18 ways to quickly get rid of flies in the house

Where do they come from?

To begin with, let’s figure out where these creatures come from in our home. There are two main ways insects enter your home.

• First way. Doors and windows that are not completely closed. In addition, flies can enter an apartment through a ventilation hole, but this route of penetration is quite complicated, because the movement of the parasite is hampered by moving air currents. These small insects can enter your home through small cracks.
• Second way. Parasites are brought into the house along with vegetables or fruits. In this case, flies appeared in the apartment from eggs, their number increases exponentially. In addition to food, tenants can be brought into the house with a bouquet of flowers. Similar problems are present during the warm period.

If a fly appears in winter, then the cause of this phenomenon can be considered a sharp increase in temperature. A single insect must be disposed of immediately. Most often, winged creatures attack residents of the lower floors. A favorable environment for their reproduction is considered to be a dirty basement, garbage disposal, or proximity to a landfill.

Owners of suburban real estate are experiencing particular difficulties. Many people don’t know how flies appear, but here the insects live freely. High concentrations of pests are observed near a cesspool or barn with domestic animals. Many flies live in the toilet, as well as near compost heaps. During migration, insects end up in the kitchen and other rooms of a private house, but they cannot get out through the special structure of the visual organs. The fact is that insects do not see transparent barriers, so they often hit glass during flight.

The legs of parasites have special suction cups, so flies can move along horizontal and vertical surfaces, which expands the number of ways to penetrate human housing.

Where do flies come from in the house?

The surest way for flies to enter a house is through open windows, balconies, and doors. Insects can also enter your home through ventilation or cracks in windows and walls.

Types of flies

It is easier to exterminate pests if you know the peculiarities of their life activity depending on the species.

Flies usually enter living spaces:

• Small rooms. It’s hard not to notice, since their favorite places in the apartment are hanging objects and lamps.
• Yellow fruit flies. They appear in places where fruits and vegetables are stored, as their larvae develop in rotting products.
• Green meats. They fly to the smell of meat, fish, and fruit.
• Sinatropic.
• Cheese.
• Greasy.
• Sour midges.

All representatives of winged creatures also lay larvae in food and other secluded places in the apartment.

Housefly development cycle

The development of a housefly goes through 4 phases.

1. Laying eggs. An adult is capable of producing 500-2000 eggs in a lifetime. Typically, insects breed in a suitable moist environment, which can be compost pits, sewers, and garbage dumps.
2. Larval development. The larvae appear within 8-24 hours and continue to develop in the environment where the eggs were laid. Larval growth and transition to another phase lasts 7-14 days.
3. Pupation. Once the larva is ready, it crawls to a dry place and pupates. The insect lives in this position for 25-30 days.
4. Emergence of an adult. The fly leaves the cocoon and continues to live in its usual form. The life span of an adult insect is 30–35 days.

Knowing where the pest lays its eggs, you will get rid of not only adults, but also their larvae. Considering that flies breed only in a humid environment, carefully monitor the humidity in the apartment.

Habitats in the house

The favorite habitats of flies are garbage chutes and landfills. Despite this, insects are frequent guests in the apartment. Here they can live in the kitchen, balcony or room. The pest flies to the aroma of food or other substances, therefore:

• throw away garbage on time;
• wash dishes immediately after eating;
• store food in airtight containers or the refrigerator;
• remove crumbs from the table in a timely manner;
• carefully monitor the cleanliness of your pet’s dishes and cat litter;
• Pay attention to indoor plants, as too wet soil attracts insects.

Sometimes arthropods appear indoors from eggs if they were previously laid in a secluded place by an adult. There are frequent cases of flies entering the house through cracks in the walls from neighbors.

If this is a private house, flies enter it from the yard, where there are huge reserves of food for insects. In particular these are:

• a garden where there are rotten berries, fruits or vegetables;
• outdoor toilet;
• compost or cesspools;
• sheds where pets live.

To get rid of flies forever, fight comprehensively. Eliminate populations in the yard and outbuildings. Keep the entire territory of your country house or cottage clean.

