Shhhhh, listen. Where’s that buzzing coming from? If it’s your appliances or the electricity, everything is fine, but if you have flies in your McKinney, TX home, you’ve got a bad pest problem on your hands. Flies are some of the most common pests out there. By themselves, these insects are harmless, but they usually carry pathogens and bacteria that threaten the health of your household. Let’s identify these pests and learn how to prevent them from your McKinney property.
Fly Identification Guide For McKinney Residents
Different fly species share many similar traits. Most flies have thick, oval-shaped bodies with small, triangular heads, large eyes, and six legs. They have a pair of clear wings, a small mouth, and often have hair along their backs and legs. Flies range in both color and size, but they all present similar problems.
House flies are some of the easiest flies to identify, thanks to their comparatively large bodies. The average house fly grows between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch in length, with females slightly larger than males. House flies have iridescent bodies and large red eyes which, alongside their large bodies and wings, makes them a loud and noticeable pest.
Drain flies, by contrast, are smaller and darker. These flies have horizontally striped black-and-gray bodies and are much hairier than other flies. Drain flies are likely to be mistaken for moths, but you know it’s a fly because of its large eyes and clear wings.
Finally, blowflies are best identified by their metallic color. Blowfly bodies are vertically striped with a silver- or iron-colored sheen, and their wings are somewhat triangular. Blowflies are commonly seen in urban settings and around dead animals.
At some point, a fly has probably landed on your arm or settled on your food. These vermin are everywhere, from dumpsters to restaurants to houses; in cities, suburbs, and the countryside. In fact, flies are so common that many Texas residents don’t think twice when they see one buzzing around the house. However, flies in the house should worry you.
Problems Flies Cause In McKinney Homes
Flies are scavengers, which means they’ll eat virtually anything, but are most often drawn to waste. You’ll often see them crowding around dumpsters, piles of excrement, and carcasses, though of course they’ll eat anything – including both human and pet food.
Since flies crowd around unsanitary areas, you can imagine all the different pathogens they pick up, right?
If a fly makes its way to your house, it probably didn’t come from a hospital or a janitor’s closet, it came from a dumpster or carcass. This is why flies pose a real concern to McKinney residents: since they crowd around unsanitary places, they become host to loads of diseases.
Common pathogens associated with flies include food poisoning, diphtheria, diarrhea, and E. coli. These diseases crowd on the fly’s hair-lined body, waiting to come into contact with the surfaces of your home.
How To Prevent Flies: 6 Tips
Flies are hard to get rid of, as they are highly evasive and reproduce quickly. Preventing them is much easier than exterminating them, so let’s discuss how to keep flies out of the house.
- Seal gaps in your home’s foundation. Caulk your windows, check for gaps in your door frames, and be sure your chimney, vents, and pipes are properly sealed.
- Remove standing water. Puddles and water leaks can attract all sorts of insects, including flies.
- Eliminate fly food. This includes cleaning up pet waste, changing the garbage daily, and placing tight-fitting lids on garbage cans, stored food items, and any other organic material.
- Regularly wash dirty dishes, as sanitation is the number one pest deterrent.
- Don’t leave sitting water inside the house. This attracts flies as much as outdoor puddles do.
- Flypaper. Flypaper won’t keep flies out, but if they come in, you’ll know because flypaper traps flies quickly. This can help indicate that something is inviting flies in.
When flies do come in, be sure to sanitize all surfaces of your house regularly while you work to eliminate the pests.
Then, you have one of two options. You can either chase these pests with a fly swatter, or you can contact the professionals who will get rid of flies without hurting your home. Don’t handle pests alone – learn more about how Adams Exterminating Company helps McKinney homeowners, and contact us today.