Flies

Flies can be a nuisance when buzzing around the home particularly if in large numbers. However, some species of fly also pose a health risk.

Flies in your home

In particular, house flies transmit a wide range of diseases including salmonella, dysentery, tuberculosis, cholera and parasitic worms. Some flies will bite and even mosquitoes are a type of fly species.

Flies can get into homes through small holes in screens, open windows, through cracks and spaces beneath doors and even through the drains. Once inside they can breed rapidly, causing an infestation that can grow quickly.

The problem with flies in your home is that they prefer to eat things such as waste materials, garbage and even rotten meat. When they land they can get contaminants on their feet and if they then land on food or other material that can end up ingested they spread contamination.

If your home has a fly problem call out the experts at Rentokil for a free estimate. You can call us at 877-690-2115 or fill in our online contact form to schedule an appointment.

Types of flies

There are many different species of fly out there and they live in a wide variety of habitats. The ones that you are most likely to run into and that might infest your home include:

• House Flies – adults 6-7mm. Female house flies lay 400-600 eggs in decaying matter or feces which develop into maggot larvae. Attracted to any uncovered food or organic waste.
• Bluebottle (Greenbottle)– Adults 6-12mm, usually metallic blue or green but can be black or grey. Significant numbers in a house will often indicate a dead animal (such as a mouse) in the property.
• Cluster Flies - adults 6-10mm. Cluster flies often take shelter over the winter inside homes (such as in attics) and can occur in very large numbers in the home as they emerge in the spring.
• Filter Fly - adults 2mm. This fly has a gray appearance with the wings densely covered by hair. They can sometimes be mistaken for moths.
• Mosquitoes – adults 5mm. Tend to be found near still water where their larvae develop. Our guide to insect bites advises on treatment for bites.

How to keep flies away

Flies can be a nuisance pest for homes and businesses. A fly infestation could pose a serious health risk as flies are known to spread a range of diseases, like Salmonella and E.coli. 

If you want to prevent flies, there are some practical steps you can take to deter them. Some of these methods are totally cost-free and only require your time to action. 

Recommended steps involve making changes indoors and outdoors to cover all potential hot spots and ensure effective fly control.

Call Rentokil at 877-690-2115 or contact us online to keep flies away.

The best way to keep flies away and not worry about fly infestation is to make sure that there is nothing there to attract flies in the first place and stop them from laying eggs. Some of the things you can do include:

• Covering food – flies spread diseases by landing on food before we eat it
• Clearing away food and liquid spillages immediately
• Cleaning food debris from under kitchen appliances
• Making sure all rubbish bins have tightly sealed lids
• Keeping compost enclosed and covered
• Cleaning up after pets – not only are feces the perfect breeding place for flies but also somewhere a fly may land before landing on your food

Flies are also fond of reproducing in standing water, so other prevention methods include:

• Ensuring drains are kept clear and running
• Treating drains that seem to have flies with bleach 
• Ensuring gutters and water gullies are not blocked
• Covering water butts with a lid
• Not leaving standing water around (e.g., in watering cans, potted plants)
• Introducing goldfish into garden ponds to eat fly larvae

Finally, you can help prevent flies entering your home by:

• After dark, keeping windows and doors closed or block out the light with curtains
• Fitting fly screens to windows especially around kitchen and waste areas

Fly prevention tips

• Deny flies access - keep windows and doors closed.
• Flyscreens - fit flyscreens to windows especially around kitchen and waste areas.
• Cover food - flies spread diseases by landing on food before we eat it.
• Clear away - clear food debris and liquid spillages from food consumption and preparation areas, under kitchen benches and appliances.
• Trash bins / Compost bins - ensure all waste containers have tightly sealed lids.
• Pets - clean up after pets. Not only are feces a perfect breeding place for flies, they may land there before landing on your food.
• Clear up dead flies - they provide a tasty snack for other pests such as carpet beetles. 
• Water barrels - cover these with well fitted lids.
• Standing water - do not leave standing water (in watering cans and pot plants for example) as this offers mosquitoes opportunity to breed.
• Ponds - if you have a garden pond, introduce goldfish as they will eat mosquito larvae. 
• Drains - ensure drains are kept clean and free of debris to reduce fly breeding sites.

FACT: Common house flies are attracted to decaying organic waste such as feces and rotting meat, whereas fruit flies will look for sugary substances and feed more commonly on overripe fruit, spilled soft drinks and alcohol.

How to get rid of flies

There is a range of DIY products available to kill flies, but an established fly problem may require professional pest control to ensure that it will not reoccur.

Rentokil Technicians understand the habits of each species and also have a range of powerful insecticides to deal with flies and provide the reassurance that the problem has been fully dealt with.

Rentokil Pest Control offers a call-out service to deal with fly and other pest problems in the home. Our service is fast, effective and offers the highest level of safety for your family and pets.

Call Rentokil Pest Control Canada on 877-690-2115 or use our online contact form for further advice or to arrange a visit by a Rentokil Technician.

Need professional help to control a problem with flies?

If you are worried about flies, Rentokil can offer more professional fly control solutions including our Luminos Electric Fly Killers.

If you want to prevent , there are some practical steps you can take to deter them. Some of these methods are totally cost-free and only require your time to action.

Recommended steps involve making changes indoors and outdoors to cover all potential hot spots and ensure effective fly control.

For a professional solution to your fly problem, Call Rentokil at 877-690-2115 or contact us online.