It happens that flies get into not only residential, but also industrial or public premises, for example:

• factories or workshops for processing and producing products;
• catering points;
• grocery stores;
• various institutions with canteens and toilets.

In such places, it is extremely difficult to combat insects, so it is better to prevent their appearance and take preventive measures.

At what temperature do fly eggs die?

The fight against flies must be carried out comprehensively, namely, to get rid of not only adults, but also larvae. You can destroy fly eggs using temperature exposure, as they remain viable at temperatures from +8 to +52 degrees. If you notice a clutch of larvae, just pour boiling water over them and they will die.

At what temperature do flies live?

You've probably noticed that flies appear in your home only in the warm season. The fact is that most species of insects suddenly die when the temperature reaches -12 degrees. Some species cannot even withstand -8 degrees. The ability of adults to lay eggs is lost as soon as the air temperature drops to +1 degree.

During the autumn-winter period, resourceful winged creatures hide in livestock buildings, where a warm environment is usually maintained.

Reproduction in apartments

The fly lays eggs in pots with indoor plants, in rotten fruits and vegetables, and also in places that are not clean. Although insects do not reproduce so actively in apartments, especially in winter, after a couple of weeks adult individuals emerge from the eggs and scatter throughout the apartment.

The main condition for reproduction is suitable temperature conditions, as well as unsanitary conditions. This is facilitated by garbage that is stored for a long time in the trash can, as well as the storage of vegetables and fruits in apartment conditions, which leads to their premature spoilage. It is under such conditions that flies actively lay eggs.

The female is capable of laying up to 150 eggs in one day. At the same time, she puts them aside every couple of days. It is not difficult to imagine that in just one week a whole colony of insects can appear in the house. If a fly lays eggs today, then on the second day larvae (maggots) appear from the eggs.

The maggots that are born are not large in size (only 1 mm), so they are very difficult to notice at this stage. After about 10 days, under comfortable conditions, the larva turns into a pupa. After another 3 days, an adult fly flies out of the pupa, ready to lay eggs to continue its lineage. If you carry out basic calculations, then after laying eggs, after 2 weeks, more than a hundred flies may appear in the apartment.

It is important to know! The blowfly is also capable of laying eggs indoors, but it will require certain conditions to develop. Its larvae consume protein foods. A new generation of blowflies will appear when a piece of spoiled fish or meat remains somewhere. If there are no such conditions for development, then the larvae will die at one of the stages of their development. Therefore, apartment conditions are conditions for the development of house flies.

What is a fly and how does it get into your apartment?

Flies are small insects that can not only irritate with their buzzing and flying around households, but can also seriously harm health by transmitting various contagious diseases and infections.

A fly can get into a city apartment in only two ways. The first is open windows, doors, and a ventilation shaft. Thanks to their speed, flies are able to get into your apartment unnoticed before you have time to close the door behind you.

The second way is with contaminated fruits and vegetables, as well as flowers (potted or bouquet). Flies often lay eggs in plant materials. After some time, many flies are born from such eggs. If you are unlucky enough to accidentally bring an infested fruit or vegetable into your home, you will be surprised how quickly the number of flies in the house increases from zero to a dozen or more. This happens most often in spring and summer.

During the cold season, flies are attracted to the warmth in the apartment. In winter, residents of the lower floors suffer the most from parasites entering the house. The proximity of a damp basement (and in some cases, garbage chutes) makes their home the most comfortable habitat and breeding environment for flies.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with: Signs and superstitions: There is a cricket in a house or apartment and other signs about crickets

Risk factors

You may notice that in some apartments there are no flies at all, while in others there are countless numbers of these flying parasites. What attracts a fly besides warmth?

The answer is simple - the “aroma” of food waste. What flies love most is the smell of food starting to rot. In the trash bin, this smell is usually emitted by the skins and skins of vegetables and fruits. Discarded leftover meat and rotten food are also strong temptations for flies.

High humidity can also be the reason why flies prefer your apartment to others. Try reducing the humidity level by using an air conditioner, split system or heater.

