Click here to book a Clean
Everyone knows how flies can be annoying. Buzzing around you all day and landing on you to annoy you even more. Why are they even around in the first place? Here, you’ll find out why there are flies around your place.
So, where do flies come from? Flies appear if there are food sources for them such as garbage, feces, plants, carcasses, liquid substances, unattended food, warm temperatures, light sources, other flies or insects and unkempt rooms.
Depending on the type of fly, they can be attracted to different factors.
It is common for people to wonder where did all those flies come from when they weren’t even there a while ago.
Well, flies start off as eggs and eventually, they turn into maggots. The maggots will become pupa and the pupa transforms into flies.
That is basically the simple stages of a fly’s life cycle to explain where they “come from”. If we’re talking about history, people in the past once believed that flies spontaneously generated out of dead or rotting meat.
However, the answer for why there are flies around is because of the things that were listed above. Flies come to your place if they are attracted to one of those factors.
Animals prioritize their survivability most of the time. They must find ways to live and to keep their race going. In other words, they are attracted to those factors for the sake of surviving the world. It was all about food, water, shelter and breeding.
What flies are attracted to
If you want to get rid of flies, you must first understand why they are there in the first place. The first step to avoid flies is to keep your place clean.
However, if cleaning up does not solve the problem, it probably means that there are something that keeps the flies attracted to the area such as the light, the warm temperature, a specific plant and many more.
By eliminating what attracts the fly, it will also get rid of them. Here are the things that flies are attracted to, the things you must AVOID in order to avoid flies.
Click here to book a Clean
- Garbage Bins
- Flies usually find food inside garbage bins. They consume food such as fermented fruits, spoiled meat, overripe fruits and vegetables. This is why we must keep the garbage lid closed and shut off properly in order to avoid making flies swarm over the bin.
- Feces, Animal Waste
- Flies, almost all kinds of them, consume feces from nearly any kind of animal. This is also the reason why they carry so many bacteria and develop various transmittable diseases.
- Plants
- Certain plants such as mint, sunflowers and daises attract flies for consumption purposes. Flies may also drink from plants and lay their eggs on plants. Sometimes, they just simply land on plants to rest for a while.
- Carcasses
- Consuming carcasses is another way for these flies to fill their stomachs and they also lay their eggs on carcasses so that once the egg hatches, the larvae will have something to feed on the moment they are born.
- Liquid substances
- Spilled soda and juices from fruits can be very inviting for these flies. Not only are they able to hydrate themselves through these consumable liquids, they are also satisfied by the sweet flavor it contains.
- The larvae are usually safe with consumable liquid substances, making it a safe spot for laying fly eggs.
- Unattended food
- It is true that they still come near unattended food but without human intervention, they can feast on the food without worry of getting caught by human traps and other animals too. They are opportunistic and therefore, they will take what they can and lay their eggs without you knowing.
- Warm temperatures
- Like
other animals and insects, flies are also quite weak against the cold.
They thrive better under warm temperatures and thus will seek places
that are warm to keep their bodies functioning under normal
circumstances.
In the winter, they suspend the activities in their bodies in a way that allows them to survive but some of them usually lay their eggs on winter so the larvae can hatch by spring.
- Like
other animals and insects, flies are also quite weak against the cold.
They thrive better under warm temperatures and thus will seek places
that are warm to keep their bodies functioning under normal
circumstances.
- Light sources
- Flies have a natural attraction towards light because of positive phototaxis, the locomotive movement that occurs when a living being moves closer or further away from a light source. This is because most whole organisms benefit from receiving light through photosynthesis. They may lay eggs inside well lit rooms.
- Other flies or insects
- The
presence of your own kind is a good sign to take that you are welcome
at that place. When one fly sees another or even a similar insect, it
will make it seem as if they are safe around that area.
Some will also intentionally seek companionship from other flies in order to breed.
- The
presence of your own kind is a good sign to take that you are welcome
at that place. When one fly sees another or even a similar insect, it
will make it seem as if they are safe around that area.
