Fly Prevention 101: How To Keep Your Pearland Home Fly-Free

If you have a fly infestation in the house, you’ve likely already spent a fair amount of time searching the internet to figure out the types of flies you have and the fastest way to get rid of them. You’ve also probably tried a few DIY methods and haven’t had much luck. Flies are challenging pests to get rid of for a variety of reasons.

Most species of flies that infest homes have a short life span, but they breed rapidly, making them incredibly tough to eliminate. For example, female fruit flies can lay around 500 eggs that will hatch in as little as 24 hours and become reproducing adults in just one week. House flies are even worse, laying up to 900 eggs that hatch as soon as 12 hours later and are adults in less than a week.

With these stats, it’s easy to see how quickly a minor fly problem in your home can become a major infestation. If you are tired of having lots of flies in the house and not having any luck eliminating them, it is time to learn more about these annoying pests and how to get rid of them once and for all.

With any problem pest, the first step is correctly identifying the species you are dealing with. Many flies look similar, but we’ll explain more about each type and the subtle differences that can help you learn how to tell them apart. Proper identification is critical to finding the best treatment method and determining why you have the problem.

Learning to tell the different species apart is also the key to determining the level of threat they bring into your home. Some flies are more of a health risk than others, but for the most part, having them flying around your home isn’t safe or sanitary. We’ll further review the health risks that come with each type of ordinary household fly in this article.

We’ll also describe some helpful tips and strategies Pearland pest control companies suggest to keep your home fly-free. Like most pests, keeping flies out in the first place is much easier than trying to get rid of them after the fact.

If you’ve tried everything you can to eliminate flies in your home and are still having trouble with them, the pros at Modern Pest Control are here to help. Come along with us and learn more about these problematic pests and how to get rid of them for good.

Know Your Flies: Essential Tips For Accurate Fly Identification

It is simple enough to figure out you have a fly problem in the house, but correctly identifying the species can be difficult. There are thousands of species of flies in the United States, but thankfully, only a few are likely to enter your home. We’ll start by listing the most common types of flies that enter Pearland homes and then elaborate on the characteristics and behaviors of each below:

Drain flies

- Flesh flies
- Fruit flies

Fungus flies

- House flies
Phorid flies

Adult drain flies are between 1/6 and 1/5 of an inch long, with dense hairs covering their dark gray to black bodies. Some people call them moth flies because the hair gives them a fuzzy moth-like appearance, and when they land, their two large wings cover their bodies, making them look similar to moths. As their name suggests, we often find drain flies near sinks and tubs.

Flesh flies are very similar in appearance to common house flies, but they tend to be larger, ranging between 1/3 and 1/2 of an inch long. These large gray flies have a checkerboard pattern on their abdomens and display three dark stripes on their midsection. Flesh flies often gravitate to dead animal carcasses, and if you have a lot of them in the house, it may indicate an animal has died within the walls.

Fruit flies are one of the most likely flies to infest homes. These flies are tiny, around 1/8 of an inch long, but they often appear in large numbers, making them hard to miss. If you have fruit flies in the kitchen, you’ll likely find them near rotten fruits, vegetables, and fermenting beverages like beer and wine.

Fungus flies (aka fungus gnats) look like tiny, delicate mosquitoes. Their bodies are dark in color, usually 1/8 to 1/6 of an inch long, and they have segmented antennae that are longer than their head. These pests tend to linger near potted plants in the house or near windows because light attracts them.

House flies are the most common types of flies we find in homes. These flies have dark gray bodies between 1/8 and 1/4 inch in length that are slightly hairy with four dark stripes on the midsection. You’ll see these flies throughout the home and probably hear the loud buzz of their wings beating together.

Phorid flies average about 1/8 of an inch in length, are black, brown, yellow, or a combination of these colors, and have wings with distinct veins on the front part. People also call them “scuttle flies” because they will erratically run across surfaces instead of flying. The most likely place to find these flies is around decaying organic matter.

If you need help determining the type of flies you have infesting the house or are having trouble eliminating them, the pros at Modern Pest Control are here to help. Contact us today to learn more about our fly pest control services or to schedule a free inspection.

Health Risks Related To Fly Infestations: Protecting Your Well-Being

It’s no secret that these pests are dirty, but the more you learn about the flies in your house, the more you’ll understand why they deserve their bad reputation. While people usually worry more about pests that bite and sting, flies can sometimes cause more significant risks.

Looking around outside, you’ll notice flies hovering in unsanitary places. While outside, flies feed on animal waste, rotten garbage, sewage, roadkill, and you get the idea. While feeding, they pick up pathogens on their legs and mouthparts, which they then spread around your home and onto your food.

Perhaps even more disturbing is that when they eat some of these things, they store the food in their bodies in a crop before it goes to the digestive system to produce energy. Whatever they don’t digest will inevitably be regurgitated on the next surface they land on, which might be your kitchen counter or the sandwich you’re eating.

Whatever illness-causing bacteria, pathogens, or parasites the fly picks up can cause you and your family to get sick. Even worse, while the material is in the crop, it develops antibacterial resistance, making illnesses harder to treat.

Now that we know how to identify the types of flies that contaminate homes, we’ll take a closer look at each so you have a clear idea of the risks that come with them. The following list will explain the ways the different kinds of flies on our list pick up and carry pathogens into your home:

Drain flies in the bathroom usually get there from sewers or sump pump pits, then make their way into the home through the drains.
Flesh flies often lay their eggs on decaying carcasses or garbage and pick up bacteria they bring into the house.
Fruit flies in the kitchen can carry salmonella, E. coli, and listeria, which cause food poisoning.
Fungus flies do not spread diseases to people, but they will damage houseplants, causing them to be yellow and stunting their growth.
House flies can carry over 130 pathogens, most of which are bacterial and some that can be serious.
Phorid flies are more of a severe risk in hospitals or commercial kitchens, but they can transmit bacteria anywhere they land.

