Flies & Mosquitoes

Dealing with Fly Problems in your Home

Flies can be a nuisance when buzzing around the home particularly if in large numbers. However, some species of fly also pose a health risk.

In particular, house flies transmit a wide range of diseases including salmonella, dysentery, tuberculosis, cholera and parasitic worms.

In India, there is a high risk of disease transmission through flies. Especially in emergency situation, when hygienic conditions are less than optimal, flies often are the main reason for cholera and dysentery epidemics. But even under normal conditions, especially children and elderly are at a greater risk of conducting more common diseases such as salmonella food poisoning from fly contaminated food.

Types of Fly Problem

There are thousands of different species of fly but the most common fly problems are caused by:

House Fly (Musca domestica) a common transmitter of Typhoid, Dysentery and Cholera
  • Houseflies – adults 6-7mm. Female houseflies lay 400-600 eggs in decaying matter or faeces which develop into maggot larvae. Attracted to any uncovered food, faeces and organic waste.
Common Greenbottle Fly (Phaenicia sericata)
  • Blow Flies or Bottle Flies – Adults 6-12mm, usually metallic blue or green but can be black or grey. Significant numbers in a house will often indicate a dead animal (such as a mouse) in the property.
Fruit Fly (Drosophila spp.)
  • Fruit Flies -Adults 3mm. Breeds in fermenting residues, fruits and vegetables, as well as in unclean drains. Develop into adults within 7-30 days.
Filter Fly image
  • Filter Flies or Drain Flies - About 2mm. Often found in bathrooms, where they breed inside the piping on sludge-like organic matter. Develop into adults within 12-60 days, depending on the surrounding temperature.

How to prevent fly infestations at home

For many species of fly including house flies and bottle flies, it is important not to attract flies with food sources or places for fly larvae to grow:

  • Always cover food – flies spread diseases by landing on food before we eat it
  • Clear away food and liquid spillages immediately
  • Clean food debris from under kitchen appliances
  • Make sure all rubbish bins have tightly sealed lids
  • Clean up after pets – not only are faeces the perfect breeding place for flies but also somewhere a fly may land before landing on your food
  • Have drains and piping cleaned regularly to prevent fruit and filter fly infestations

Finally, you can help prevent flies entering your home:

  • Keep windows and doors closed and block out the light with curtains at night
  • Fit fly screens to windows especially around kitchen and waste areas

How to get rid of flies

There are a range of DIY products in the market to kill flies but an established fly problem may require professional pest control to ensure that it will not reoccur.

Professional fly control

While DIY products can deal with smaller fly problems, a professional pest control service will be required for larger or multiple infestations.

Rentokil pest control technicians understand the habits of each species and also have a range of powerful insecticides to deal with flies and provide the reassurance that your fly problem has been fully dealt with.

Rentokil offers a call-out service to deal with fly and other pest problems in the home.  Our service is fast, effective and offers the highest level of safety for your family and pets.

Rentokil's Luminos Sapphire, offers good fly protection for homes and residences. Luminos Sapphire has been specifically designed for front of house locations, where both discretion and effectiveness are essential

If you would like further advice or to arrange a visit by a Rentokil technician, call us free on 1800 102 9888 or contact us.