Flies

Fruit Flies are yellowish-brown flies that measure between 2 and 3mm, on average, when fully grown. They are relatively easy to identify due to their yellow coloring and bright red eyes. Fruit fly larvae are around 1mm in length and are also easy to spot due to the presence of a stalk-like tube, used for breathing, extending from the rear of their bodies.

As the name implies, fruit flies are attracted to fruits and females actually lay their eggs onto the surface of fermenting fruits or vegetables, or in areas with lots of moisture. The eggs hatch in less than 30 hours, and each female can produce several hundred eggs during the course of its lifetime. After birth, the life cycle of fruit flies enters the larve stage. Larvae need a little less than a week to pupate, with fruit flies needing about 10 days in total to become adults. The average fruit flies lifespan is 40 days.

Fruit flies are common pets found in areas where humans live and congregate, due to the fact that they are drawn to popular food sources for humans, like fruits and veggies. They're especially attracted to old, rotting, or fermenting fruits and vegetables, so can be seen around recycling bins and compost bins. They are also frequently seen around fruit and salad bars.

Fruit flies can be difficult to control. The most common method to get rid of them is to remove the breeding material that the flies are using to reproduce, such as compost heaps or bins containing food waste. Light traps and jar traps may be used to kill or remove flies from a location, but more will return unless the area is sanitized and any old food waste or damp areas are dealt with.

Cluster flies are a common type of fly, closely related to blow flies. They typically grow to a length of 8 to 10mm and appear to have quite narrow bodies when resting, due to the fact that their large wings overlap across their back.

The mating season for cluster flies is typically in the spring. During this time, the females will lay their eggs in areas of soil. The eggs will hatch after a few days, and the larvae are able to burrow down and use earthworms for sustenance as they continue to develop. Each year usually sees around four generations of cluster flies, with each fly able to live for between one and three months.

Cluster flies can live all year long, surviving cold winters by entering homes and buildings and hiding in attics and walls. They often enter buildings earlier in the year, during fall, as the temperatures start to drop, so can be very frustrating for homeowners to deal with during this time of year. In warmer and sunnier, months, they tend to be more active, spotted often outdoors or on windows.

There isn't any way to control cluster flies when they're in the larva stage as they live in the soil and in the bodies of earthworms. Later on, when they're at the adult phase, they can be trapped and killed with devices like vacuum cleaners and light traps. Pest control companies can also be called into homes or buildings that have many cluster flies inside.

Blow or bottle flies can vary in size from around 10 to 15mm. They may have different colored bodies, commonly featuring black, blue, and green segments with metallic hues.

The number of eggs laid by female bottle flies and blowflies can vary from as low as 500 up to 2,000 or more in certain cases. Eggs are usually laid directly onto pieces of meat or fish, or among garbage, manure, or rotting fruit or vegetable matter. The eggs hatch in less than a day.

Blow and bottle flies are commonly spotted gathering and reproducing around the bodies of dead animals. They're good fliers and can be drawn to bright lights, meat, and garbage.

These types of flies are attracted to dirty areas with low standards of sanitation, so will appear in places where garbage and old items of food are left out for long periods of time. Sanitation is, therefore, a big step in dealing with these flies, as it makes it harder for them to breed. Flytraps can also be used to catch and kill the flies that are already present in an area.

What is the best way to get rid of fruit flies?

The best way to remove fruit flies is to clean up the area where they are located, storing fruits and vegetables out of sight and removing compost or trash cans that might be attracting the flies in the first place.

Are fruit flies dangerous?

These flies won't bite or attack people, but they can be transporters of bacteria and can spread infections, so they need to be dealt with when they gather in large quantities.

Why do I have cluster flies in my house?

Cluster flies are drawn to houses as they search for warm, damp, sheltered areas, especially in fall and winter.