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Whenever warm weather comes, it always seems to bring an influx of flies. No one likes them, they’re annoying and don’t do anything. They aren’t even that particularly interesting, as most people would agree. I mean, what’s interesting about having 1,2,5,10,100 flies in your home just buzzing about. They’re a sore and most people simply use a fly swatter to fix the issue and get rid of flies.
However, fly swatters, as important as they are, are in no way a population control method. They’re good when it comes to actually be able to kill some flies, but other than that, it’s not as effective. Besides, your main goal should be to get rid of the reasons they’re there in the first place. Not only would this prevent them from coming again, but it would also mean less work for you (and less annoying buzzing sounds around your head constantly).
The reason they’re so active during the summer is warmth. See, flies can’t survive during the winter and as soon as winter comes, there’s an abundance of them. But, being annoying isn’t the only negative side to them.
Flies carry a plethora of diseases and there are more than a hundred thousand different species of fly (a staggering number if you ask us). Speaking of diseases, let’s see why exactly are the flies so dangerous.
The Dangers with Flies
How often have you seen a fly land on your food, only for it to come back after you swat it away? Too often, I presume. In fact, I don’t think there’s a single person on the planet that didn’t experience this. That’s how abundant and global flies are. The main problem, as mentioned before, with flies is that they’re disease carriers. They can easily infest food items such as meat. Salmonella Enteritidis is a common disease associated with flies and some fly species can spread this disease.
The fly loves to live in filth and be involved with it, which makes it the perfect disease transmitter. Considering it constantly flies back and forth between filth and a food source, it’s no wonder so many people get ill thanks to them.
What’s even worse is that flies can’t eat solid food. “Well how do they eat then?” some of you may be thinking. Well, the answer is disgusting. They basically vomit on the food which creates a sort of solution. The fly then sucks this solution up. The moment its proboscis touches your food – it’s already contaminated.
Here are some of the diseases carried by flies:
- Paratyphoid and typhoid fevers
- Dysentery
- Diarrhea
- Cholera
- Conjunctivitis
- Salmonella
- Tuberculosis
- Parasitic worms
As you can see, we’re talking about a pretty hefty list of diseases.
Okay, so our next order of business is talking about the life cycle of a fly. This is important as it’ll give you a clear understanding of what to look out for and how to react if you start seeing flies constantly.
The Lifecycle of a Fly
First thing’s first. How long does the life cycle of a fly last and how many stages are there? Well, the fly goes through a total of 4 major stages during its life cycle. During the first stage, around 150 eggs get laid in an environment that is moist enough. Note: The number of eggs is per fly. For the laying of the eggs, flies prefer using manure, garbage, and composite.
The eggs don’t take long to hatch (only one day). The next stage involves turning into larvae which feed for a period that can range anywhere between 5 and 14 days. Next, they’re turning away from a moist environment and going somewhere dry.
The chosen location serves as shelter during pupation (the process through which the larvae turn into pupae, the next stage). It takes almost a month for the pupae to ‘hatch’ an adult fly. The troubles don’t end there either – flies can live up to a month – during which they lay between 500 and 2,000 eggs.
You do the maths – how many flies can just 2 or 3 of them produce during one lifetime each? Too much.
So, a prompt reaction is in order. Here’s the process of getting rid of flies from both indoor spaces and outdoor ones:
Get Rid of Flies: The Process
There are two stages contained in the process. You’ll have to go through both of them and do everything mentioned if you want to fly-proof your home and get rid of them. Here’s what the stages are all about:
- Fly Control Methods (Stage 1) – During this stage, your main goal is to establish control on the fly population. What you want to do is reduce the number of flies and prevent them from overbreeding. This is done by eradicating any breeding source you find. The first stage is supposed to give you enough time to focus on the remaining flies (besides, getting rid of flies each day whilst their breeding grounds are active won’t harbor any results). Once stage 1 is complete, the flies won’t have anywhere to lay their eggs. Time for stage 2!
- Fly Elimination Methods (Stage 2) – We said you’d get enough time to get rid of them completely and the reason for that was because, once you deal with the eggs and breeding grounds, any fly that will be left will be an adult fly. They won’t be able to lay their eggs, and their lifespan will come to an end after about a month (or less). You can slowly start killing them off and you should be in the clear after a couple of days.
Let’s start with stage 1!
Stage 1 – Fly Control Methods
This process involves a series of steps that are as follows:
- Identify the Species – Identification is highly important as it’ll give you an idea of where to look. Each species is unique and through identification, you’ll find out what the breeding source of the identified flies is.
- Figure out Where the Breeding Source is – Again, an important step without which you wouldn’t be able to stop their population from expanding. By using the list of fly species we provided, you’ll be able to search for the potential breeding source. However, there’s a tricky bit here: Fly breeding sources can be more than 500 meters away from where the infestation is happening. So, technically, you’ll have to search for quite a while. It’s also important not to skip this step.
- Get Rid of the Breeding Source – This involves cleaning and destroying whatever can be destroyed. Any fly specks that you notice should be washed off from the floor, walls, or other surfaces with a combination of water and borax. Also, get rid of garbage every third day. Lastly, you’ll want to remove any dead animals or carcasses from the premises of your home as they too can attract flies.
- Patience – Once all of this is done and dusted, you’ll need to have some patience. Flies won’t just disappear in a day or two; the process takes a while. It can take as long as 3 months to completely get rid of them, mainly because there have been cases where flies used to live up to 3 months of age (this also depend on fly species). You’ll also need to more work during this period, and – you guessed it – we’re talking about stage 2!
Stage 2 – Fly Eradication Methods
These methods mostly involve some DIY so be prepared for it. Basically, you’ll be following methods to either kill or repel any flies from your home. These methods have been tested and have been proven to work.
- Vodka – Flies absolutely hate the smell of vodka and people have figured this out. Mix 1 cup of vodka, 1 tsp of lemon eucalyptus oil, 2 tsp of aloe vera juice, and ½ tsp of essential oil blend. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and either spray it on yourself or over an area to stop them from entering. Spraying on your skin is optional.
- Herbs – Any aromatic fragrance is no good to flies. Use Basil, Lavender, Elder, Mint, and many other, similar herbs to keep them away. You should plant these herbs so the fresh scent of them blocks flies from entering your home. You could also use dried mint leaves.
- Sugar-Water Fly Trap – One of the simplest fly traps out there. Take a wide-mouthed jar, a paper cone, and a bit of sugar water. Pour the syrup into the jar and cut a small hole on the apex of the cone you picked up. Place the cone in the jar upside down but not far down (to avoid touching the syrup). And you’re done!
- Fly Ribbons/Paper – These are cheap and easy to get plus they work very well. The flies will stick themselves to these products because of the fragrance (which has a sweet scent).
- Fly Swatter – The most common ‘weapon’ against the flies, the fly swatter has been in use for a long time. It’s the easiest and simplest way to start killing off flies and, even though it might seem obsolete, is an important part of your arsenal.
- Chemical Fly Spray – With fly spray, you have to be careful when it comes to applying it. Some brands are toxic and can harm the environment so you’ll need to be precise and vigilant. On the other hand, you could get a spray that isn’t harmful at all, so there’s that. These fly sprays are fast-working and can easily deal with a population of flies.
Conclusion
We don’t want to go into too much detail and write a 10-page essay talking about flies and the millions of methods to get rid of them.
We’ve decided to simplify the entire process so you can get to work on eradicating them quicker. Of course, if you need more info, you’ll find a plethora of information about more fly killing methods, but these few works quite well on their own and will help you out immensely.
Just follow the steps and you’ll be well on your way to living in a house that has zero flies!
