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Winter Flies

It’s a beautiful winter day, and the sunlight is gleaming on the snow. Taking in the view and feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, your attention is drawn to an all-too-familiar sound buzzes by your ear. That’s right— buzzes. There is snow on the ground, but sure enough, there is a fly INSIDE of your house. Eager to get outside, it hurls its large sluggish body against the window. This is not your classic housefly, it’s important to note, but rather a more elusive species. The unwanted houseguest almost went unnoticed. They’re probably around even if you can’t see them!

How do flies survive during winter?

There are too many common fly species to count, and they handle winter in all kinds of ways. Flies associated with filth such as blowflies, fruit flies, and phorid flies tend to live in and around garbage all year. They nestle into the trash in sheltered areas and hunker down to preserve heat during the winter.

Other flies, like face and cluster flies, lay eggs in warm areas during the fall. The flies laying the eggs die off, but their offspring hatch throughout winter. Once they are inside, they continue reproducing— a cycle of laying eggs and hatching. To survive the cooler temperatures and decline in food sources, cluster flies enter the state of diapause to preserve energy and body heat.

What are the flies inside my home?

This winter, the flies most likely to bother you in your home are cluster flies. This species is ubiquitous in Michigan, even during winter. Cluster flies are easy to distinguish as they are big, stocky flies with dark coloration. 

Cluster flies are common around attics, basements, and doors/windows. They seek secluded places near a heat source where they can pack together and enter a state of rest called diapause. They occasionally emerge on warm days to regain heat and energy. They will often appear slow-flying and sluggish, “drunk” if you will.

How do these flies enter my home?

Cluster flies find their way inside of homes in the late summer and fall months. They quite literally cluster together in large groups on the sides of walls to soak up the warmth of the sun. As temperatures lower, the flies look for cracks and gaps they can use to stay out of the wind. These cracks may often lead them into your home, either behind the walls or in attics and basements. Common access points include cracks under the windows or door trim, baseboards, and around lights, fans, or other utility appliances.

What do flies want?

Without warmth and shelter, cluster flies can’t survive Michigan’s freezing temperatures. Most common flies can’t hibernate, either, which means they need shelter and food access. If you have a fly infestation, it means your home likely provides both of these. Cluster flies look for warm, secluded areas where they can remain in diapause for long stretches of time. They eat little and do not reproduce or cause any real damage during this time. The only times they may show themselves are on sunny days. 

How can I get rid of them?

Admittedly, cluster flies are rather difficult to control in winter. This is because they are already inside the walls. If you seal their access points now, you will trap them in your walls. That could potentially create a mess and attract other, even less desirable pests. Upon the arrival of spring’s consistently warm temperatures, cluster flies will leave your home to warm up outside. This does not always mean through their original access point, though, so don’t be surprised if you see/hear many live flies. Vacuuming up any deceased is the best method of disposing of. ‌

On the bright side, albeit a nuisance, flies aren’t really that big of a deal. At worst, consider them an annoyance. Even if cluster flies are just an annoyance, the bad news is that they’re still… annoying.

How to Avoid Fall Pests

Fall pests can be a real mood-wrecker. Cold weather brings everyone indoors, including some of the more undesirable houseguests. Snuggling up on the sofa with a pair of fuzzy slippers and a blanket wrapped around your shoulders can be a comforting feeling— until something scurries across the living room floor.

Unfortunately, your family may not be the only ones enjoying the warmth of your home. Pests such as mice, cockroaches, flies, and certain species of spiders have life cycles that last longer than a year; meaning they must find shelter during the winter months to survive. Apart from being creepy-crawly, these pests can pose serious risks to both people and homes.

When making their nests in walls, rodents often chew on drywall and electrical wires, and they are known to pass on diseases including Hantavirus and salmonella. Cockroaches will leave droppings around the home, contaminate stored food, and, especially in children, can even trigger asthma. On top of it all, some spiders commonly found in and around homes are poisonous.

Below are ten pest-proofing tips that every homeowner can follow to more effectively keep pests outside during the fall and winter:

  1. Installing screens on attic vents and openings to chimneys, as well as keeping an eye on any other areas where the home may be open to the elements, such as animal doors and mail slots.
  2. Keep attics, crawl spaces, and basements dry and well-ventilated. Pests are attracted to areas with an abundance of moisture, which is something they need to survive. Running dehumidifiers in garages and basements will help to keep these areas dry.
  3. Caulk and seal any noticeable cracks and crevices on the outside of the home. Be especially mindful of the areas where utility pipes enter the structure. Keep in mind that many rodents can fit through a dime-sized hole.
  4. Keep kitchen counters clean, dispose of garbage regularly in sealed receptacles, and store food in airtight containers. A buildup of trash and crumbs are an attractant to pests scavenging for a bite to eat. We recommend properly cleaning up and disposing of all waste after meals and to ensure garbage cans remain closed when they are stored inside of the home or outbuilding.
  5. Replacing weather-stripping and repairing loose mortar around the foundation and windows is another means. Both are simple ways to keep not only pests but also cold air from entering the home.
  6. Keep shrubbery well-trimmed and store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house. By merely removing areas where pests can hide near your home, you can significantly reduce the chance of them finding a way ins.
  7. Install door sweeps and always repair damaged screens. Cracks under doors and torn window screens are ideal entry points for most household pests. When you open a window with a damaged screen, you are likely allowing more than just fresh air to enter.
  8. Inspect items such as package deliveries, boxes of decorations, and grocery bags before bringing them inside. Pests often find creative ways to enter a home. Shake out and thoroughly inspect anything that has been left or stored outside or in the garage.
  9. Avoid leaving pet dishes outdoors for prolonged periods. Pests will not discriminate between cat food and human food. Dishes that have been left sitting outside are extremely attractive to all kinds of rodents and insects.
  10. Have and maintain a proper drainage system on the exterior of your home. Installing gutters or making repairs an existing system will help to draw water and moisture away from your home, which prevents any leaks or build-up that may attract unwanted houseguests (is not effective for in-laws, though!).