Reasons for appearance

We have found out where flies come from in the apartment, now we will describe the reasons for the penetration of these insects. According to experts, the parasites may be attracted to the smell of potato peelings and other food waste.

The appearance of flies is associated with the lack of basic sanitary and hygienic standards in the kitchen. If cleanliness and order are regularly maintained, the winged squadron will never appear in this room.

If a lot of flies appear in the kitchen and you don’t fight them, the insects will quickly move to other rooms of the house. Parasites are attracted to the following:

1. rotting waste in the trash can;
2. unwashed dishes in the sink;
3. crumbs of bread and grains of sugar on the table;
4. traces of dirt on the floor;
5. areas with high humidity.

As you can understand, food debris and dirt in the home are considered the main factors attracting insects. Many people do not know when flies appear. Although this happens during the warm season, you should not relax. In autumn, pests also enter the apartment, here they try to find a convenient place for hibernation. Every home has many corners where winged aliens can hide.

What repels flies

From time to time, procedures to kill flies turn out to be ineffective. This happens if it was not taken into account in what exact place or room the pests appeared.

Getting rid of flies in the house

The process of getting rid of flies will be effective if you:

• observe the rules of cleanliness and hygiene in the house;
• installed mosquito nets on windows and doors;
• remove food from public access and throw away garbage in a timely manner.

If you follow preventive recommendations, baiting flies will be effective and they will not appear in the house again.

In flower pots

Drosophila can appear not only in food and food waste, but also in flower pots. This usually happens due to high soil moisture, which is ideal for laying eggs.

To get rid of midges in flower pots, simply replace the soil. By disposing of the old soil, you will not only deprive the fruit flies of a nutrient substrate, but also destroy all the larvae.

To prevent flies from appearing in pots, do not overwater the soil and add some decorative stones or sand to the earthen ball for drainage. You can also place pots with plants that repel insects next to the “problem” flower.

In the kitchen (canteens, restaurants)

A particular problem is the fight against flies in public catering outlets, because it is impossible to completely remove food from public access.

Inexpensive or improvised means may not be suitable here, since the room will have to be processed too large. To kill insects in such establishments, the best option is to use special devices for catching flies or calling a professional exterminator.

Any cafe administrator or restaurant director should take preventive measures when it gets warm, for example, putting mosquito nets on the windows and keeping the kitchen clean.

In the attic

People are extremely rare in the attic, so to kill flies in such a place you can use any insecticidal agent that fights both adult flies and their larvae.

On the balcony or in the gazebo

To control flies outdoors, it is best to use mechanical methods, Velcro or traps. Plant mint, tansy, myrtle, and bird cherry bushes next to the gazebo. On the balcony in the warm season, arrange a mini-flower bed of geranium or eucalyptus.

How to protect animals from flies

It is not only humans who suffer from annoying winged creatures. Flies love to bite animals, especially those that live outside. It could be a yard dog, a horse, a cow, a goat, or a pig.

To repel and destroy flies, use an integrated approach: treat both animals and the premises where they are kept. When applied to the skin of pets and livestock, use non-toxic repellents such as Bayofly or Flybyte. Use toxic substances in areas where animals are kept. For example, treat a kennel or barn with Agita.

Danger to humans

Flies in the house not only bring discomfort and irritation with their presence and buzzing, but they are also dangerous due to the spread of pathogens, infections, and diseases. There are many types of flies that harm humans in different ways. Among them there are blood-sucking parasites, pests that destroy crops and harvests. The most common are house flies and green flies in apartments and houses.

Diseases, infections:

• diphtheria;
• cholera;
• worms;
• tuberculosis;
• anthrax;
• severe poisoning;
• intestinal infections;
• brucellosis;
• tularemia.

Having excellent charm, flies are able to smell food from afar, they are especially attracted to the aromas of decomposition products. An infestation of flies in an apartment is observed in the kitchen, where they come into contact with household products, human food, in toilets, and restrooms.

