Are you having problems with flies in your house? Are you being irritated by these small insects buzzing around your ears? Are you looking for ways to get rid of them? If you are reading this, chances are you are looking for a professional to take care of getting rid of them. Naturally, you would not settle for just anyone, because you want to get your money’s worth. And naturally, you would be looking for help with getting rid of pests fast.
If you have seen the movie, “Doctor Strange”, there was a scene there wherein the protagonist, Doctor Strange confronts his enemy but kills him. Unknown to this enemy, named Dormammu, Doctor Strange managed to use a time loop, wherein he will just keep coming back after being killed. This irritated Dormammu because the good guy just kept coming back, over and over again, until finally, Dormammu had to negotiate for Strange to stop doing it, just to end it. Dormammu became a prisoner to Strange’s plan. Among all pests, flies must have been the most irritating - at least that is what they are to me. Like Doctor Strange, they just keep coming back. They are not afraid of humans. They have this annoying behavior of landing on you, and if you shoo them away, they would leave, only to come back a few seconds later. It is always a constant struggle with them, and we are like their prisoners.
Description
Scientists have already identified 190,000 species of flies, yet there are still more that have not yet been studied nor identified. Flies are small insects equipped with a pair of functional wings used for flying and another pair of hindwings that are used for balance. They are one of the most successful insects, as they are very abundant and can be found in all parts of the world, except in Antarctica. Flies have compound eyes, which allows them to have 360-degree vision. This is the reason why it is very hard to swat them, even if you are coming from behind. They have movable heads and are equipped with mouthparts that can pierce and suck.
They eat anything. They feed on human and animal wastes, spoiled foods, dead animals, and whatever is in your garbage. They would even feast on an open wound. As you can see, they are annoying and would buzz around you like there is no tomorrow.
Due to their filthy eating habits, flies are more than just a familiar nuisance. They are also one of the major carriers of diseases. They probably match the cockroach in terms of filthiness. That is why each one of us should take extra steps to get rid of these pests before they become health hazards to our family.
Lifecycle
All flies go through a complete metamorphosis in their lifetime. Flies have four distinct life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult in their development. Adult female flies lay eggs. When the eggs hatch, they become larvae. Flies spend most of their lives in this stage than the adult stage. After the larvae stage, the pupa stage comes next, then the adult stage. The adults are the ones that bother us all the time. This stage is short, and their only purpose at this stage in their lives is to mate and lay eggs. Their species are very successful because of their ability to find their mates effectively and very quickly during mating season.
Flies Are Disease Carriers
Due to their filthy feeding habits, flies carry with them so much bacteria and viruses. Because of this, they can transmit several diseases. It is estimated that flies transmit around 65 types of diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The diseases they transfer include cholera, dysentery, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, and salmonellosis. Since they do not bite humans. they transmit these diseases indirectly by simply landing on our food. To further underscore the point on how dangerous that is, flies can only eat liquid or semi-liquid food because they are not capable of biting. What these flies do to feed is that they vomit liquid made of saliva and digestive juices that can break down solid food. When we eat food that a fly once fed on, we are in effect ingesting feces, saliva, urine, and vomit coming from flies. These bacteria and viruses get ingested at the same time.
These flies also carry with them bacteria and dirt on their legs. Simply landing and crawling on our food can transfer these pathogens to us.
Identifying Flies
Let us identify and describe the most common types of flies here in the United States. These are the house fly, the little house fly, horse fly, cluster fly, and the black fly.
Housefly - The house flies are those that you usually find inside your home. Their size is about ⅜ inches in length. They come in gray or black colors with four dark lines in the thorax. The female house flies are slightly larger than the male house flies. They have large compound eyes that enable them to see things from any angle, even behind them. This explains why it is very hard to sneak up on them even from behind because they can still actually see you and can manage to avoid swatters. They have hair-like projections found all over their bodies.
House flies can also be both a nuisance and health risks to restaurants. They can turn off customers just by their presence alone. They also are the top causes of disease among their workers.
Aside from their annoying qualities, house flies are certainly disease carriers and that they are able to transmit these diseases to humans. They carry pathogens that come from feeding on animal feces, body excretions, garbage, and dead animals. The bacteria and viruses they carry can cause diseases like diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, and food poisoning.
Little house fly - They have brown-grey thorax with three black longitudinal stripes. The size of the adult little house fly is just ⅔ the size of the house fly, and are about 3.5 to 6 mm in length. Unlike the house flies, the little house fly does not transmit diseases. They are just a nuisance pest, as they have the habit of flying around us. They are not fond of getting indoors because they prefer to live outside houses. They tend to bunch together outside the house, like in the patios and garages. They simply take cover in buildings when temperatures drop.
Horseflies - Horseflies look like bees because of their yellow markings that look like those of bees. They have large eyes, small antennae, and sharp mouthparts that can bite. Their size is about ½ to ¼ inches long, and with black or gray bodies with green eyes. They can grow to as large as an inch in length. One thing different about horseflies is that they bite animals and humans. They bite during the daytime. They like to breed in moist soil near a large body of water.
Cluster Fly - Cluster flies have checkered marks on their bodies. They move slower than house flies. When at rest, their wings would overlap. They are called cluster flies because they like to live in clusters along with the windows of houses on a warm, sunny wall.
Black fly - Black flies are annoying, little insects that bite. They are capable of sucking blood. They also pose a threat to livestock because they transmit a number of diseases to animals. Fortunately, the do not transfer diseases to humans. Black flies are 5 to 25 mm in length and are black in color. Most female black flies need to feed on blood for the development of eggs.
Control
Flies inside the house most definitely came from the outside, and as such, protective measures should be made to prevent them from getting inside homes and buildings. Seal cracks around windows and doors. Install screens around windows if you cannot have it closed at all times. You can also use sticky flypapers to catch some of them, though this will not solve the problem entirely. A good fly swatter can also come in handy.
Practice good sanitation. Wipe off food and drink spills on tables, floors, stoves, sinks, and practically anywhere in the house. Always put a cover on your food. Put a cover on your trash bins, and regularly dispose of your garbage properly. This is always a good source of food for flies.
If you have these unwanted visitors in your home, be sure to get reliable help with getting rid of pests fast from Go-Forth Home Services.
Why Go-Forth Home Services?
Go-Forth Pest control is the leading pest control company in the Carolinas. Established in 1959, they have excellent experience in exterminating pests like flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, rats, mice, weevils, spiders, silverfish, ants, and termites. Name it, they got it covered for you. They use family-friendly and pet-friendly methods of extermination that caters to your specific needs.
Go-Forth Home Services has earned the trust of residents and businesses in North Carolina for more than 50 years. For more information, or to set an appointment, just dial (877) 274-1475. Our friendly operators are standing by.