What To Do About Flies Infesting Houston Homes
Flies are notoriously annoying pests, and while they don’t sting or bite, they do pose a real threat to your overall well-being. Fly infestation is a real problem that all property owners face throughout the year. If you own a home here in Houston, it’s important to address your own fly control needs.
In the Houston area, some of the most common fly species are flesh flies, fruit flies, and houseflies. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with common area species because if you experience a fly infestation, it’s essential to know what you’re dealing with and what you’re up against.
Here’s some more information about three of Houston’s common fly species:
Houseflies
Adult houseflies grow to about 1/8-1/4 of an inch in length.
Adults are dull gray in color and have black vertical lines on the top of their bodies.
Houseflies are a type of filth fly, and they’re the most common species of fly inside homes and businesses.
Housefly larvae are off-white in color; they have a pointed head and no appendages.
The pupae are dark brown and round in shape, tapering from front to back.
They also have two stripes on their face (one silver and one gold in color).
They can be found flying around garbage, manure, and garden areas with fresh fruits and veggies.
They also tend to be around kitchens, bathrooms, and food storage areas.
They’re drawn to food sources where they feed and lay their eggs.
Fruit Flies
Adults are brownish-black to yellowish-brown in color, and their wings are translucent.
Fruit flies are known for feeding on ripe fruits and vegetables; they’re common during the fall or harvest season.
Fruit flies can be brought inside the home via infested fruits and vegetables purchased from the store.
Fruit fly adults are very small and only grow to be about 1/8th of an inch in length.
Fruit fly larvae are whitish in color except with two dark-colored mouth hooks.
Other vulnerable properties include spaces with gardens, compost piles, and areas of unsecured garbage.
The adults have oval-shaped bodies, while the larvae have tapered, worm-like bodies.
Their love of food poses a huge threat to restaurants, grocery stores, and food processing facilities.
They have distinctly vibrant red eyes, though some species have black or brown eyes.
When they get inside your property, they’re typically found living in kitchens and pantry areas.
Flesh Flies
Adults are light gray and have a checkerboard pattern on top of their abdomen.
Areas with exposed trash, pet excrement, or compost bins will attract flesh flies.
Flesh flies are attracted to organic materials, especially rotting natural materials.
Flesh flies give birth to live larvae inside carrion (dead animal waste), excrement, or open wounds.
Flesh flies live and thrive in warm climates, like Texas.
Flesh flies require live or dead tissue to complete their life cycle, hence their name.
Once in these sources, they feed on them and use the nutrients to develop into adults.
They are attracted to properties that give them easy access to decaying matter.
They have bright red eyes and three black stripes running down their thorax (sometimes with a reddish tip at the end).
This species of fly looks very similar to house flies but is larger.
If you discover flies in your Houston home, you’re likely seeing houseflies, as 90% of fly infestations are the common housefly. However, whatever species you’re up against, you’re probably wondering how these invaders got into your home, to begin with.
What Causes Fly Infestations In Houston Homes?
Flies are eager to get into Houston homes looking for shelter. Many species of flies overwinter as adults, so they get through the colder months by finding harborage and warmth in our homes. At the end of summer, they gradually migrate indoors, gaining entry in a variety of ways. Although the temperature doesn’t drop too low here in Houston, flies are still happy to find somewhere to hide out in your home.
They find all kinds of opportunities to get inside. Flies can get in when you’re bringing the groceries into the house or when you open the window or back door. Flies can easily squeeze into tiny openings of your home, such as tears in window screens, cracks in foundation walls, or gaps under and around doors and windows. They enter through crevices in attics, basements, behind baseboards, and hidden areas between the inside and outside walls of your home.
Whatever leads flies to find their way into your home, the fact is they come in and reproduce throughout your property. Once you have a fly problem on your hands, it can be very difficult to deal with. Not only is it a huge headache, but it also poses a threat to your health and well-being, not to mention that of your loved ones.
How Dangerous Is It To Have Flies In Houston Homes?
Flies have a reputation for being annoying, but there’s a much bigger threat at play than the nuisance these little buzzers pose around your home. Having a fly infestation can expose you and your loved ones to a number of health risks.
Flies gather their nutrients from decaying matter, such as dead animals, rotten food, manure, dumpster trash, and feces. They gravitate to dirty areas such as fecal matter, garbage bins, animal waste, and sewage. As they crawl around and feed on unsanitary sources, they pick up dangerous bacteria, and when they enter our homes, they bring these germs inside. This can cause widespread contamination, compromising your entire home and everyone inside of it.
As a Houston resident, something else to keep in mind is that flies in cities carry more pathogens than in rural areas. This is because they’re exposed to a greater range of decaying matter and, therefore, all kinds of bacteria. City flies carry around and spread bacteria in a large-scale way, contaminating sources of food, vulnerable countertops, and meal prep areas. They can transmit a variety of health conditions and illnesses.
