Depending on where you live, you might find different types of flies in your home. While it can be annoying to have these pests buzzing around, learning about their lifecycle and food preferences can help you eliminate them before they do too much damage.
There are over 120,000 species of flies, but only about 20 types are commonly found around the average home and yard.
The most common flies that infest homes are the house fly, the fruit fly, the blowfly, and the cluster fly.
Here’s what makes each one unique, what they like to eat, and how to control them in your home so that you won’t be bothered by them any longer!
1. Common Houseflies
Houseflies are one of the most common flies you might find around your home. Houseflies thrive in moist, warm environments. They feed on rotting plants and animal matter.
They’re a nuisance because they can carry diseases and pathogens, such as salmonella, streptococcus, and staphylococcus, and transmit them to humans.
These Different types of flies are attracted to odors from decaying food or garbage and often lay eggs near these sources.
Their larvae can live in damp organic material for up to three months without a host before pupating into an adult fly so controlling their population is a constant struggle.
In addition to decomposing plant and animal matter, houseflies feed on human food items left out where they may deposit their droppings.
The droppings can contaminate surfaces that the droplets touch. To avoid infestation with houseflies, store garbage tightly covered in containers with tightly closed lids and place it outside regularly at night when fewer flies are around.
Seal trash cans with tight-fitting lids and empty them frequently. Repair leaking pipes, toilets, faucets, drains, septic tanks, and sewer lines promptly since these attract flies by producing large amounts of waste fluids.
Keep screens tightly fitted over windows and doors to keep flies out. Sweep or vacuum floors often enough to remove dead insects and animal droppings that attract other pests, including houseflies.
2. Phorid Flies
The Phoridae are a family of small, hump-backed insects that look like fruit flies. Phorid flies are easily distinguished by their escape behavior of racing fast across a surface rather than going to the wing. They are scavengers and will feed on dead invertebrates and detritus.
They also need moisture for egg laying, so they may enter buildings where people have been cooking food to lay eggs near water sources.
These flies fly in a characteristic side-to-side motion instead of up and down like other houseflies. You can tell them apart from fruit flies because phorid flies usually don’t carry disease, while fruit flies do.
There is no treatment for these different types of flies since it is hard to identify them. It would help if you eliminated all trash around your home to discourage these pests from entering your home or building.
If you notice any of these flies coming inside your home, it is best to hire an exterminator immediately before these pests cause any more damage.
3. Fruit Flies
Fruit flies are typical household pests that may be a pain in the neck. They fly around your home and lay eggs on rotting food, fruit, and other items with high sugar content.
The flies can reproduce fast enough to cause large amounts of damage to your home or workplace if left untreated.
The best way to avoid these pesky bugs is by using apple cider vinegar (ACV). ACV can kill off fruit flies and their larvae by drying them out. Try placing an open container of apple cider vinegar near fruit bins or other areas where fruits or vegetables with high sugar content are available for them to eat.
Cover the top tightly with plastic wrap so it’s secure, but let some airflow so you can still smell the vinegar without it evaporating too quickly.
Put one cup of apple cider vinegar into a shallow bowl and place it near where you see these different types of flies. Change the mixture once a week, as needed.
A natural alternative would be peppermint oil, which has a sweet aroma that will drive away fruit flies from any area.
All you need to do is use a cotton swab dipped in peppermint oil to create a barrier wherever you see the pesky insects flying about.
4. Horn Flies
The horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (Linnaeus), is one of the planet’s most economically significant livestock pests. In the United States, it causes an estimated $2 billion in damages each year.
One characteristic that separates horn flies from other flies is their ability to survive in cold weather; this explains why you might find them inside your home during winter.
Horn flies are also drawn to moisture and can be found near windows or outside water sources and by manure piles and animal troughs.
What makes these different types of flies dangerous for humans and animals is their ability to transmit diseases such as equine encephalitis or haemonchosis, which are fatal for horses.
