Filth flies are common in Illinois and Iowa. The most common are house flies, fruit flies, and phorid flies.
An adult house fly is about ¼” long and a dull gray color with 4 dark stripes on its thorax. They tend to be drawn to lay their eggs in garbage and on animal feces. When they are in their larval stage you will see them as legless white maggots. Later they move away from their food source to form a cocoon then emerge as adults.
An adult fruit fly is about ⅜” long and brown, tan, or black in color with red eyes. They are drawn to fermented and sweet substances, as well as rotten ripe or overly ripe fruit. They lay their eggs in or around these substances, and the white legless larvae will feed on it.
An adult phorid fly is about ⅛” long and tan or dark brown in color with a humpback. They are attracted to decomposed organic materials where they lay their eggs. Typically sewage and liquefied trash are prime locations for egg laying.
These flies are called filth flies for a reason. Once they have taken up residence in your home they can spread a variety of diseases including Salmonella. You will want to take control of flies as soon as possible.
First off, it is important to see what’s attracting flies to your home. Here are some examples of mistakes you can correct now that will pay off later in the form of fly prevention:
- Clutter - Although it’s not always food, clutter can be attracting flies. Stacks of newspapers and piles of boxes are good examples of clutter that should be taken care of especially if they have become damp or moist.
- Entry points - Areas that should not be ignored are tiny gaps, cracks, and holes in your foundation, exterior walls, and around window and door frames. Take a look around and seal them off to block flies from gaining access to your home. Make sure that all screens and vents are in good repair. A tiny hole is a grand invitation to a filth fly to just come right in and make itself at home.
- Trash - This is one of the most common ways flies are attracted to your home. Make sure that you are taking out the trash on a regular basis and keep trash areas clean and dry. As for outdoor trash, make sure the bins have tight-fitting lids that the flies cannot penetrate.
- Moisture - This too is an attraction to flies. As soon as you are aware of leaks or areas of stagnant water, you should seek to get repairs done as soon as possible.
- Kitchen filth - Sanitation is key in deterring flies from getting comfortable in your home. Dirty floors, stoves, toasters, and other kitchen appliances that have leftover food residue and particles should be cleaned regularly to avoid any health risks from harmful bacteria flies carry. It is tremendously important to keep food-preparation surfaces sanitary for the same reason.
Filth flies are a huge nuisance and pose some serious health risks. They are also known to grow in numbers rapidly due to the large number of eggs a female fly can produce in her lifetime, as many as 500! This one reason is why it's important to call for professional fly removal in Davenport or throughout Quad City area's, at the first sight of a problem.
In Illinois and Iowa, you can call on the professionals at Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators to do the job for you. Give us a call so that you don’t have to suffer through a fly infestation year after year.