House flies are present everywhere! They can destroy your peace, feed on your food, your pet’s food, alcohol, soda, and lay eggs in several parts of your home. A fly infestation is not easy to deal with; that’s why today you’ll learn how to get rid of flies and prevent them from entering your home.
But are flies dangerous, and can they cause any harm to your health? If you want to find out why you have to prevent flies from landing on your food, dirty dishes, and being present in your home in general, keep reading.
Why Are House Flies Dangerous?
Although most people consider home flies a temporary inconvenience, they are much more than just a bug that’s flying around. These boring flies are dangerous to your health because they can carry eggs of parasitic worms and several diseases.
These dangerous pests will find a food source in your home to munch on. Once they start feeding on the source, they release saliva on it, then suck on the area. Also, flies get their dirty feet on the food, and you can only guess where they were before. Let’s not forget that flies will also defecate all around your home, including any food source that you left outside the fridge or cupboards. The transmission of pathogens from flies is a serious matter and can cause diseases that require immediate treatment.
Aside from food, flies can also feed on sewers, garbage, and much more. Imagine a fly feeding on a dead animal’s remains or feces, then landing on your food and releasing their saliva there. That’s why the flies in your home aren’t safe to be there, and every time you see them eating food, you’d better get rid of that food and flies right away.
What Are Three Types Of Home-Invading Flies?
Are there many kinds of flies that can invade your home, and which are the most common ones? Yes, there are over 4,000 species of home flies. The three most common types include fruit flies, house flies, and fungus flies. Home-invading flies are often referred to as filth flies.
- Fruit Flies: As the name suggests, these flies will lay their eggs on fruits and vegetables, contaminating food and possibly causing disease. In general, these flies are less dangerous than other types of home-invading flies; however, that doesn’t exclude the possibility of transmitting diseases such as listeria, salmonellosis, and various types of bacteria. Fruit-loving flies are tiny, but you won’t find it hard to spot them around your bowl of fruit.
- Unfortunately, this is a common kind of fly that is mainly attracted to rotting food, especially fruits. They love eating fruits and vegetables, and while they do, they also lay their eggs and multiply very fast. Within minutes and hours, they can lay hundreds of eggs and become a more severe problem. These flies aren’t only present in homes, but you can find them anywhere where there’s fruit, including restaurants and stores.
- House flies: these flies are considered more dangerous than other types because they have the potential to transmit a range of serious diseases, including salmonellosis, dysentery, typhoid fever, cholera, and more. If they find their way to your home, you’ll spot them flying everywhere in your rooms.
- Fungus flies: this type of flies is mostly present around plants because they tend to lay their eggs in the soil. They can also be present in your home, and you’ll see them around your house plants. This is another type that produces large numbers of eggs in a short time. However, they rarely transmit diseases.
Most Common Disease That House Flies Carry
Can flies make you sick? Yes, as we mentioned before, home flies can spread diseases. These are the three most common and dangerous diseases that flies can bring to your home:
Cholera
Cholera is a fly-transmitted disease that is caused by bacteria named Vibrio Cholera. It requires immediate treatment, and some of the symptoms to recognize include vomiting, diarrhea, pain in the abdomen, leg cramps, thirst, etc. Although cholera isn’t very commonly transmitted by flies, there are still between 1.3 to 4 million global cases each year.
Typhoid Fever
Typhoid fever is a disease caused by bacteria called Salmonella Typhi. When flies eat your food, they can transfer it, and if you decide to eat the food, you can get the bacteria. Some of the symptoms of this disease include headache, cough, weight loss, diarrhea, loss of appetite, stomach pain, etc.
Dysentery
Dysentery is caused by bacteria called Shigella. It’s more common than cholera and typhoid fever when it comes to transmission by flies. The symptoms include vomiting, bloody diarrhea, stomach pain, nausea, fever, indigestion, and more.
How to Get Rid Of House Flies
Now that we have answered the question ‘Are house flies dangerous?’ It's time to see how you can take care of a fly-infested home. These steps are your best bet:
- Recognize the Fly Type: not all fly types are the same, and they’re not all attracted to the same thing.
- Clean Your Home: you have to clean your home very well and remove all possible breeding and feeding sources for the flies. This includes food, animal feces, standing water, and more.
- Seal and Repair: seal all the cracks in your home to prevent flies from entering.
- Get Traps, Baits: traps and baits will help you get the flies that have invaded your home. You have to invest in quality pest control devices.
- Call a Professional: if all the other steps don’t work, you should consult with a professional and get their help to clean your home of flies.
Effective Strategies To Prevent House-Invasive Flies
1. Pest Control
Dealing with these pests can be frustrating. Flies are attracted to so many things in your home and yard, and the best way to deal with them is by investing in effective pest control solutions. Buying harsh chemicals for prevention is not the smartest idea, so you should opt for ultrasonic pest repellers.
2. Keep a Neat Home and Yard
You don’t want your yard and home to become breeding sites for these flies. The first preventative measure to take is keeping your home and yard clean. In other words, keep all the food in the fridge or cupboards and avoid leaving food out on the table. Next, don’t leave your pet food in open containers, and change the water in your pet’s bowl regularly.
Also, trim your yard, take care of standing water sources, cover all trash cans, and cut the grass often. Unfortunately, the yard is a calling place for flies, and from there, they can easily get to your home.
3. Screens on Doors and Windows
Place protective screens on your doors and windows to prevent flies from entering. This is not a significant investment, and it will protect you from other annoying pests such as mosquitoes and other insects.
4. Pest Repelling Scents
Flies hate scents such as basil, lavender, and citrus. You can use essential oils or live plants to protect your home and even your yard. It’s a natural preventative matter that doesn’t use any chemicals.
Conclusion
What disease do flies carry into your home, and how do they carry them? Unfortunately, flies can bring a range of diseases to your house, including cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever. When these pests get into your home, they feed and lay eggs on food, soil, surfaces, releasing saliva and possibly transferring bacteria.
If you have a fly problem, you should start by recognizing the type of fly, clean your home, seal cracks and entry points, install baits and traps, and call a professional service. When you want to prevent infestation, you should invest in an ultrasonic pest repeller, keep a clean house and yard, place screens on doors and windows, and use pest repelling scents.