Fly Biology
See also:
Fly Control Solutions
Fly Biology
House Fly
Most common pest of restaurants, food plants, most public buildings; 1/6 to ¼ inches long; very fast breeder with the female laying up to 150 eggs at a time on 5 -6 day intervals; house fly life cycle can complete itself in as little as 3- 5 days; feeds on and lays eggs in manure, decaying vegetation; eats by regurgitating its food and then "sopping" it up with its mouthparts; spreads disease causing organisms, primarily by contacting germs and bacteria by picking them up on their outer body; a concern for everyone; # 1 pest of importance in hospitals, food manufacturing facilities, restaurants, bars, day care centers, and nursing homes.
Use proper sanitation measures to keep from attracting adult flies; This prevents continual egg laying; proper exclusion measures t prevent adult flies from gaining access to sanitary areas; Residual insecticides (Cy-Kick CS, Talstar, or Cynoff WP) on the perimeter, and traps (Fly-web, Vector Classic Fly Light) and aerosols (PT 565) on the inside are best.
Fruit Fly
Attracted to ripening fruit, fermenting material; can originate sources other than fruit; length is about 1/8 inch; enters through the smallest cracks and many screens; larvae must have moist, fermenting organic matter in order to survive; in homes this can be a slow-moving or seldom-used water line with slime buildup; rotting fruit is very common; other areas include wet areas under dripping pipes and refrigeration equipment, garbage containers, and discarded bottles and cans.
Eliminating the source of the infestation is the best way to control fruit flies; sometimes it is difficult to locate breeding areas but it is important in getting good control; check the drains and under all the equipment; Apply Drain gel in the drains to remove organic matter and apply Gentrol Aerosol or Gentrol Liquid under the equipment and other areas where fruit flies are breeding to sterilize the larvae; PT 565 will give you a good knockdown of the population; Natural Catch fly traps are very effective in catching adult flies.
Blue Bottle Fly or Green Bottle Fly
Easily distinguished by bright metallic colors; larger than the house fly; attracted to decaying meat; may indicate dead rodents, squirrels, birds, etc.
Best treatment method is to locate the dead carcass and remove it as soon as possible; PT 565 can be directly applied to the carcass and flying flies; Fly-web and Vector Classic Fly Light are good light traps.
