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House Fly Control Around Homes
- Control the source! -
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Summary: House flies, and other "filth flies", breed in garbage, excrement and rotting meat and vegetable matter. Controlling or eliminating the breeding source is the best way to deal with these flies.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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Where do house flies breed?
 House flies, Musca domestica (right), are the most common nuisance flies around homes. There are, however, a number of other similar species that may become a problem as well. The little house fly, Fannia spp., the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, and the cluster fly, Pollenia rudis, can all become a nuisance under some circumstances. All but the cluster fly breed in compost, manure, excrement or garbage.
House flies, sometimes called manure flies, breed in all types of animal excrement (manure), rotting meat and vegetable matter. They are most often associated with barns, stables, kennels -- anywhere animals are quartered -- and garbage containers.
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| House fly, Musca domestica, about 1/4" long. |
| alternate names & misnomers: housefly, houseflies, filth flies, manure flies |
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What is the house fly life cycle?
Small, pearly white eggs are laid in groups on manure or garbage. Eggs hatch in a few days into larvae, or maggots (below left). Maggots are legless, white to yellowish in color. Fly maggots develop through three instars, becoming larger at each molt. The final instar, or prepupa, typically moves away from the garbage or manure source before pupating. Thus pupae (below right) may be found some distance from the source of flies. Adult flies live several weeks and can produce hundreds of eggs.
The presence of a few house flies is common and no reason for concern. Large numbers of flies, however, should alert you to investigate the source. Look for the sites where larvae develop and eliminate these sources before resorting to insecticides.
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How to control house flies
The best way to control house flies, and other manure and garbage-breeding flies, is to locate and eliminate the breeding source. This may involve improvements to manure management or relocating garbage dumpsters. Treating these sources with pesticides is usually impractical and not very effective.
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Dumpsters
One common mistake is to locate dumpsters near outside doors where flies originating from the garbage may enter the building. Another commonly overlooked source of flies is dog, or other pet, feces. Be sure to clean pet quarters frequently and dispose of feces in a closed garbage container.
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| House fly larva, head/mouth end is on right. The "eyes" at left are actually spiracles used in respiration. When larvae first hatch they are very tiny white worms. Larvae develop through 3 stages and eventually reach about 1/4"-3/8" long. |
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House fly pupae, the stage between larvae and adults. The pupae are a bit larger than adult flies. Pupal color varies with age from yellow, red, brown to black. The darker the color the older the pupa. About the size of an adult fly.
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Fly traps and baits
Fly traps are sometimes useful in situations where large numbers of flies are present outdoors or flies have entered a building. Traps consist of an attractant bait, or uv light source, and some type of trap container or sticky trap.
Fly baits, for example Maxforce Granular Fly Bait (imidacloprid), contain an insecticide and attractive bait. These bait products can be used around the outside of commercial facilities and agricultural buildings to suppress fly numbers. Use of bait must be combined with proper sanitation.
Finally, uv light traps are available for use inside food handling facilities, restaurants and grocery stores. These traps attract flies with uv light and kill or capture the flies that land on an electrified grid or sticky surface.
Where to find fly traps
Gemplers carries a fully line of fly traps for use indoors and outdoors. Click Here and use the product search box in the upper left corner of the Gempler site to search on "Fly Trap". The Electric Black Light Fly Trap (Item No. 127499) is especially useful for indoor facilities where house flies are a problem.
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