Identify
The common house fly can be recognized by the reddish eye color and the long stripes on the region behind the head. This fly is attracted to light and will fly to windows. Their numbers usually increase in late summer.
House flies often breed in garbage areas. The maggots can feed and complete development into adult flies within 10 days. The adult females may remain close to the original breeding site or fly miles to find new sites to lay eggs. Large numbers of house flies around the outside of a house or building, or inside, may indicate a nearby breeding site. It may be a dumpster or another concentration of garbage. House flies do not breed in dog feces.
House flies will intentionally enter houses and other buildings. Once indoors they are attracted to food odors and exposed food. They gather on windows in kitchens where food is available and the humidity is high. They are attracted to UV light that comes through windows.
[accordion clicktoclose=true][accordion-item title="How to Eliminate Flies"]Eliminating flies indoors can be done with a combination of traps and liquid sprays. Use fly strips in areas that house flies are most numerous, especially near windows. Place the strips so they will hang about 8 feet from the floor, and above the head of people occupying the room. Leave the strips until they are at least 70% covered with flies. The flies captured on the strip soon after it is placed will help to attract other flies to land there. Use an aerosol approved for indoor use to spray flies that are not captured by the hanging strips.[/accordion-item][accordion-item title="How to Prevent Flies"]Preventing house flies in or around houses is difficult, but it begins with determining the source or the breeding site. Garbage close to the house must be removed. A dumpster nearby should be inspected to determine if house flies are breeding there. Additional preventative measures include ensuring that any doors or windows to your home remain closed.[/accordion-item][/accordion]
