How To Get Rid Of Flies

With warmer weather around the corner, Orkin Canada is prepared for the pests that come with the warmer weather and melting snow. Everyone is looking forward to flowers blooming, birds chirping, and flies coming in through the open door. Oh wait, not that last one! Flies are a nuisance that no one likes buzzing around inside their home or business.

There are many different species of flies; however, they all can cause a threat to your peace of mind, while some are a threat to your health and wellbeing inside your home or business. Whether its cluster flies, house flies, or fruit flies, at Orkin Canada we have 70+ years of expert advice on how to get rid of these unwanted pests. These flies do not stand a chance up against the Orkin  Canada technician.

Common Types of Flies

House Flies

The house fly is light grey in colour and around 4mm – 7.5mm long with 4 black strips on thorax. The abdomen is rather pale along the margin and sides and two transparent wings. These flies can be difficult to control once they gain access to your property because they can reproduce very quickly if there is a breeding source. You’ll want to get the fly swatter out immediately as soon as you see one fly into your open door.

Fruit Flies

These are the smallest of the three common property invading flies measuring in between 2.5mm – 4mm. They are light brown/ yellow in colour with bright red eyes. The common fruit fly with the bright red eyes is associated with over ripe or fermenting fruits and vegetables. While the dark-eyed fruit fly is associated with decaying organic matter. If there is rotting garbage or overripe fruit, these flies might be close by.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies can be easily mistaken for house flies; however, they are larger, about 8 mm long and darker in colour with golden yellow hairs on body and the abdomen has light and dark irregular markings. They also fly a lot slower than house flies. In the spring, cluster flies can be a problem because this is when they emerge from overwintering sites to start breeding, gathering, and swarming around the outside windows of your house.

Why are Flies so Dangerous?

Aside from being annoying, flies are unwanted because they can pose a risk to our health. There are many ways that the common house fly can be a health risk. House flies repeatedly spit out their germ loaded saliva and suck it back up when feeding, which they do on top of the surfaces inside your property where you might be preparing food, you can imagine how unhygienic this is for humans.

Another way they pose a major risk to your health is when a fly lands on feces or rotting garbage, it picks up pathogens onto its body and brings it wherever else it lands. One of the many places that flies might land could be on your food, potentially exposing you to disease such as typhoid fever, cholera, bacillary dysentery, hepatitis, ophthalmia, or infantile diarrhea. It is important to be diligent with prevention to avoid an infestation in your home or business.

Tips To Keep Flies Outside 

House Flies & Fruit Flies

There are a few simple things you can do to prevent flies from coming inside your home or business. This would include some spring cleaning to ensure all drains are cleaned out and free from food and debris. You can also regularly clean out your garbage and compost bins and ensure there are tight fitting lids for each bin. It is also a good idea to inspect all of your windows and screens for holes or gaps in the caulking where the flies can squeeze themselves in. Lastly, check for any overripe fruit on counters that might be attracting fruit flies. If you follow these tips, it’s a good start to avoid house flies and fruit flies.

What You Need To Do:

• Clean out drains, removing food debris where possible
• Regularly empty and clean out garbage and compost bins to prevent breeding
• Empty and clean recycling bins regularly to prevent fruit flies breeding
• Ensure there are tight fitting lids to all waste bins
• Inspect around windows for cracks and holes in screens and repair where possible
• Exclusion:
  • seal or screen all exterior openings such as vents, cracks in wall, gaps around utilities
  • ensure window or door screens are tight-fitting and insect proof size
• Remove overripe fruit from counter tops

Cluster Flies

What about those pesky cluster flies? To avoid them getting into your home or business you must exclude them to prevent entry; ensure there are no cracks or holes in the windows, screens and exterior walls. Vacuuming up any cluster flies you do see is a good way to get rid of them in the meantime. The best way, however, is to call a professional to preform a treatment your local Orkin professional will also advise on the best times in the year for follow up treatments, these normally happen in the spring and fall.

What You Need To Do:

• Inspect around door and window pulleys and frames for gaps and if found seal them where possible
• Inspect exterior walls for cracks, gaps and holes, if gaps found, caulk with silicone or foam sealing
• Inspect for unscreened vents, gaps in base plates of electrical outlets etc.
• Inspect roof level for gaps or cracks or missing tiles in roofing or eaves, if found, seal the gaps
• Cluster flies often enter into attics via roof level, so it is important to focus at the roof level too.
• Vacuum up any cluster flies  on your property

Keep Flies Out 

By following these tips you should have the tools to keep flies out of your home or business. If you are still noticing heavy fly activity around your property, it is important to reach out to your local Orkin Canada branch. We are more than happy to provide advice and if needed implement an effective fly control program that will help you keep flies out. To get started, contact us today!