House flies are a common nuisance in the warmer months here in the Meridian valley. They invade our homes, buzz around incessantly, and land on our food. Many people don’t realize, but these insects can spread bacteria and disease if left unchecked. If you want to protect your family from these diseases and save a potential trip to Treasure Valley Family Medicine, make Meridian Fly Control part of your house maintenance.
Identification: House flies are ⅛” to ¼” in length. They are a dark grey color with red eyes. Females are usually larger than males. House flies have the annoying habit of buzzing near and landing on humans. Because of this, it is usually easy to determine if you have a house fly infestation. Some other signs of an infestation can include seeing larvae crawling out of their breeding area or hearing the buzzing sound that house flies produce.
Dangers: House flies often land on decaying substances, feces or garbage. They can pick up bacteria and disease on their bodies or legs, and carry it into your house. House flies like to land on food and food preparation areas, leaving behind the bacteria from their bodies. They are known to spread diseases such as diarrhea, salmonella, E. coli, cholera, food poisoning, typhoid, tuberculosis, dysentery, and eye infections. House flies regurgitate their stomach liquid to help with food digestion, and can leave behind fecal spots where they have walked or landed.
Prevention: Meridian house flies often enter homes in areas of structural damage, or from an open door or window. It is important to seal up any entry points and keep doors and windows shut unless they have a screen to keep the flies out. There are also certain plants you can plant around your house to help repel house flies. Those plants include: mint, nasturtiums, lavender, bay leaf, and basil.
Prevention is always more ideal than treatment. Unfortunately, even with the best precautions, sometimes you may still end up with a fly problem on your hands. If you need help with you Meridian Fly Control, give Get Lost Pest Control a call!. They will use a product to coat any walls or areas that flies frequently land. This product will kill the current fly population you have as well as give you residual protection for up to 3 months. They also have a backpack fogger and bait they can utilize to eliminate flies.
