House Fly

The house fly, Musca domestica, is worldwide in distribution. It is the most common fly around homes. While in many cases they are considered to be nuisance pests, these flies are associated with more than 100 disease-causing organisms, which can be transmitted to humans and animals through feces, regurgitation while feeding, and contaminated body parts.

Identification

The adult house fly is about 1/8 - 1/4 inch long. It is dull gray in color, the sides of its abdomen are pale, and it has four narrow, black longitudinal stripes running down its thorax. In place of a second pair of wings are halters, club-shaped organs used for balance. The fourth longitudinal vein of the wing is sharply bent forward near the top.

The mature, cigar-shaped larva is 1/4 - 3/8 inch long, eyeless, legless and cream-colored, with a greasy appearance. The head is pointed and has a pair of mouth hooks. The blunt rear segment has posterior spiracles, which are composed of twisting slits surrounded by a black oval ridge, or peritreme. The peritreme has a donut-shaped structure (button) attached to its inner edge.

Biology and Habits

Adults are general feeders and are attracted to nearly anything moist and decaying, from food products to garbage to excrement. They feed by regurgitating on the food source and then ingesting the liquefied material with their sponging mouth parts. During this process they ingest many disease-causing organisms or pick them up on their bodies.

Adults can migrate up to 20 miles from breeding sites; however, they are usually found within a mile or two. During the day adults tend to rest less than five feet from the ground on walls, floors, and other objects. At night they rest more than five feet above the floor, often on ceilings, wires, lights, and plants.

Control

House fly control begins with correct identification of the pest. The subsequent inspection includes locating all resting and larval development sites. Sanitation, or source reduction, is the most important step in fly control because is eliminates larval breeding sites. When successful, it significantly reduces the need for pesticide applications. If trash cans are the problem, empty and clean them at least weekly to disrupt the developmental cycle. In areas such as stables, bars, pet kennels, and poultry houses, animal feces must be spread out to dry or disposed of weekly.

Mechanical control measures include insect-proof garbage containers, self-closing doors, screening, caulking and air curtains, use of electric fly traps, sickly traps and other devices to reduce adult fly populations indoors and out.

Insecticide applications are directed at adults because sanitation and removal are the best control measures for larval breeding sites. Contact your Bug Doctor specialist if your place of home or business can not seem to get rid of flies.