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FEBRUARY 28 2022 /
When flies appear in your kitchen, they can be extremely annoying. They buzz annoyingly through the air. They land on your food, which is really frustrating. And when they land on you, even for a second, there are few things in life that are more irritating.
But flies aren't just bothersome when they get in your home. They can also make you and your family members become very sick!
We often view these pests as simply a nuisance to have around, not taking into account that they may present a bigger threat. But we should. Flies are known to spread at least 65 diseases.
Yes, you read that correctly! Flies present a serious health threat when they find their way into our homes.
They are known to spread viruses, harmful bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes that can cause illness to break out in our homes.
This is because flies hang out in extremely unsanitary areas such as dirty dumpsters, trash cans, trash piles, sewers, and on the carcasses of dead animals where they can pick up these harmful pathogens and then carry them into your home.
And the longer you go without professional pest control service, the longer you and everyone living in your home will be exposed to these illness-spreading insects.
For that reason, you should never wait to have a fly infestation treated!
At this point, you may be thinking that a few flies in your kitchen is not cause for concern, and you may be right. It is possible that one fly or two managed to slip into your home from the outside and swatting them will end your infestation.
It is also possible that the flies you're seeing in your kitchen aren't a serious health threat as different flies present different threats, some worse than others.
House flies and bottle flies present a much bigger threat for illness than fruit flies or fungus gnats. And some flies don't present any threat at all, such as cluster flies.
Identification is the key to threat assessment. The problem is that most homeowners don't know how to properly identify the fly species they’re dealing with or assess the threat those flies present.
There are a lot of flies in the world. Let's take a look at the differences between cluster flies and house flies as an example.
Cluster flies and house flies look a lot alike and are sometimes mistaken for one another. Well, more often it is the cluster fly that is mistaken for a house fly.
In fact, many people don't even know what a cluster fly is. If you're seeing flies in your home, there are a few ways you can determine which fly you are dealing with, if it is indeed a house fly or a cluster fly.
⭐ Cluster flies are slightly larger than house flies.
⭐ Cluster flies have yellow or golden hairs on their bodies while house flies do not.
⭐ House flies have gray backs with dark grayish-silver lines which cluster flies lack.
⭐ The wings of a cluster fly overlap on their back when they are at rest while the wings of a house fly are distinctly separated, even when the fly is resting.
⭐ Cluster flies are less likely to be found in your kitchen and more likely to be found in your attic area while house flies are typically found invading kitchen areas.
⭐ You aren't likely to find a cluster fly by itself because, as their name indicates, cluster flies fly in groups. However, it is very common to see house flies on their own.
If you find flies in your kitchen and they do turn out to be cluster flies, then you don't have much to worry about other than the annoyance of having them around.
But, if you find that you have houseflies in your kitchen, you could have a serious problem on your hands and it is wise to contact a professional to come take a look at your problem.
When a large number of house flies are found inside a home, it is usually because there is a breeding site established inside the home.
To completely eliminate the fly problem, this breeding site needs to be tracked down. Professionals know the common areas where flies breed and how to systematically eliminate potential sources for future breeding.
This can be difficult to do if you don't know what you’re looking for and where to look for it. And when breeding sites aren't properly addressed, the fly infestation can be prolonged and the health risk inside the infested home will increase.
There are some common breeding sites that flies will take advantage of. We share these quite often in our blogs and other articles, but we will give you a quick list again:
⭐ Any unsealed trash can or pile of garbage is the perfect location for flies to lay their eggs in and for their larvae to develop.
Our garbage usually contains lots of rotting organic material that flies feed on. It only takes few days for flies to develop from eggs into full-grown adults, so taking your household trash out on a regular basis can help keep flies from being produced in it.
What typically happens is those flies find organic material in the bottom of our trash receptacles and choose to reproduce there.
Therefore, it’s important to not only take your trash out regularly, but also to keep your receptacles as clean as possible.
⭐ When searching for breeding sites, outside trash cans should be considered as well.
If you have flies reproducing in your outside trash receptacles, you'll have more flies around your home that will be able to zip in through your door when you enter your home.
An infestation inside your home is even more likely if you keep trash receptacles in your garage.
⭐ If you have food sources near the exterior of your home such as a fruit tree, a garden, some berry bushes, or other natural food source, this will also increase the number of flies you have near your home and increase your likelihood of invasion.
⭐ Our kids can sometimes create the conditions for fly infestations to begin as well.
If you have children, then you know what we’re talking about. As much as we adore them, children are notorious for being messy and leaving food around our homes. And any food that is left sitting can become a breeding location for flies.
As you can see, flies breed in a variety of filthy areas. Due to these breeding habits, these pests can cause food poisoning, dysentery, typhoid fever, ophthalmia, tuberculosis, and a long list of other harmful illnesses.
They are also linked to the spread of parasitic worms. So don’t underestimate these pests! Flies aren’t just a harmless annoyance as they are commonly viewed.
If you keep seeing flies in your home, contact a professional right away. If you live in DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia, reach out to us at American Pest.
We are a QualityPro Certified, industry-leading, residential and commercial pest control provider. We'll help you figure out where those flies are breeding and help you stop them in their tracks!