The best way to deal with an infestation of any of these flies is to contact a local pest control company for assistance. Because of their life cycle and rapid breeding, it can be hard to make sure you locate all of the flies and their eggs without professional help. Contact us today at Modern Pest Control if you need help getting rid of a fly problem in your home.

Creating A Fly-Free Environment: Tips And Strategies For Prevention

Now that we know how to identify the various flies that infest Pearland homes, and the dangers they can bring, it is time to find out how to prevent these pests from entering your house. Here are some factors that may be attracting flies, followed by tips on how to repair these conditions and keep flies away:

Accessible entrances
Moisture issues
A messy kitchen
Unwashed produce
Pet waste

Most of the flies on our list get inside by sneaking through little holes that allow them access from the outside. Carefully check that all screens on windows and doors are intact and have a tight seal when you close them.

Repairing moisture issues around the house can help prevent sewer flies. Ensure that your gutters are free-flowing and that no water pools near the house’s foundation, and repair faulty septic lines and leaking air conditioning units. Regularly clear your drain pipes, traps, and garbage disposals to eliminate bacteria buildup.

One of the most straightforward ways to avoid attracting flies is to keep your kitchen clean and tidy. Avoid leaving dirty dishes out, and keep all food stored in pest-proof containers or inside the refrigerator. Take the kitchen trash out daily and store it in clean, well-sealed receptacles.

If you often see fruit flies everywhere, take the time to wash produce after grocery shopping. Fruit flies sometimes enter from the outdoors, but people usually unknowingly carry their eggs in on fruits and vegetables from the store. When you arrive home from the store, wash any produce to eliminate eggs, and store what you can in the refrigerator.

If you are having trouble getting rid of fruit flies, fungus gnats, or drain flies, it may be because these three species can breed inside of the house and survive indefinitely. With any flies, removing any eggs or breeding sites is essential, or the problem will soon return.

One of the best ways to get rid of flies outside and prevent them from entering is to clean up the pet waste in your yard regularly. Pet feces is a frequent place for flies to lay their eggs, and some species find the smell appealing. The simple step of picking up pet waste as soon as possible will significantly reduce flies near your home.

Modern Pest Control’s pest management professionals can help you identify the problematic flies in your house and find the best way to eradicate them. Contact us today if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment.

Professional Pest Control For Fly Infestations: Why Hire Experts

There are probably as many DIY methods of fly control online and in stores as there are different species of flies, but most just aren’t enough to deal with a full-blown infestation. Many homeowners with fly troubles start by trying home remedies to get rid of flies, creating concoctions of vinegar and soap, or spraying cayenne pepper (be very careful not to get this one in your eyes.)

While some of these tips might catch a few random flies, they aren’t dealing with the entire problem. Eliminating flies involves a multi-layer approach that takes into account how they get inside, how to keep them out, and a plan to eradicate them at every stage of their life cycle.

If flies are still getting inside despite your best efforts, it is time to call in the professionals. Female flies can lay well over a hundred eggs at a time, which condense to about the size of a pea, making it hard to spot them. If you thought you got rid of flies, and they came right back, it is probably because the eggs were left behind.

Working with a professional home pest control company in Pearland is also beneficial if you need help determining how the flies get into the house. Sometimes it is easy to miss a small tear in a screen or not notice a specific drain creating problems. The pros know how to quickly and efficiently identify the type of fly you have and how they most likely enter the house.

The simplest and most effective way to fully eradicate flies in your home is to contact the pros at Modern Pest Control. Whether you see small fruit flies everywhere or have bigger ones buzzing around your head, it is time to take action and eliminate these pests and protect your family from the health risks flies bring into your home.

If you request an inspection, our pest management professionals will come out to your property and assess the scope of the problem. We understand how similar many flies look and can help you to identify the ones flying around your house correctly. For example, people often misidentify phorid flies as either fruit flies or fungus gnats.

During the inspection, our pros will carefully check around your house for any potential breeding areas, hidden eggs, or larvae to ensure that after we treat for flies, the problem won’t return. We can recommend steps you can take to prevent flies based on the specific circumstances on your property, such as sealing cracks and crevices we find.

Next, we will develop a custom treatment plan to get rid of the flies causing problems inside the house and out in the yard. We understand there is no one size fits all way to deal with troublesome flies and that each home is different. Our pros will explain their findings and work with you to decide the best way to proceed.

For over 70 years, Modern Pest Control has been working to help our neighbors have safe, pest-free homes. We pride ourselves on being a local company that understands the needs of people in this area, and we work hard to achieve customer satisfaction. Our goals are the same as in 1952, to deliver personalized pest control using the most up-to-date, modern solutions available.

To help keep your home pest-free throughout the year, we offer several quarterly service plans to protect your home through every season. Having continual protection against pests such as ants, silverfish, flies, and termites is the best way to ensure your home and family are safe from these problematic pests.

Having a pest control company you trust is essential, and our pest management professionals are here to ensure you understand what we are doing and answer any questions you might have. To learn more about our service plans or request your free inspection contact us today at Modern Pest Control and get back to having the pest-free home and yard you and your family deserve.