Flies are one of the most common pests people will encounter and are seen all over the world. If we pay attention to the places where flies land, feed and reproduce, it’s no wonder they can be such a filthy insect. One or two flies can quickly become a large infestation if control measures aren’t implemented. This begins with sanitation and well-sealed structures.
Infestations usually don’t occur in areas where sanitation is well kept and the building is well sealed. But when one or both of these are not up to par, infestations can seemingly appear out of nowhere.
Four Seasons Pest Solutions has been providing customers with fly-free lives since 1978, and we have no intentions to stop!
Although flies may seem harmless, some of them actually pose some unique and even serious threats to humans and animals. Each species carries its own baggage and, in many cases, its own little secrets. Below are the primary pest fly species for Kentucky and Tennessee.
Scientific Name: Musca Domestica
Color: Gray to black with four longitudal lines across the thorax
Size: 1/8 to 1/4 inch long
Shape: Triangular when viewed from above. Body has a rounded silhouette. Slightly hairy with a single pair of membranous wings
Region: Found throughout the world
Food Sources: Human food, plant and animal matter, human and animal feces. They can only eat liquids and therefore regurgitate digestive fluids onto solid foods to liquify it.
Life Expectancy: 15 – 25 days with adequate food
House flies undergo complete metamorphosis with 4 distinct stages: egg, maggot (larva), pupa and adult. Musca domestica can overwinter in the larval and pupal stages, especially where manure piles or other sources of warmth may be located. In warm conditions, the metamorphosis can be completed in just 7 -10 days, whereas in cooler, less hospitable conditions, as much as 2 months may be necessary. In regions like Kentucky and Tennessee, 10 – 12 generations may be hatched each year.
Eggs are roughly 1.2mm long. They are laid by the female one at a time in groups or piles of 75 -150. The female will lay approximately 500 eggs in 3 – 4 days and several females may lay their eggs near one another.
Larva begin at about 4-9mm long and cylindrical with an off-white color. The body tapers toward the head which has a set of hooks. The larvae see 3 instars reaching 6-12mm as a full-grown maggot. The begin feeding in as soon as they hatch and develop within 3-13 days if conditions are favorable or 13-30 days if conditions are less hospitable.
Areas with high nutrient availability, like manure, compost piles or sand and soil rich with nutrients, provide optimal conditions for larva development. Once fully developed, the mature maggot might crawl 5 – 50 feet away to a cool, dry place where breeding material is abundant. Here, the maggot will continue metamorphosis into the pupal stage.
Once maggots begin the pupal stage, the last larval exoskeleton is used to form a pupal case in which the stage will complete. The shape now takes on a more oval appearance. This stage will last from 2 – 6 days in optimal conditions or up to 30 days in less favorable conditions. Once completed, the adult fly emerges from the pupal casing using the ptilinum, located on the front of its head. The ptilinum swells and shrinks, acting like a sort of hammer which beats against the pupal casing until it breaks through.
Females are around 6 – 7 mm long while males tend to be smaller. Males and females are easy to tell apart if observed with magnification, especially. The eyes of a male almost touch together while females have a definitive space between their eyes.
House flies neither nest or colonize. However, it has been estimated that under optimal conditions, one pair of mating flies could potentially produce as many as 191,010,000,000,000,000,000 (191 quintillion) offspring between the months of April and October.
Flies develop in large number quite commonly, especially in places like poultry farms, dairy farms and other similar farms. A structure stationed nearby such a farm or other favorable environment, may see heavy infestations suddenly and for an extended period. Often, those situations are very difficult to control since the source of infestation is out of your control.
Scientific Name: Drosophila melanogaster
Color: Dull tan to brownish yellow or brownish black. Eyes are typically red
Size: Approximately 1/8 inch
Shape: Like a miniature version of the house fly
Region: Found throughout the world
Food Sources: Attracted to yeast resulting from decomposition of plant matter. Sap flows, mushrooms and overripe fruits and produce
Life Expectancy: 8 – 20 days
Reproduction is rapid and a pair of fruit flies will produce hundreds of offspring in just a few weeks. Females lay eggs on unripe or slightly ripe fruit. The eggs hatch into larva within 30 hours and the tiny maggot begin eating the fruit. Complete metamorphosis has finished within 2 days and adults emerge. Sexual maturity begins at 1 week old. Adult females can lay up to 2000 eggs. Reproduction can go year-round.
Fruit flies don’t nest or colonize but can be present in great numbers.
Scientific Name: Tabanidae
Color: Vary from black, gray, brown with potential patterns of metallic blue, green and yellow. Can have stripes on abdomen and thorax. Can also be uniformly colored including eyes and wings
Size: 3/8 to 1-1/8 inch long
Shape: Triangular when viewed from above, varying by species
Region: Found throughout the world
Food Sources: Males feed on nectar and pollen. Females eat both nectar and pollen but require a blood meal in order to produce eggs
Life Expectancy: 30 – 60 days
Fresh and saltwater marshes and streams, moist soil and moist decaying wood provide development sites for horseflies. Females lay eggs on damp soil or vegetation overhanging water. The eggs hatch into larva within a couple days. The larva and undergo 6-13 stages depending on the horsefly species. The last stage overwinters as larva and enter the pupal stage when spring arrives. This stage lasts between a week to three weeks and the adult will emerge by early summer. A few species take 2-3 years to complete their development while most species take only one year. Only one generation occur each year.
