Flies can be quite a nuisance to residents and property owners alike, especially during the spring and summer when they’re most active. They tend to reproduce quickly, though their lifespans are usually fairly short. While most won’t bite you, flies can be menacing enough on their own, and they can carry disease from places where they’ve fed. If you want to get rid of a fly infestation, it’s good to know where they lay their eggs so you can take preventative measures against them.
Where Do Flies Lay Eggs Inside Buildings?
House Flies
The most common type of fly found in and around homes in the United States, house flies generally lay their eggs in moist areas where decay is present, such as trash, feces or grass and garden waste. Their eggs look pale and long, like grains of rice, and hatch quickly into maggots.
Fruit Flies
Fruit flies’ favorite place to be is in their name. They can lay several hundred eggs at once, which can hatch within a day, and most female fruit flies will place them in areas of food waste, organic produce and fermenting liquid. The most common places for a fruit fly infestation to start are trash cans and overripe fruits and vegetables.
Drain Flies
Drain flies like the moist and dark areas that are found in pipes and garbage disposals. Standing water also provides a great place for them to breed.
Blow Flies/Bottle Flies
Blow flies feed on and lay their eggs on animal waste, rotten meat and animal carcasses. If you discover these flies in your home, it’s likely that an animal has been living or has died somewhere in the residence.
Where Do Flies Lay Their Eggs Outdoors?
Other kinds of flies don’t generally lay their eggs indoors, but can still be found around personal property, causing plenty of annoyance, carrying around disease and potentially searching for animals to bite.
Cluster flies
Cluster fly larvae can be found in the ground, where they feed on earthworms. From there, they will emerge and fly around to look for food, occasionally attempting to spend winters in the warmth of a home.
Stable flies
Stable flies lay their eggs in decaying matter, whether that be animal feces or rotting vegetation. Female stable flies do bite because they feed on blood in order to reproduce, so this kind will tend to be found in areas where livestock, cattle, horses or other farm animals live.
Phorid Flies
Phorid flies generally lay their eggs on decaying organic matter and may be found in gardens, on flowers and in foliage.
Horse Flies
Horse flies tend to live outdoors in wooded areas. Their larvae develop in moist soil near bodies of water. These flies require a blood meal before being able to lay eggs, so they will bite dark-colored animals (like horses and cattle) to get the food they need.
Getting Rid of Flies
Stopping a fly infestation requires preventing fly eggs from hatching. This can be done by keeping a clean house and routinely taking out garbage so they can’t find food. Also, keep decaying matter, compost heaps or dead leaf piles a good distance away from the home. Beyond eliminating food sources, keeping doors and windows screened off can prevent flies from entering the home.
If you need help managing a fly infestation, contact Dodson Pest Control today!