Some of the diseases that can result from fly-related contamination include:
Anthrax
Cholera
Conjunctivitis
Dysentery
Leprosy
Anthrax
Parasitic worms
Pinworm
Poliomyelitis
Yaws
Tapeworm
Tularemia
Tuberculosis
Typhoid
Salmonella
These are just some of the illnesses related to fly contamination. There are at least 70 different diseases that can be transmitted through flies. The bottom line is that these small pests can have big consequences, and that’s why it’s important to address your fly control and prevention needs.
Prevent Flies From Reinfesting Your Houston Home
Whether you’re a first-time victim of fly infestation or you’ve experienced the nightmare before, you should know that taking preventative measures can go a long way in protecting your Houston home from flies. The best way to approach fly control is to be as proactive as possible.
Here are some ways to prevent flies from infesting your Houston home in the first place:
Check for holes or tears in existing screens and repair them in a timely manner.
Clean up crumbs promptly and store your food properly.
Cover any holes in your siding, and fill gaps around doors and windows.
Don’t let sugary liquids linger too long to prevent sticky residue from building up.
Eliminate clogged drains and avoid the buildup of dirty dishes.
Get rid of sources of standing water and keep drains clean and clear.
Get screens for windows and doors or replace damaged/torn screens.
Install screens over attic vents, and seal off any cracks in your foundation.
Keep your doors and windows closed to prevent flies from entering.
Keep your outdoor trash bins tightly covered so flies can’t get in.
Maintain a high level of cleanliness throughout your home to discourage fly activity.
Make sure to clean up any food or drink spills immediately after they happen.
Store your food in airtight containers or in the fridge to prevent access to flies.
Take out the trash regularly and store it in well-sealed garbage bins outside.
Tidy up pet and food waste right away, as flies love to lay eggs in these areas.
Wipe down countertops and tables, and clean dishes right after your meal.
These preventative tips can certainly help, but sometimes flies manage to get inside anyway. Once you have a fly problem on your hands, it can be very difficult to deal with. There are a variety of fly elimination methods, such as sticky traps, flypaper, baited traps, electrocuting grids, fly swatters, automatic misters, ultraviolet traps, and insecticides. However, the truth is that these methods aren’t always effective.
If you want extensive, year-round protection from flies, the best thing to do is reach out to your local pest professionals. The team at Modern Pest Control is here to rid your property of flies and keep them away for good.
Total Fly Control For Houston Homes
The bottom line is that the best way to protect your Houston home from fly infestation is to get help from pest experts. Here at Modern Pest Control, we provide quality fly control services to the greater Houston area, and we’re here to protect your home from harm.
Our residential fly control process includes:
Inspection - A thorough walk-through of both the interior and exterior of your property to determine areas where flies are active, as well as harborage areas and potential entry points. Then, we develop a customized treatment strategy to tackle your fly problem effectively.
Service - We’ll treat your home, garage, and the perimeter of your structure to eliminate fly activity, and our treatments are developed to cater to your needs.
Follow-Up - We offer ongoing fly control services to make sure your home is fully protected from infestation all year long. Our service technicians are here to bring you superb customer service and the lasting results that you deserve.
Using advanced pest control methods and dependable IPM (Integrated Pest Management) strategies, we’re able to bring you the latest and greatest in Texas fly control. We have over 70 years of industry experience, and as a Quality Pro Service provider, we bring a high level of professionalism and expertise to every job we do.
Since 1952, our independently owned and operated company has remained committed to efficient and effective pest solutions that bring our valued customers the protection they deserve. Our philosophy is to deliver prompt, personalized pest control using the latest pest control strategies and methods. The Texas Department of Agriculture licenses us, and all of our pest management professionals undergo rigorous training so we can provide you with the very best.
When you go with Modern Pest Control, you go with quality. Not only do we provide complete fly solutions for residential properties, but we also service local businesses with year-round fly control. Some of the properties we’ve worked with include multi-unit housing, restaurants, hotels, commercial lodging, food processing facilities, office building, and management properties, healthcare facilities, retail stores, daycares, schools, and supermarkets.
No matter what kind of fly problem you’re facing in your home, we can help. Our team will thoroughly evaluate your situation and perform a comprehensive inspection, addressing common fly problem areas such as drains, garbage disposals, and hard-to-reach spots around the house. We can help determine sources of entry, inspect for overwintering flies, and eliminate all breeding sites.
Once we’re done treating your property, we come back for re-services to make sure things stay pest-free throughout the year. If your fly problem returns between scheduled service visits, we’ll come back to re-treat the area at no additional cost to you.
Professionals train our staff from Food Industry Sanitation Auditors (FISA) and the American Institute of Baking (AIB), giving us a high level of expertise for pest issues in food handling facilities. We also work with organizations such as BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association), the Greater Houston Restaurant Association, and the U.S. Green Building Council.
From the very first sign of an infestation, we’re here to bring you pest-free results you can count on. Our ultimate goal is to address all of your fly control and prevention needs effectively. Give us a call to set up your initial inspection, and we’ll get the ball rolling. We look forward to protecting your Houston property from fly infestation.