Following these pest-proofing tips in the fall when the temperature begins to drop is the most effective way to protect your home and prevent any pest infestation during the winter months. However, if you think you have a pre-existing pest infestation, be sure to contact a pest control or wildlife professional to assess the situation.

Shoo, flies!

Contrary to popular belief, there is a variety of species of common flies. In fact, there are over 20,000 in North America alone! While we’d thoroughly enjoy discussing the differences between all of the fly species, we wanted to focus on the two we deal with most regularly— the house fly and the cluster fly.

House Flies

The house fly is by far one of the most common pests we find in and around homes. It has a worldwide distribution and is extremely prominent throughout the US. We consider these insects to be not only nuisance pests while buzzing in and around homes— but they also have the potential to carry diseases. They have relatively brief lifespans; however, they have the ability to quickly reproduce in numbers, leading to large house fly populations if not properly identified and effectively controlled.

House flies are usually grey in color and have four black stripes on their thorax. Adults are about 1/8-1/4 inches long. They have slightly hairy bodies, a single pair of wings and compound red eyes, which contain thousands of individual lenses that give them broader vision. Female house flies are usually larger in size than males and they do not have teeth or a stinger.

Housefly eggs closely resemble grains of rice; these eggs will hatch into larvae, or maggots, that range in size from about ¼-3/8” long. Maggots are cream in color and appear to be greasy. When entering the pupal stage, maggots become dark and develop hard outer shells, as well as legs and wings, ultimately emerging as full-grown adult flies.

Signs of an infestation

The most common sign of a housefly infestation is the physical presence of the flies themselves. You may also see larvae crawling out of their breeding material as they pupate. Along with seeing the insects, people may hear them around the home. House flies produce buzzing sounds which are a result of their two wings beating together.

If you suspect to have a house fly infestation in your home, it is important to contact a licensed pest control professional in order to conduct a proper inspection, specifically looking for any places where house fly eggs deposit. Since house flies enter from the outdoors, internal breeding sites are uncommon. However, garbage rooms and trash compactors provide an ideal environment for house fly breeding and should be routinely checked. If the breeding site(s) are not thoroughly cleaned or removed, the problems with these pests will persist.

Once the breeding site has been remediated, eliminating the existing adult flies is the next step. A pest control professional will develop a treatment plan based on the circumstances of the infestation; this may include the use of fly bait, applications, or traps.

To prevent a house fly infestation from occurring in the first place, vigilant and constant sanitation is a necessity. Regularly removing trash and using adequately sealed garbage receptacles can help to deter any house flies from residing around waste bins. Additionally, pet waste must be taken care of immediately to prevent the development of any further breeding sites. Finally, all doors and windows should have fine mesh screens in order to avoid house flies from entering the home. If screens are already present, make sure there are no visible rips or tears.

Cluster Flies

Cluster flies, on the other hand, are slightly larger and thinner than house flies at 3/8 of an inch in size. They are a dull grey in color (not metallic like some other fly species) with golden hairs on the thorax and a grey checkerboard pattern on the abdomen. When resting, their wings usually overlap over their backs. If you crush cluster flies they may smell sweet, like honey!

These flies have a unique life cycle. The larvae live in soil where they are internal parasites of earthworms. Consequently, structures with large lawns or those near fields are more likely to have problems with overwintering cluster flies. There are four generations a year, but we only consider the late-season adults as pests as they move inside structures in late summer or fall. Adults feed on flowers and are not attracted to garbage, feces or dead animals.

Cluster flies are slow-moving, especially when they become active indoors on warm winter days (when the heat fluctuates) or in early spring as they look for a way outside. They head for light and often end up clustered around windows or in ceiling light fixtures.

We can control cluster flies by creating barriers in mid-to-late-summer to prevent their entry: treatment of the exterior with a repellent residual, as well as pest-proofing of openings, especially around the roofline. It’s critical to time the residual application before fly entry in your area.

Once the flies are inside, control is difficult, and results are often disappointing. Avoid killing them in inaccessible voids because the dead flies can attract beetles. Vacuuming, sticky traps, and light traps can remove wandering flies.

Signs of an infestation

During the cold winter months, cluster flies often congregate around windows or doors on warm days or when the heat is increased, prompting frantic calls for service. Controlling cluster flies indoors can be difficult as populations are frequently hiding in hard-to-reach voids or attics. Indoor insecticide applications are often impractical and result in large numbers of dead flies that are attractive to secondary pests such as carpet beetles. Usually, exclusion is the best solution but should be complete by the early autumn, before the insects make their way indoors.

Completely sealing every entry point is difficult, especially because cluster flies enter near the roofline through soffit or ridge vents. Exterior surface applications of appropriate repellent insecticides can be helpful in deterring them, but applications should be made before aggregations of flies begin to appear on the building. In many cases, we instruct clients to vacuum any carcasses popping up in homes.

No matter the fly, Hogarth’s Pest Control and Wildlife Removal has the skillset to not only curb an infestation but the necessary exclusion and clean-up work required to keep any home fly-free. If you have noticed an issue with house or cluster flies in your home or business, please give us a call. We have been keeping Northern Michigan homes free of these pests for 25 years!