The Problem With Flies In Your Westchester County Home

There are many types of flies in our area. The biggest problem with flies is understanding how different types of flies live and breed, and determining what food sources attract them. Today, we're going to give you a quick primer on Westchester County flies. Our goal is to help you better understand fly problems and give you some tips to help you get control of flies in your home. Have a read.

What Flies Are Attracted To In Westchester County

While flies can seem mysterious, they are not all that mysterious. Most flies are attracted to decaying organic matter. This might be plants in your landscaping, food in your pet's dish, juices in the bottom of your trash bins, dog droppings, decaying fruit, or something else gross and stinky. In most cases, you can get rid of flies by addressing things that smell bad. So, whether you're dealing with one or two house flies or a swarm of phorid flies, the first step is to consider decaying organic matter.

How A Fly Infestation Begins In Westchester County

Flies are attracted to your home by decaying organic matter. This brings them close to your exterior. But how do fly infestations actually begin? Different flies get into your home in different ways. Here are a few of the most common ways fly infestations begin:

• House flies most often breed in garbage or rotting landscape vegetation. This brings them near to your home. They get inside when a door opens. So, one of the best ways to keep house flies out of your home is to keep stinky things, like garbage receptacles, well away from entry points.
• If you want to prevent a swarm of tiny black flies in your home, you need to be aware that phorid flies are strongly attracted to feces. Clean up dog waste in your yard and make sure your cats are covering waste in the litter box to prevent an infestation of these flies.
• Another type of tiny black flies that could create a swarm of flies in your home is fungus gnats. These flies are drawn to the soil in potted plants. An infestation can begin when you bring potted plants inside for the winter. Check your plants and use prevention methods to avoid doing this.
• The most common kind of flies that create swarms inside Westchester County homes can appear to look like a bunch of tiny black flies, but they're actually not black. If you look closely, these flies are a yellowish-orange color. Which flies are we referring to? Fruit flies. Infestations of fruit flies often come from the grocery store when tiny eggs on produce hatch inside temperature-controlled homes. An infestation like this goes from one or two fruit flies to a swarm of flies in a matter of a few days. It is also possible to have a single fruit fly enter your home from the outside. Infestations like this take longer to develop into a swarm.

Diseases Flies Carry In Westchester County

Now that you know a bit about the different flies we deal with in our area, it is important that you understand the threat they can present to your health. If flies were just annoying, they would be far less of a problem. Unfortunately, flies can make you sick, particularly if they are garbage flies like houseflies or bottle flies. Flies that breed in garbage are exposed to harmful microorganisms. Recent research has linked house flies to the spread of more than 65 diseases. Keep that in mind the next time you see one land on your food.

Most flies that get into your home only present a mild risk of illness as they can go from garbage, sink drains, litter boxes, and other dirty places to your food-preparation surfaces, dishes, or food. These aren't dirty garbage flies, like houseflies or bottle flies.

How To Get Rid Of Flies In Westchester County

In many cases, you can deal with flies on your own. Clean up anything that is dirty, remove rotting organic matter that is near the exterior of your home, seal entry points in your exterior, make sure all your screens are in good working condition, clean up dog waste, and use your vacuum to suck up any flies that have gotten into your home. It's as easy as that. But when flies are breeding near your home or in your home, they can come at you in waves. When this occurs, you might need to hire a licensed pest professional to evaluate your fly problem, locate breeding sites, and apply professional fly control methods to arrest your issue.

If you're in Westchester County, reach out to Parkway Pest Services for assistance with any difficult fly problems. We're familiar with all the pest flies in our area. We'll find those flies and get rid of them for you. We can also help you keep flies and other pests out of your home with our year-round residential pest control services. You don't have to live with flies. Ever. Connect with Parkway Pest Services today.