Flies
Flies are considered to be one of the most evolved insects known to man. They rely heavily on sight for survival and are generally extremely sensitive to movement. 
Most fly species are more of a nuisance than a pest, however flies such as mosquitoes, which feed on blood, can also cause painful skin reactions when they bite and can also transmit infectious diseases.
Fly Species
There are an estimated 240,000 species of fly, with the common house fly regarded as being one of the most widely distributed animals on the planet. Of course, not all species are found within the UK, however some of the most common types of fly you may encounter are listed below.
- Bluebottles
- Cluster Flies
- Filter Flies
- Fruit Flies
- House Flies
- Mosquitoes
Know Your Enemy
Houseflies lay their eggs in moist, decaying matter especially household refuse, manure or compost – unlike bluebottles which exclusively lay on dead animal bodies, meat or cheese. Under ideal conditions the whole lifecycle – from egg to maggot to adult – can take place in less than a fortnight. As adults, houseflies can fly distances of five miles or more, so they have little difficulty travelling from these breeding sites to enter our homes.
The two kinds can easily be told apart when adult, houseflies having a series of stripes along their mid-section, while bluebottles are a distinctive metallic blue. However, the larvae are almost indistinguishable except for size, the full-grown bluebottle maggot being larger, though where it is found and the type of material it is eating is usually a good indicator.
Houseflies generally have rather erratic flight patterns and can often be found in very large numbers flying around light fittings; bluebottles tend to invade in ones and twos. The sudden appearance of clouds of bluebottles can often be the rather gruesome sign that some unfortunate mouse or small bird has died under your floorboards or up the chimney – and is about to provide a fertile breeding ground!
Flies generally enter houses in search of food and as they are not fussy feeders, will have a taste of any likely meal they land on. The wide and rather unsavoury eating habits of both kinds of flies makes them a potential risk to human health, contaminating food destined for the table with bacteria from the decaying material or animal droppings on which they fed earlier.
In addition, they can transmit intestinal worms and are known carriers of a variety of diseases, including gastroenteritis – the need to cover and protect food when flies are likely to be around is well known.
How to control the pest of flies
See our range of Fly Screens and Electonic Fly Killers. |
