let the appearance of these colorful flies fool you, as they’re just as gross as all their cousins. They prefer to eat decaying meat and rotting garbage. If a dead animal or a pile of spoiled food is nearby, you’ll likely see a swarm of blowflies gathering around. Think of them as the clean-up crew of the insect world, as they’re always ready to dive into the nastiest messes and turn them into a four-course meal.

Lifespan and Reproduction

Blowflies don’t live very long, usually around three to four weeks. A female blowfly can lay about 150-200 eggs at a time, and she does this several times in her life, totaling up to around 2,000 eggs. She lays her eggs on decaying matter to keep them safe and ensure they have food when the larvae hatch.

Ways to Keep Them Away

Some pest control professionals think of them as the garbagemen of the bug world, as they’re always ready to clean up the leftovers. Blowflies are attracted to anything rotting, so it’s important to keep your trash cans sealed and empty them often. If you have a compost pile, ensure it’s far from your house and covered well.

Please clean up after any animals in your yard to reduce their food choices. Also, look for dead critters around your home, and get rid of them quickly. If a blowfly finds something smelly and rotten, they’ve hit the jackpot and invite all their friends.

How To Be Free Of Flies In Your Home This Summer?

If you have quite a few flies buzzing about your home, there are some things that you can do to eliminate them. Here are a few tips for battling flies this season.

Fly Paper: Using sticky fly paper is one of the easiest ways to get rid of flies. Since a fly is sailing through the air, it gets entangled with these shiny traps that capture them. They cannot escape the sticky tape and remain glued to this strip until they perish.

Bug Lights: Bug lights have made a comeback. In the 1980s, many people fondly remember sitting on their grandparents’ porches and hearing the zap sound these machines made when an insect flew into it. The light is attractive to flies, and they go headfirst towards it. When they come in contact with the machine, their tiny bodies are electrocuted. The best thing about these machines is they will get more than flies, so they’re great to keep near a door that opens often.

Use Screens and Fix Any Holes: If you’re going to have your windows open for fresh air, you must always have a screen in it. You also need to ensure there are no holes in these screens. All it takes is an opening the size of the head of a pencil for them to enter. Sealing off entry points is a great place to start for a fly-free summer.

Fly Swatter: Investing in a good fly swatter is wise. These are very inexpensive and easy to locate. The only trick is that you must have a good aim. Some devices incorporate the fly swatter and bug light together, which gives you the satisfaction of catching them and giving them little opportunity to escape. The benefit of these combination devices is they are larger, like a smaller tennis racket, and can give you a better chance of hitting your target.

Keep The Doors Closed: If you have children that run in and out, it will increase your chances of flies slipping into your home. Invest in a screen door if you don’t have one, as they can help tremendously to keep your insects out. Now you know why your parents told you not to run in and out so much.

Invest in Carnivorous Plants: Who would think a plant could do all your dirty work for you? The venus fly trap, sundew, butterwort and the pitcher plant all love to eat flies. They can help in mild cases, but they won’t be able to consume massive amounts.

 

Is Pest Control Necessary For A Fly Free Summer?

Most fly problems can be handled without the help of professional pest control services, but sometimes assistance is needed. Professionals have access to more effective insecticides. Additionally, trained technicians can identify and address the root of the problem, such as a hidden nest or leak causing the issue.

When dealing with a large-scale infestation, you need a comprehensive treatment plan. Whenever flies or other insects affect your health or peace of mind, it’s best to get professional help. You deserve a peaceful, fly-free summer, which sometimes means contacting the expert.

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