Humans can spread typhoid fever and dysentery when they pierce the skin with their proboscis to feed on blood.
The best way to keep horn flies out of your home is by observing any areas that might attract them closed and sealed.
This includes keeping garbage cans properly covered, removing standing water (where possible), installing window screens on your windows, and closing doors to unused rooms in your house.
Keeping them outside will reduce their ability to sneak in and their number overall. As they breed more quickly than most other species, reducing their numbers will help reduce future infestations and limit disease transmission.
5. Bottleflies
Bottle flies, sometimes known as blow flies, are significant, common insects distinguished by their metallic blue or green coloration.
They typically lay eggs on rotting food and animal carcasses, which will then hatch into larvae within 24 hours.
These larvae feed on the surrounding material for about two weeks before pupating into an adult fly in about a week.
A bottle fly’s life cycle is usually around two months from start to finish; however, they can survive up to a year if the environment is not too harsh on them.
One notable thing about these insects is that they enjoy living near humans because we provide easy access to food sources like trash cans, dirty diapers, and rotten fruit.
For this reason, it might be a good idea to clear out any junk near your home and keep your trash cans covered when not in use.
These different types of flies also reproduce quickly, meaning populations grow exponentially over time. If you’re looking to get rid of these pesky bugs, there are some ways you can do so without using harmful chemicals: one way is by placing thin strips of fabric soaked in apple cider vinegar at windowsills or other areas where these insects enter your home. The smell should repel them enough to stay away and ensure they don’t come back!
6. Stable Flies
Stable flies love living near livestock areas like barns and pastures, where they feast on manure, feeding off the nutrients.
They also lay their eggs in moist places such as garbage cans and compost piles, which means you may find them around your home!
Stable flies are a nuisance pest because they feed on human blood during their larval stage and can transmit bacteria that cause diseases such as typhoid fever or cholera.
They can also be annoying because they make a buzzing noise when flying, which will only worsen if you swat them away or try to kill them with chemicals!
The best way to avoid stable flies is to keep your garbage covered and compost piles clean so no larvae will form.
If you see one of these pests around your home, contact pest control professionals who know how to handle an infestation. In addition, invest in fly screens for windows and doors if you want to prevent any more stable flies from entering your house.
7. Horseflies
Horseflies, sometimes called horseflies, are true flies in the Tabanidae family of the Diptera insect order.
They are frequently vast and agile in flight, and the females bite animals, including humans, to collect blood.
People often use masks or citronella candles around these creatures because they can be harmful and annoying.
If you have horseflies near your home or garden, it is essential to take precautions. A few ways that you can do this is by making sure there are no puddles nearby where the mosquitoes can lay eggs; if there is a pond on your property, make sure it has a thick layer of algae on top so mosquitos cannot reproduce; lastly, keep a pool cover on at all times since it will help prevent other insects from breeding as well!
Lastly, keeping an organic garden free of chemicals will also reduce the number of insects that could bother you.
Make sure to put out traps for different types of flies with bright colors, so they don’t interfere with any hunting. The whole point is to stay safe and healthy!
8. Fungus Gnats
Fungus gnats are tiny insects that feed on an organic breakdown in soil, potting mix, and other container media.
Their larvae eat mostly fungus and organic materials in the ground, but they also chew roots and can be a nuisance in greenhouses, nurseries, potted plants, and indoor landscapes.
They are typically yellow or clear with blackish heads, and adults measure less than 1/4 inch long (6mm).
Females lay eggs at the surface of moist soil or decaying plant material. The eggs hatch into larvae which live in the top few inches (12 cm) of soil for up to 3 weeks. After this time, pupae move deeper into the ground to emerge as adults one to two weeks later.
There is usually only one generation per year; however, if conditions are ideal for more ages, there may be two or three overlapping generations each year.
Adults emerge from pupae near the surface and fly up to look for mates. When they find a female mate, both adults drop back down to the ground to lay their eggs.
