Summer time brings with it a whole host of glorious benefits. Holidays, sun-soaked days and balmy nights. Unfortunately summer is also fly season, and without knowing a little bit about these problematic pests, it’s impossible to get rid of flies. Besides being a nuisance, flies also carry and spread a variety of diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, cholera and even viral hepatitis. The spread of bacteria is due to the house fly’s love of garbage, feces and rotting organic waste. Surfaces are then contaminated after coming into contact with the body of a fly or its feces.
If you’re wondering how to get rid of flies out of your home and safeguard your family against these disease-riddled pests, read on for our guide to keeping your home fly free.
The house fly or Musca domestica is a veritable breeding machine.
Females can lay up to 500 eggs over the course of three to four days in garbage or animal feces. Within eight to 20 hours, these eggs hatch into maggots. They’ll spend up to ten days gorging themselves, typically in warm moist environments – which makes your rubbish bin or compost heap a perfect nursery. Once a maggot is ready to morph into a pupae, it moves up to higher, direr ground, where it encases itself in a brownish-red skin. After five or six days, an adult fly emerges - ready to make the most of its 15 to 20 days on earth.
Fly control begins with making your home as inhabitable to flies as possible.
As with ant control, getting rid of flies starts with removing any potential breeding and feeding grounds. Make sure you regularly empty your rubbish bins, and then clean them with a natural cleaning solution infused with citronella. Don’t leave any food out in the open (this includes pet kibble). If you’re throwing out leftover food that will sit in your outdoor rubbish bins before it’s collected, put it in a ziplock bag and freeze it until rubbish collection day. This will prevent flies from laying their eggs in your outdoor bins.
If you’ve got a four-legged friend, make sure you pick up all excrement and dispose of it in a tightly sealed plastic bag.
If you don’t want to resort to toxic sprays, Mother Nature knows just how to get rid of flies.
Besides being vigilant about cleanliness, keeping your home free of these pesky pests can be as simple as picking a few herbs from your garden. As well as a perfect addition to summer salads, Basil is loathed by house flies, who are so repelled by basil that they’ll give it a wide berth. Pot a few basil plants and place them in places commonly plagued by flies like kitchen windowsills, patios and braai areas. If you’ve got some lavender growing in your garden, hang some dried plants in your kitchen and enjoy a fly-free summer. If you don’t have a herb garden, fill a clear, plastic bag or container with water and hang it in your kitchen or outdoor eating area for a cheap and effective fly deterrent.
If you’re still plagued by flies, it might be time to call in the professionals.
Fly control in a home is far easier than in a commercial establishment like a restaurant or canteen. Flies won’t only turn customers off, they’re also a risk to the health of patrons. In addition to following stringent cleaning procedures, installing UV lights in and around food preparation areas can help to prevent a fly infestation. The best way to combat recurring fly infestations in a commercial premises is to get a
pest control service to do an inspection – they’ll be able to identify the best fly control solution suitable to your particular needs.
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Image Credit:
Img Kid 