How to get rid of flies in an apartment

Fortunately, today there are many ways to say goodbye to the pest forever. Among them there are both professional and popular, both expensive and almost free.

spring-cleaning

This method involves eliminating the source of attraction for insects. In the kitchen, you need to wash the refrigerator, cabinet and other surfaces, clear the table, and wash the dishes.

To prevent pests from entering your apartment, store stale food in a separate sealed container, cover the trash can with food waste, and constantly treat the trash can with disinfectants.

Chemicals

Chemicals on the market are represented by the following main groups:

• sticky tapes. One of the most popular, simple and effective methods. Its main disadvantage is the deterioration of the aesthetics of housing. Velcro is a strip lubricated with a sticky substance with a sweet smell. The principle of operation is simple - the fly, attracted by the aroma, sits on the tape and sticks. After this, from lack of food (and sometimes due to sealing of the respiratory organs) it dies.
• fumigator. The operating principle of this device is to evaporate a toxic (only for flies, of course) composition of a tablet introduced into the body. Connects to the mains. The main disadvantage of the device is that it is not suitable for large rooms. It is best to use it in rooms up to 12 m2,
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• aerosol. Sprays and aerosols are more suitable for protecting the area from parasite invasion. However, they are also suitable for preventing the appearance of flies and exterminating insects that have already appeared in the apartment. It is necessary to spray the spray over the area of ​​the room. Flies cannot tolerate the active ingredients and suffocate or fly away. Nothing bad will happen to a person from the aerosol, however, such drugs should be used with caution for those suffering from asthma or allergic reactions,

• gel with poison. Gels with poison for flies are applied either to a special substrate, which is sold along with the product, or to the surfaces themselves with which flies most often come into contact. Insects are attracted by the aroma of the gel, but upon contact with it they receive a lethal dose of poison and die. As with previous drugs, this poison is absolutely safe for humans, but it is better to hide the gel pads from children.

A cool period has come and the flies have become uncomfortable living outside. You open the door a little and migrants instantly take over the house. If in the summer it was somehow tolerable, then by autumn it became unbearable. In practice, we still use adhesive tapes, but, you must admit, this is not a very effective method, and such a device does not look aesthetically pleasing in the middle of the hall on a chandelier, and every now and then someone sticks to it. Fumigators that plug into an outlet scare me, especially with a small child. And aerosols are not a solution at all. At that moment, when the flies had already completely overcome, we decided to look for a remedy that would suit us all, but really did not suit these insects. And you know, we found it. The gel [Mukhoyar Fly Gel] is applied to a substrate (we press it onto jar lids) and hidden, for example, behind a vase on a cabinet, on a window sill behind a flower pot, on a kitchen unit. So they don't spoil the view. And the child will not get into the product. Moreover, flies do not stick to the gel. The gel has no odor. It does not release hazardous substances into the air, so it is absolutely safe to use it even in the presence of children. But, of course, you shouldn’t touch it with your hands.

Alisa Zet

[Bait for killing flies Agita] When you live in a city, flies (and other flying nits) don’t cause too many problems. At least in the city, it is quite enough to hang up a mosquito net and destroy the insects that have already flown into the apartment. But when you live in a village/stanitsa, the problem of flying insects becomes especially acute. I have already found out that fighting insects with an electric fly swatter is pointless. Today, on the advice of my grandfather, I went to the veterinary pharmacy, where I purchased a drop-dead product called Agita 10 WG. At first, the flies even liked the product, but I thought it was a waste of time to pour water on my eye and didn’t follow the proportions, since the white liquid doesn’t work. However, 5 minutes passed after I ran around the house with a spray bottle (I used a regular bottle of glass cleaning liquid, very convenient), and the flies had already flown off to their forefathers. Well, or to a neighbor. I don't really care. The main thing is that the Agita 10WG fly repellent really works. Moreover, the effect is long-term. Some people talk about weeks of life without flies after treating the area, but I don’t believe in such a period. My grandfather already used this poison at home (and there are tons of mosquitoes there, since the Kuban River is nearby) and noted a three-day effect.

