Unless you are an entomologist who is fascinated by all things buggy, you probably don’t like flies – especially not in your Missouri home! Because of their tendency to buzz annoyingly, badger both humans and animals, then help themselves to our food, flies are unwelcome house guests.

There are about 120,000 types of fly species. The type you’re more than likely seeing in your home this time of year is the common house fly. Although they breed year-round, flies are more active during the summer.

These pests aren’t just a nuisance. Also called a filth fly, the common house fly carries disease.

If they find a reliable food source, they’ll multiply faster than you can swat them. And, before you know it, you’ve got a serious house fly problem.

Do I Have a Fly Problem?

A random fly or two in the house is normal. However, if you suddenly start seeing them everywhere, it’s time to investigate. When you begin to consistently notice adult flies in your home, you might have a fly problem.

Think it’s not bad? That maybe, once they die, things will go back to normal. Not a chance.

Remember…flies reproduce fast. A female adult house fly can lay hundreds of eggs that develop into adults in as little as seven days. She can lay about five or six batches of eggs during her lifetime. Flies live for between 10-25 days. That equals…way too many house flies.

How Do Flies Get In?

We all know that flies are lined up to barge in uninvited through an open door. Same for windows that aren’t shut.

Other than these obvious entry points, flies can sneak in through torn screens. They can squeeze themselves through vents or unsealed cracks to take up residence where you eat and sleep.

What Attracts Flies?

Food. Food attracts house flies. Not necessarily our human foods…things like spoiled garbage, rotting food in your disposal, and overripe produce.

Poor sanitation can also draw flies inside your home. Be a grown up. Wipe up your spills. Clean your house. Don’t leave pet food to sit out uneaten. Change litter boxes regularly.

Outdoor sources of fly food include mulch piles – a mecca for fly breeding – or garbage cans stored near points of entry. Animal waste can also be an issue, be sure to scoop that poop! Flies congregate near standing water, so inspect your yard for any hidden fly resorts. Also, get rid of rotting anything, especially wood or plants.

Are Flies Dangerous?

No, house flies can’t bite. But they are harmful. These flies have the potential to transfer pathogens that can make you, your family, and your animals sick. House flies can carry viruses, bacteria, and fungi on their tiny little fly-feet.

Here’s a scenario. Say you’re at a backyard cookout and a fly lands on your baked beans. Where was that fly hanging out before it landed? Maybe on a pile of manure in the field across town? Or perhaps at a buffet…on a rotting rodent carcass.

Baked beans may be your favorite, but they’re not worth food poisoning, tuberculosis, dysentery, Typhoid, E. Coli, or Salmonella. Toss them!

Treatment for House Flies

There are many ways to treat for flies in your Missouri home. Certainly, you should keep your house clean. Identify and eliminate their food source. Use your trusty fly swatter – or a slightly damp dish towel and a good aim.

From DIY fly solutions to relying on pest control services, you can get rid of those flies!

If you like to handle matters on your own, try one of the homemade fly traps below:

Vinegar & dish soap fly trap

  • 1. Use a shallow dish bowl and fill it with an inch of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of sugar.
  • 2. Add some fruit-scented dish soap.
  • 3. You can leave the dish uncovered or tightly covered with plastic wrap. Make sure to poke a few holes in it to attract the flies.

Soda bottle fly trap

  • 1. Clean an empty, plastic two-liter soda bottle.
  • 2. Carefully cut the top third of the bottle by cutting near where the top of the label used to be.
  • 3. Pour a sweet liquid, like sugar water, in the larger, bottom third of the bottle.
  • 4. Turn the top third of the bottle upside-down, making a cone shape, and place it in the opening of the larger part of the bottle.
  • 5. Flies will find their way into the bottle but will be unable to get out.

Missouri Fly Treatment

If you’ve given it the old college-try and DIY fly control methods just aren’t working out for you, call McCarthy Pest & Termite Control for pest management. Our 6-Point Home Pest Control Process is proven to effectively eliminate house flies from Missouri homes. We’ll send them packing and let them know that they’re not welcome back.