- Unkempt rooms
- An unkempt room near your yard is more likely to have unattended food, unnoticed carcasses or feces of small animals that could have been lurking around the room unknowingly and can be a safe resting place for the flies including their eggs if they are about to lay their eggs.
Click here to book a Clean
How to get rid of flies
If there are flies lurking around your home or your garbage bins, there are plenty of ways that you can use to get rid of them.
The first step to get rid of flies is to keep the area clean. If there is nothing for flies to eat or drink, then they will probably leave on their own.
Their fast flying speed makes them a hassle to deal with, but these solutions can solve your fly problem.
- Manual Ways to Get Rid of Flies
- Fly Sprays
- The fly spray repellents can be easily bought from any store so this option is always available for anyone to try.
You can also use the spray on objects like the garbage bin or the wall so the flies would no longer be interested in it. They will start avoiding the areas where you’ve sprayed the fly repellent.
- The fly spray repellents can be easily bought from any store so this option is always available for anyone to try.
- Glue traps
- A glue trap can also be bought from specific stores or you can try to make one by yourself through watching video tutorials online but if you don’t want to, just order it.
This method is easy because you will just lay the trap around the area where the flies are infesting and leave it on.
Eventually, they will land on the trap and become instantly immobilized so when you come back, many of the flies have been eliminated because they can no longer move.
Even if they manage to escape, the sticky substances will probably hinder their ability to fly so you can still catch them.
- A glue trap can also be bought from specific stores or you can try to make one by yourself through watching video tutorials online but if you don’t want to, just order it.
- Electric zappers
- Electric zappers on the other hand may come in several forms. The most common one is the light zapper.
You can install a light bulb that naturally attracts those flies and once they touch the light or get near it, it will zap them with electricity which will get rid of the flies for you.
Flies have a positive phototaxis and that means they are naturally drawn to light because of the benefits that animals get through photosynthesis. Therefore, using a trap related to light can be effective.
Another form of electric zapper is a tennis racket zapper. This is usually used for mosquitoes but it can also work with flies.
Flies are way faster than mosquitoes but if you have one of those rackets and you’re feeling energetic, you can try to catch some of those flies.
- Electric zappers on the other hand may come in several forms. The most common one is the light zapper.
- Fly Sprays
- Natural Ways to Get Rid of Flies
- Plants
- Flies are actually drawn to certain plants but there are also plants that they avoid. Plants such as Pennyroyal, Basil, Rosemary, Tansy, Bay laurel, Citronella grass and Wormwood release scents that naturally repel flies.
As of today, there is still no clear reason why flies hate those kinds of plants but it might just be about the scent and nothing else complicated.
Venus Flytrap Plants will also keep those flies in check, if you are into raising exotic life. The Venus flytrap owns up to its name and consumes fly for the minerals it can get once the fly decomposes inside the plant’s body.
- Flies are actually drawn to certain plants but there are also plants that they avoid. Plants such as Pennyroyal, Basil, Rosemary, Tansy, Bay laurel, Citronella grass and Wormwood release scents that naturally repel flies.
- Animals
- Flies have predators. If you love raising pets, the wilder or exotic ones such as spiders, frogs, iguanas, chameleons and geckos, you can use that to your advantage.
Take your pet where the flies are and watch them how they catch a fly; it happens within the blink of an eye!
- Flies have predators. If you love raising pets, the wilder or exotic ones such as spiders, frogs, iguanas, chameleons and geckos, you can use that to your advantage.
- Plants
Now that you know different methods to use if a fly comes around your place, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Still, prevention is better than cure.
Make use of what you’ve learned from this article. By knowing what attracts flies, you can stop them from coming.
Related Questions
Why are there so many flies outside my house?
There are many flies outside your house because it is attracted to something that could be their source of food, water or shelter. Here’s a list of things that could keep flies coming outside your house.
- Garbage
- Feces
- Plants
- Carcasses
- Liquid substances
- Unattended food
- Warm temperatures
- Light sources
- Other flies or insects
- Unkempt rooms.
Do flies nest in your home?
No, flies do not build nests. However, they can lay their eggs in your home if there are suitable places for their eggs.