Preventing House Fly Numbers From getting out of Control
Like many household insect pests, house flies are one creature that we will never be rid of altogether. Flies are adept at exploiting any slightly favourable living condition, and their breeding capabilities ensure that their numbers stay strong. Moreover, flies are naturally attracted to the by products of human life, our refuse.
This doesn’t mean that you have to put up with swarms of flies every year, but it does mean that you will have to get used to seeing the odd one around. Integrated pest management encourages the control of pest numbers, including those of the house fly, through limiting using the least toxic approaches (sprays and other poisons used on house flies are very ineffective) and through preventing pests from breeding continuously through good prevention practices. Here are some ways to ensure that house fly numbers do not get out of control in your home.
* Take advantage of natural predators. Most pests that appear in large numbers are right at the bottom of the food chain, and house flies are no exception. Encouraging creatures who make meals of house flies is a great way to keep their numbers down. Frogs, salamanders, birds, spiders, and even cats are great fly catchers.
* Cover your soil. The soil used for potting plants makes for a great place for flies and their larvae to live, particularly if it has some manure in its base. The problem is made worse by leaves which fall off your plants and decompose in the pot; that’s delicious food for a fly or her babies. Keep your potted plant soil covered, and make sure to remove any fallen foliage.
* Take your garbage out! Certain kinds of human garbage will start to attract flies quicker than others, due largely to the smell. Wrapping that was used for meat is one of the very best fly attractants there is, and it’s important to take them out to your main, sealed garbage container as soon as possible. Diapers and coffee grinds are also fly magnets. Keeping your indoor garbage cans sealed will help keep flies out but won’t keep every single one away.
* Close the lid on your outdoor cans. Make sure that the lid on your outside garbage cans and any compost container is tightly closed. You should also clean out your garbage cans on a regular basis, as flies will take advantage of the smallest amounts of garbage.
* Clean! Don’t leave any dirty dishes out, and make sure to wipe down all surface areas after cooking or eating.
*Flies will always be around, but exercising sound preventative techniques will mean that their numbers don’t explode to plague proportions. Keeping a clean house is particularly important when it comes to limiting the fly population.