Many people are unaware that you can get fly infestations, as flies are often in and out of your house within a few hours and don’t seem to stay. But when they do, they can arrive in vast quantities and cause numerous problems. This can be particularly bad considering there are 17 million flies for every one human in the world!
The most common flies include mosquitos, fruit flies, house flies, cluster flies and green and blue bottle flies. They live for around 15-30 days, depending on the environment its living in. The warmer the environment, the longer the lifespan. Females lay eggs multiple times in their life and they can have around 150 eggs in one go. They look for damp, dark, decomposing spaces where their eggs can hatch and feed, hence why maggots can often be found in bins during the summer. Numbers will multiple rapidly if left untreated.
Flies pose health risks more so than people realise – they can spread disease and threaten the health of both humans and animals, sometimes with devastating impact. 5,000 soldiers died from typhoid during the Spanish-American War, all due to the flies carrying the disease. Surprisingly, more soldiers were killed by typhoid rather than in battle.
How to prevent fly infestations:
- Keep your houses clean of food! Wipe your surfaces and clean your cutlery and crockery as soon as possible after use.
- Dispose of waste securely.
- Try shop bought fly sprays.
Fly infestations can cause business closures and reputation damage – particularly if you work in the food sector, so it is important to address the problem as soon as possible.
Although you can prevent fly infestations with the above tips, shop bought sprays will not work against a large number of flies. We therefore recommend contacting us to eradicate the large number quickly and hygienically. We will also put control measures in place to reduce the likelihood or a recurring fly infestation.