The Filthy Fly Pests Most Commonly Found Within Georgia Homes And What To Do About Them

Who hasn’t witnessed large numbers of flies congregating on manure, dead animals and garbage? Many people assume that flies do this in order to feed on microbe-rich materials, but this is not necessarily the case; instead, adult female flies deposit numerous eggs on decaying organic matter in order to provide their offspring with a significant food source. After hatching, fly larvae (maggots) rely on nutritious decaying organic matter in order to develop properly. This is why massive amounts of flies can be found in locations where significant amounts of decaying organic matter exist, such as landfills where food rots, horse stables where manure is abundant, and farms where both manure and food is easy to come by.

The types of decaying organic matter where flies deposit eggs differs depending on species. For example, blow flies prefer dead animals, while fruit flies prefer both sound and ripe foods as a breeding site. In many cases, the flies people see indoors reproduce on nearby sources of organic matter located nearby, such as compost piles, dumpsters, bundles of plant matter and roadkill. However, in some cases, flies establish indoor breeding sites, allowing their numbers to increase rapidly within homes and buildings.

The most recognizable indoor fly pest species, the domestic house fly, relies on a wide variety of rotting organic material for reproductive purposes, including food, feces and dead animals. When house flies become numerous within homes, they are likely breeding in garbage cans or recycle bins, on food located below appliances and furniture, on organic waste in broken plumbing or septic tanks, or on dead rodents that have collected in wall voids and other obscured indoor areas. Indoor fruit flies mainly breed on rotting fruit that has gathered beneath appliances and in garbage bins, while drain flies breed on the scummy buildup in drains and pipes as well as septic lines. Obviously, keeping homes well sanitized and free of rotting organic matter is a great way to prevent fly pest issues, but sealing cracks, crevices and other entry points on the exterior walls of homes will prevent the pests from accessing indoor areas in the first place.

Have you ever struggled to eliminate a fly infestation?