Flies are a common indoor nuisance. Their appearance is driven by specific biological needs, primarily related to finding food, water, and suitable breeding sites.
What Draws Flies In
Flies possess a highly developed sense of smell, enabling them to detect potential food sources and breeding grounds from considerable distances.
Decaying organic matter, including rotting fruits, vegetables, meat, animal waste, garbage, and exposed waste, serves as a significant attractant. These materials provide both sustenance and ideal locations for laying eggs due to their odors. Sweet substances like spilled soda, fruit juice, or fermenting fruits also draw flies.
Moisture, including standing water in sinks, drains, or damp areas, is another strong attractant, as flies require it for survival and egg-laying. Pet food, waste, and bedding can also lure flies if not properly maintained.
How Flies Gain Entry
Even when doors and windows appear closed, flies are adept at finding ways into indoor spaces. Common entry points include open doors and windows, especially those lacking screens or having damaged ones. Small tears or gaps in screens are often sufficient for these insects to squeeze through.
Cracks and gaps in a building’s foundation or walls, as well as openings around utility lines and pipes, can also serve as access points. Flies can even hitchhike indoors on produce or on pets. Due to their small size and quick movements, flies can enter through even brief openings, such as a door held open for a few seconds.
The Fly Life Cycle
Flies undergo a complete metamorphosis, progressing through four distinct stages: egg, larva (maggot), pupa, and adult. Female flies lay clusters of tiny, oval, white eggs, typically in decomposing organic matter, ensuring a food source for the hatching larvae. These eggs usually hatch quickly, often within 8 to 24 hours, into worm-like larvae.
Larvae, commonly known as maggots, feed voraciously on the organic material for several days, growing rapidly. After this feeding stage, they transition into the pupal stage, forming a hardened, protective casing where they transform into adult flies. The entire life cycle, from egg to adult, can be completed in as little as 7 to 10 days under warm, optimal conditions, leading to rapid population growth.
Preventing Fly Infestations
Effective fly prevention relies on addressing the factors that attract flies and enable their entry and reproduction.
Maintaining sanitation is important. This involves promptly cleaning food spills, especially sugary substances, and regularly cleaning kitchen and pet areas. Proper waste management, including using sealed trash cans and emptying them frequently, significantly reduces attractants.
Exclusion methods are important to physically block fly entry. Inspect and repair any damaged window or door screens, and ensure that doors and windows are kept closed. Sealing cracks and gaps in foundations, walls, and around utility openings can also prevent access.
Reducing potential breeding sites is another strategy. This involves eliminating standing water, such as in leaky faucets or plant saucers, and managing compost piles or decaying vegetation. Promptly cleaning up pet waste and ensuring pet food is stored in sealed containers will also deter flies from laying eggs.