Controlling Houseflies

Flies are among the most common and annoying home pests. We've put together a guide to the most common Flies that invade your home. Learn how they end up there and what you can do about them.

Housefly

  • Gray tone, up to one-half-inch long
  • More common indoors during warmer months, but can survive up to 50 days indoors if food is present
  • Carries many disease-causing germs
  • Tends to rest in room corners or on thin objects, such as blinds or electrical cords

Prevention tip: Maintain a clean house. Dispose of pet waste properly. Seal garbage cans tightly. Install screens over windows and doors and be aware of other common insect entry points. Learn more HERE.

Cluster Fly

  • Large, dark gray, slow-moving Flies. These are the Flies that bump into you in winter
  • Tend to cluster along window ledges and are more prevalent on the upper floors of a building
  • Are Earthworm parasites; commonly found where healthy earthworm populations exist, such as in a well-groomed lawn
  • Don’t reproduce or feed during winter

Prevention tip: Apply an insecticide perimeter treatment to exterior walls, especially warmer southern and western walls. Treat upper floors, since Flies tend to gather there.

Blowfly

  • Fairly large Flies in shades of metallic green, blue or black
  • More common during warm months, although sometimes adults overwinter inside walls and emerge into warm living spaces
  • A scavenger Fly associated with pet waste, manure or dead animals

Prevention tip: Keep garbage cans tightly sealed; dispose of pet waste properly.

Fruit Fly or Vinegar Fly

  • One of the smallest Flies found indoors, around one-eighth of an inch
  • Typically enter homes during fall harvest season, when outdoor populations are high due to ripening fruits

Prevention tip: Remove overripe fruits and vegetables. Rinse recycling materials to eliminate bits of soda or beer, which can ferment and provide breeding areas for Fruit Flies.

Fungus Gnat

Prevention tip: Reduce watering frequency for houseplants and allow soil to dry between waterings. Don't let plants sit in water; don't allow water to sit in drainage dishes. For severe outbreaks, use Dual Action Rose & Flower Insect Killer.