Horse flies neither nest or colonize and are rarely seen in large numbers.
Scientific Name: Calliphora spp./Lucilia sericata
Color: Varies from metallic blue, metallic green, metallic bronze or shiny black
Size: 1/8 to 5/8 inch long
Shape: Triangular when viewed from above. Slightly larger than house flies
Region: Found throughout the world
Food Sources: Decaying meat, dung
Life Expectancy: 21 – 28 days
Once a female blow fly has had a protein meal, she will lay her eggs in decaying organic matter (animal carcass etc.), a wound, eyes, ears, or nose. After the larval stage has finished, the maggots leave their food source, burrow into the ground and pupate. Finally, complete metamorphosis has taken place and adult flies emerge.
Blow/bottle flies do not nest or colonize. Can be seen in large numbers around the breeding sites and food sources.
Scientific Name: Psychoda
Color: Light tan or gray to black with a mottled appearance
Size: 1/8 inch long
Shape: Triangular when viewed from above. Moth-like shape and appearance
Region: Found throughout the world
Food Sources: Nectar, polluted water
Life Expectancy: 20 days
Drain flies lay 30 to 100 eggs in wet or moist decaying organic matter. After hatching, the larvae feed on the organic decaying matter. The larvae resemble mosquito larvae and the larval stage lasts about 2 weeks before the pupal stage begins. The pupal stage lasts only 36 hours before adults emerge. The developmental time from egg to adult is one to four weeks. Adults typically live for an additional two weeks. Emergence begins at the beginning of spring and peaks in late summer.
Moth flies do not nest or colonize but can be found in very large numbers where conditions are favorable.
Most moth fly issues come from drain problems. When the P-trap of a drain dries out, moth flies may be able to enter from the septic system or sewer system. Usually, unused drains like floor drains and spare restroom drains are found to be the culprit. Keeping water added to these drains is crucial in DIY control measures. Once the flies are present, simple over-the-counter insecticides sprayed directly into the air can kill the existing flies. If all drains have been fixed or re-filled with water, problems should subside.
Scientific Name: Lycoriella spp
Color: Dark Brown/Black/Gray
Size: 2 – 8 mm long (0.08 – 0.3 inches)
Shape: Mosquito like appearance with small body and long legs
Region: Found throughout the world
Food Sources: Larvae eat fungi, roots and organic matter in soil. Adults eat nectar
Life Expectancy: 8 days
The female deposits 100 to 300 eggs in batches of 2 to 30 in shaded, moist areas where decaying organic matter is present. Eggs hatch in 4 to 6 days. larval stages are completed in 12 to 14 days. Once the pupal stage is reached, adults emerge in 5 to 6 days. The entire lifecycle can be completed in four weeks, from egg to adult to death.
Indoor infestations can be continuous and reproduction may overlap generations. Typically, all life stages can be found throughout the year.
Outdoors, the larvae are known to move in groups, especially after heavy rainfall. They may be seen escaping mulched areas to seek dry ground such as sidewalks, porches and patios. This collective movement can resemble the movements of a snake.
Fungus gnats neither nest or colonize but can be observed in high numbers. Larvae can move in groups as mentioned above.
Scientific Name: Megaselia scalaris
Color: Ranging from brown, black or yellow and any combination thereof
Size: 1/8 inch (0.5 to 5.5 mm) long
Shape: Pronounced humpback appearance (arched thorax)
Region: Found throughout the world
Food Sources: Fecal matter, fungi, carrion, garbage and more
Life Expectancy: 5 days
Phorid flies breed in damp or moist areas of decaying organic matter such as carcasses, feces, sewage, rotting plants, rotting food and in drains with buildup. Females will lay up to 40 eggs in only 12 hours and around 500 eggs in her 5 day life span. A day later, the eggs will hatch into tiny larvae (also known as maggots). For the next 1-2 weeks, the larva will feed on the decaying organic matter before developing into the pupal stage.
Before reaching the pupal stage, mature larvae leave the breeding area and search for a dry place to pupate. The entire process from egg to adult takes between 1-4 weeks to complete, depending on several environmental factors.
Some phorid flies are parasitic and lay their eggs in other insects such as termites, caterpillars, bees, ants, millipedes, beetles and wasps. Once the larva hatch from the eggs, they feed on the host. Some studies are being conducted in order to learn how to use phorid flies as a natural control of fire ant species.
Fungus gnats neither nest or colonize but can be observed in high numbers.
Blog Posts
Four Seasons Pest Solutions
https://i0.wp.com/www.myfsps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/HouseFlyFacts-1.jpg?fit=2314%2C1258&ssl=1
1258
2314
Matthew Hess
https://www.myfsps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Logo-Four-Seasons-Pest-Solutions-Pest-Control-300x94.png
Matthew Hess2023-05-22 17:54:242023-05-22 18:51:10House Fly Facts
https://i0.wp.com/www.myfsps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HelpfulTipsToControlFruitFliesInCommercialKitchensFourSeasonsPestSolutionsBlog.jpg?fit=2314%2C1258&ssl=1
1258
2314
Matthew Hess
https://www.myfsps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Logo-Four-Seasons-Pest-Solutions-Pest-Control-300x94.png
Matthew Hess2023-03-22 12:38:372023-03-22 16:38:40Helpful Tips To Control Fruit Flies in Commercial KitchensRemember, it’s okay to live among pests… but you don’t have to live with them!
You must be logged in to post a comment.