Flies

Risk Levels
Invasiveness
Health Concern
Damage

Information

Flies, typically considered a nuisance, exist in all regions of the United States. There are more than 240,000 different species of flies in the world. Approximately one third of them, including mosquitoes and gnats, can be found in the United States.

A true fly has only one set of wings. All flies are known disease carriers, many of which can be transmitted to humans. Flies typically breed in garbage, excrement of animals and humans, sewers, compost piles, and any other place where matter is decaying. This enables them to pick up various kinds of diseases which can be transmitted to people by biting or by landing on food, where the bacteria and viruses are released. Since flies are able to transmit disease so easily, it is necessary to seek insect control quickly. The diseases that they can carry include malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis, dengue fever, and more.

One benefit of flies is that they help reduce the population of other pests. They also help to break down carcasses and other decaying matter faster by preparing it to reenter the ground.

Prevention

The key to preventing flies is sanitation. Flies can breed very quickly in the proper conditions, so finding and eliminating these breeding sites is a must. Trash should be kept in sealed containers, dumpsters should be cleaned regularly, and all waste should be kept as far away from the structure as possible. Manure and any other organic matter should be cleaned or moved far away from the structure. Excess moisture or stagnant water must also be eliminated.

Control

The above prevention methods should be your first line of defense against flies. Without proper sanitation, any other control methods will be much less effective. Tri-County technicians can help you identify and eliminate breeding sites. For more difficult fly problems, Tri-County employs an array of strategies. No-pest strips can be placed in unoccupied areas, contact pesticides can be used to reduce population, and residual insecticides can be used outdoors for prolonged control.