6 Ways to Help Control Flies in Your New Jersey Home

Before landing on your lunch, that house fly likely landed on quite a few places that may make you turn away from your food. A fly landing has a specific purpose.  In order to feed house flies must regurgitate saliva to liquefy it, then soak it up with their sponge-like mouth-parts.  Each time a fly comes to rest on an area it regurgitates and excretes on that area extremely quickly. This process is how it transmits diseases like diarrhea, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, tapeworm, polio, and more. 

The average adult housefly will live about 3 to 4 weeks in the summer and even longer in the cooler fall and winter months. They are most active during the day, particularly on warm summer days. House flies are most abundant when moist feces, decaying food, and decaying organisms are present. Eliminating these conditions from in and around your home will reduce your chances of flies being attracted to your home. 

Here are more ways to prevent house flies from infesting your home:

1. Ensure that your window and door screens are in good condition and that doors remain closed quickly after entering or exiting your house.
2. Ensure that no decaying rodents lay around your home.  Check mouse traps often and dispose of them quickly before they attract flies.
3. Keep compost piles away from your home and don't leave out meat products, which will attract flies. 
4. Be cautious where you clean out your garbage pails, even rinsing and dumping the waste into your lawn may attract flies to that area. 
5. Put food away promptly, dispose of scraps immediately after a meal.
6. Seal cracks and crevices around windows, doors, and outdoor pipes and vents to prevent flies from entering your home.

The following steps will help ensure that you do not create an environment conducive to fly breeding:

• Properly store garbage in a pail with a sealed lid.
• Ensure garbage is picked up promptly at the curb.
• Clean up after your pet excrements immediately. 

The use of a simple fly swatter can be very effective in controlling flies.  However, be cautious not to use them near food or food preparation areas. The swatters themselves can harbor dangerous bacteria and contaminate an area. 

For ongoing fly problems or heavy infestations in your home or business contact Cowleys today. Our services can help identify the root of your problem and reduce your chances of having this disease-carrying insect infest your home or business.