Flies are a Common Problem
Are you noticing more and more house flies or fruit flies buzzing around lately? That’s a sure sign it’s time for a call to your local pest experts at A&A.
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House Flies
Extremely common in the Northwest is the house fly. House flies have been known to migrate up to 20 miles, most stay within 1-2 miles of where they were hatched. Females seek almost any warm, moist material with sufficient food for larval development for egg-laying purposes. During the day, house flies tend to rest less than 5 feet from the ground on walls, floors, and various objects. At night they rest primarily above 5 feet on ceilings, walls, plants, etc. Their night resting place is usually near their daytime food source.
Adults are about 1/8-1/4 inches long, with the female being larger than the male. They are dull gray, with the face having 2 velvety stripes, each silver above and gold below. The thorax has 4 narrow black longitudinal stripes. Mature larva about 1/4-3/8 inches long. They are eyeless, legless and taper from the head back. They are a cream color.
Fruit Flies
These can be some of the most annoying and frustrating flies for homeowners to deal with because they proliferate in numbers very fast and can be hard to eliminate.
Fruit Flies are categorized as a nuisance pest and contaminator of food. These flies typically thrive in food establishments where their increase in number rapidly. Fruit flies can contaminate food with bacteria and various disease-producing organisms. Varying from light to dark brown, these pests have distinctive larvae that contain a long breathing tube at the rear of the body.
Other Less Common Flies
Cluster Flies
Adults are about 3/8 inches long. Their coloration is dark gray, non-metallic, thorax lacking distinct stripes but with numerous short golden hairs, and the abdomen with irregular lighter areas. They are slow-moving and when the crushed smell of buckwheat honey. Cluster flies occupy attics and/or between-wall voids of walls which receive the most sunlight when they are ready to hibernate. They usually try to use the same structure year after year. While they are there they will not multiply.
Blow Flies
Adults are large flies with a metallic blue or green color and are twice the size of a housefly (about 1/4-1/2 inches long). These flies are common in populated areas and are particularly abundant near such places as slaughterhouses, meat-processing plants, and garbage dumps. Blowflies will eat anything and will use their sponging mouth parts to do so. They will use regurgitated fluids to turn their food into liquid and then proceed to feed.