How Bad Are Flies to Your Health?

Everyone knows how annoying flies can be. They buzz around your head making it difficult to focus on your work or a good meal. However, the question still remains; are flies only a nuisance or can they actually be bad for your overall health?

Summer is still going strong, which means house flies will still be in abundance during backyard barbecues and other outdoor gatherings. They’ll inevitably make their way into your home where the buzzing will become unbearable. Here’s why you should be diligent in keeping them out and how you can do so:

The Danger of Common House Flies

It’s no secret that flies aren’t picky about what they eat. They’ll hover over everything from garbage bins to roadkill and even fecal matter. Because of this, even the smallest fly can be swarming with bacteria that it will spread to any surface it lands on.

Since flies are relatively small, their spread of disease is fairly minimal on an individual level. However, when multiple flies are gathered, the risk of contracting an illness from them multiplies. While you’re not likely to contract anything serious, a stomach bug or fever isn’t something anyone wants to endure willingly.

Some flies will bite humans as well. Due to their lack of cleanliness, fly bites can become infected and turn into painful wounds. Fly bites are more common than you might think, but generally come from different species such as horse flies. 

Getting Rid of Flies

Now that we’ve established that flies are more than an annoyance, it’s time to kick them to the curb. Sure you can wave around a flyswatter and try your luck and dexterity, but there are better ways to keep these buzzing creatures away.

Start by performing some preventative measures to minimize the gathering of flies. Keep your garbage covered, clean up pet waste, and dispose of food properly. If you’re keeping your home clean and you’re still getting flies, then you can take on the offensive. 

Flies are easily drawn to traps that have alluring smells. The sticky surface of these traps prevents them from buzzing around your house and causing mayhem. Traps are easily disposed of after use. You can try out PF Harris’Super Sized Fly Sticky Traps or theWindow Fly Traps. Not only can these traps be set up where flies gather the most, but they also don’t use any pesticides or chemicals. 

There are other ways to keep flies away, such as making sure windows and doors stay closed and even using different scents and incense that might drive them away. There are even some fun gadgets you can try, like an electric fly swatter that’s more effective than its traditional counterpart or an air pistol that shoots bursts of salt to keep flies away from food. 

Flies will be less common come wintertime, but they’ll be back as soon as it warms up again. Start your anti-fly plan now and enjoy the rest of the summer without any buzzing in your ear.