Flies

Flies come in a variety of shapes and sizes and while they generally share similar behavior patterns, what attracts them, where they reproduce, and how to tackle them all depend on what kind of fly they are. Flies rarely cause physical damage, but they can spread disease and affect your sanity. They can contaminate left out food with disease such as dysentery and tuberculosis.

Fly infestations can grow exponentially, as female flies lay eggs in large batches and hatch into your standard maggot within 24 hours. They then take an additional 2 – 3 weeks to feed before they turn to pupae, and then another 4 weeks or so to hatch.

Signs of Infestations

Luckily, flies are usually pretty easy to spot, and you can typically assess the severity of the issue by the number at which they occur. Regardless, it’s always important to keep on the lookout. Flies like damp and moist environments, so be sure to check for their presence or signs wherever moisture is present. Also keep an eye out for small darkened spots on walls, windowsills, sinks, tiling, and light fixtures, and look for maggots in waste areas.

House Flies

We’ve all seen them. Small, gray, hair covered bodies with transparent wings. House flies are typically the most common type of flies and once they enter your home, they will sit near a food source. Unfortunately, their food sources are not readily available on your counter top, as they prefer animal excrement, human waste, and rotten produce that they can ingest with their straw like mouths.

Fruit Flies

Similar in appearance to the house fly but smaller and with some key difference, fruit flies have brownish bodies and glowing red eyes. More commonly found in restaurants and kitchen areas, they seek out rotten food waste in abundance. In ideal environments, fruit flies can lay up to 500 eggs, and those eggs typically hatch into an adult fly within a week. Typical breeding locations include in your garbage and garbage bags, drainage pipes, and empty bottles.

Drain Flies

The least common of the three, drain flies, like the name suggests, thrive in drains and plumbing, especially in sewage treatment plants. They struggle to fly and rely on jumping to move around. Like the previous types of flies, drain flies, seek out waste and moisture to reproduce, but can also reproduce in hot and humid climates.