What are a few ways to get rid of fruit flies in your home?
Between buzzing around your head and landing on your food, even a few flies in your home can be a real nuisance. The problem gets a lot worse, however, when you experience a fly infestation because you could potentially discover hundreds of the nasty little creatures flying around.
So, how do you prevent fly infestations and get rid of flies already in your home?
Flies Can Infest Your Property Fast
Houseflies are very well known for how quickly they reproduce. Once a fly enters your home and lays its eggs, approximately 100-150 maggots will merge within three to six days. After the maggots have fed for a few days, they will enter a pupal stage and emerge as fully grown flies after approximately five days. If that’s not bad enough, the females will be ready to reproduce just a few days later.
Potential Dangers of a Fly Infestation
In most cases, the only real danger of a fly infestation is an annoyance. Aside from that, the biggest worry in most situations will be food contamination, which may lead to food poisoning if it’s severe enough.
How to Get Rid of Flies Fast
Even if you’re not afraid of flies carrying disease or giving you food poisoning, the truth is that having them land on your food is gross. Although a fly infestation is an annoyance, it’s often one of the easiest pest problems to control. To help you get started, let’s take a look at how to prevent and get rid of flies in your home:
Keep the Inside of Your Home Clean
Female flies need to lay their eggs in an area where the maggots will be able to feed once the eggs have hatched. This means if you leave rotten food around, then you’re more likely to end up with a fly infestation. To keep this from happening, simply make sure that you’re cleaning up any old food and taking out the trash on a regular basis.
Keep Garbage Cans Sealed
It’s common for flies to get into a garbage bag and lay their eggs inside. You can prevent this by keeping your garbage cans sealed at all times. If you go to move a trash bag and a fly comes out, then you may want to spray an insecticide inside the bag just in case it was a female laying some eggs.
Raise Certain Plants Outside
Many people are unaware that certain plants act as fly repellents. The most common of these are basil, marigold, lavender, catnip, and bay leaves. Planting any of these in a few different areas around your home will greatly reduce the chances of a fly infestation.
Mix Vinegar and Dish Soap
If you have a problem with flies, you can try vinegar and dish detergent. Start by pouring a small amount of apple cider vinegar into a glass and adding three or four drops of dish soap. Next, cover the glass with plastic wrap, use a rubber band to secure it, and poke small holes in the top. The vinegar will draw in the flies and the soap will trap them instead.
Cayenne Pepper and Water
If you don’t want to plant any of the herbs or flowers listed above, you can try the cayenne pepper and water method instead. Simply fill a spray bottle with water, sprinkle some cayenne pepper inside, and shake it up. Then, spray the mixture near the entrances to your home to prevent the flies from coming inside.
Set Up Some Sticky Traps
One of the most effective products on the market for removing flies is sticky traps. Commonly known as flypaper, these sticky traps can be hung up both inside and outside your home. They contain a sweet substance that will attract the flies, which will then become trapped on the paper. A single sticky trap can catch dozens of flies in a very short period of time.
Set Up Some Light Traps
Another effective type of fly elimination device is a light trap. These are basically boxes that contain light in the back. This light will attract the flies and, depending on which type of trap you’ve purchased, they’ll either be trapped or killed with an electric zap. If you go this route, remember to mount them no higher than five feet off the floor and away from entrances and windows.
Contact ProHealth Pest Control on How to Get Rid of Flies
The professionals at ProHealth Pest Control know how to get rid of flies and any other pests that are a problem in your home or business. To learn more about our residential or commercial, and organic pest control methods or to schedule an appointment, reach out to our team today by calling (727) 308-3470.