Kosmonaut Misha

Using homemade traps

If for some reason a person cannot buy special sticky traps for flies, then you can make insect bait yourself using improvised means. First, make syrup (50-60 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters of water with the addition of lemon juice). Next, cut pieces of paper to the required length, spread with the prepared solution and leave to dry. A hole is made in the top of the trap for a loop.

Preventing the appearance of flies as a way to combat them

The pressing question for many about how to get flies out of an apartment is not the first one. An important task for the homeowner should be the process of preventive control of these insects, because preventing a problem is always much easier than dealing with its consequences. To prevent flies from becoming a real danger to your household, you should follow these simple recommendations:

• Cleanliness should be the basis of the household. Any unsanitary conditions are fertile ground not only for flies, but also for other equally unpleasant insects. All food waste should be disposed of in a closed bin, which should be emptied as frequently as possible. Products should only be stored in closed containers or in the refrigerator. Regular dry and wet cleaning will help prevent the appearance of unwanted “guests”.

• Keeping your home clean is a guarantee that you will not have problems with insects and other parasites in your home.

ADVICE! In private households, the cause of the appearance of flies and fertile soil for their reproduction is often a cattle pen or a chicken barn. Experts note that keeping these areas clean helps prevent the appearance and spread of insects.

• Sink and toilet drains are breeding grounds for fly larvae and should be kept dry for sanitary reasons. This only applies to bathrooms that you rarely use - guest bathrooms, for example. For other drains, simply wipe the adjacent surfaces dry after use to avoid leaving water for insects and rodents

• There are many places around a private home where flies can breed. Keep them clean and clean them with special chemicals when necessary.

When preventing the appearance of insects at home, pay special attention to places where water can stagnate.

• Protecting the premises from external penetration can also be considered a prevention of the appearance of flies. Mandatory mosquito nets on windows during insect activity will help prevent them from entering the house.

Ordinary mosquito nets, which will be offered to you with the installation of any windows, are the primary and mandatory means of protection against insects

Mosquito nets come in various configurations for attic, English and other windows

For a private home, it would be appropriate to use such nets not only on windows, but also on doorways. Nets and curtains against insects are not very aesthetically pleasing, but they are quite effective.

For verandas and very large doorways, it is practical to install sliding insect screens

For private houses and apartments with balconies and terraces, a door with a mosquito net would be an excellent option.

Are you annoyed by the unaesthetic appearance of fly baits? Place them inside a large candlestick or forged lantern and decorate them with bright paper or plastic butterflies

Plants and herbs that repel insects can be used to protect your home. Bird cherry, elderberry or wormwood planted under the windows will provide reliable protection against stray flies. And in an apartment, to prevent the appearance of insects, the long-familiar geranium or exotic flytrap is often used. Branches of wormwood and tomato have a similar effect, which are effective even when dried: bouquets of such plants can both protect a room and decorate it.

Wormwood planted under the windows is a guarantee that flies will leave you alone. They don't like her bitter smell

Where do flies come from in winter?

As a rule, these pests are active only in warm weather. As soon as the cold weather sets in, flies, and especially green parasites, begin to look for a secluded place for the winter. They are very attracted to our warm houses, which have enough small cracks and secluded areas. It is in these places that they spend the winter, and after it gets warmer outside, the insects begin to be active again.

In winter, flies cannot enter the house, but if you find them in your home, this means that they woke up earlier.

Why are flies so difficult to get rid of, unlike other insects?

Getting rid of flies is a long process and not the easiest. The fact is that flies are very fertile, and the maturation process in comfortable conditions takes very little time, so young flies appear in the room almost constantly, and their number only increases.

Reproduction

Another point is that insects lay eggs in secluded places that are not easy to detect. These insects are quite picky eaters; they can feed on scraps, spoiled food, even excrement, so they rarely die of hunger. And finally, flies have acute vision and a wide viewing angle, as well as an amazing sense of smell. They sense danger and fly quickly, so killing a fly is not an easy task.