One class of these different types of flies you might find around your home is root maggots: Root maggots primarily occur outdoors, where larvae have easy access to decomposing animal manure or similar material containing large numbers of fly eggs. Larvae live in rotting straws, compost piles, mulch, and waste.
9. Drain Flies
Drain flies, sometimes known as moth flies, are tiny, non-biting gnats with black wings. Their scale-covered wings allow them to vanish in a cloud of fine dust.
These insects are found around sinks and drain with standing water due to the amount of decaying organic matter.
So what can be done about these pesky flies? The first step is identifying the fly species, but these different types of flies are easy because they’re small and found near water.
Next, use something other than tap water (which is high in minerals) or something that has been chlorinated/chlorinated periodically for good measure.
Putting screens on drains can help too! Remove any standing water you might find. It sounds simple, but it’s crucial because drain flies lay eggs which will then hatch into larvae that can grow up to 1 inch long and live inside your pipes! If this happens, they’ll often come out of your sink faucet when you turn it on.
10. Flesh Flies
Flesh flies may be found in urban and rural areas, but they are uncommon in homes or restaurants. They tend to come into structures through open doors and windows when the weather is warm.
The larvae of these flies feed on rotting meat and other organic material found in animal excrement.
Adult females lay their eggs on decaying matter that can be anything from a pile of trash to a large mammal carcass (e.g., a dead deer).
Eggs hatch into tiny larvae that quickly burrow inside the decomposing tissue and begin feeding on it as well as one another. After about two weeks, the larvae develop into pupae.
These pupae will then spin cocoons and turn into adults over five days before emerging from them with wings and beginning to fly around for a short period before laying more eggs.
Once outside, these new adult flesh flies will continue looking for food sources until they eventually die after about four weeks.
11. Cluster Flies
Cluster flies are 8mm long, dark grey, with little patches of gold hair on their backs and long wings. They typically congregate in large numbers around decaying matter or animal droppings.
They can also be found at large groups of compost piles or animal feed lots, where they feed on the yeast that grows there.
Unlike other different types of flies, cluster flies have a long and slender snout shaped like a bottle brush so they can quickly probe into rotting food to suck out the juices.
They can then spread diseases from these sources to other animals near them, such as humans, livestock, pets, and wild animals.
Some of the more common diseases spread by cluster flies include anthrax, hog cholera, and tularemia. Contact your local health department for assistance if you find clusters of these flies around your home or property.
12. Yellow Flies
The yellow fly has a powerful bite. The female fly, like mosquitoes, is responsible for inflicting a bite. They do not drink blood but use their beak to suck out body fluids and proteins.
These pests are attracted to decomposing matter, animal manure, and rotting fruits or vegetables. They are also known as drain flies because they often lay eggs in sinks and drains; the larvae then can get into food or drink.
These different types of flies have been shown to transmit diseases such as dysentery, typhoid fever, leprosy, and anthrax via their bites.
Female flies that have bitten a human host will return to the same person, making them easy targets for insecticide treatment.
13. Sandfly
Sandfly (or sand fly) is a colloquial term for any species or genus of flying, biting, blood-sucking dipteran (fly) found in sandy regions.
They are usually smaller than other flies and are reddish brown. They typically suck blood from other warm-blooded animals and humans as well.
Some of the more common species of sandflies include Phlebotomus papatasi, Phlebotomus longipes, and Lutzomyia longipalpis.
These three species bite primarily between dusk and dawn but can also bite during daylight hours if trapped indoors. The bites will often be itchy red welts on the skin.
Itching may last days, weeks, or months after being bitten by a sandfly. Most people who are not allergic don’t need treatment after being bitten.
Those who have had previous reactions may need oral antihistamines or corticosteroids, which work best when given soon after being bitten.
Conclusion
A fly is an insect that is related to bees and wasps. There are many types of flies, and the class depends on the fly’s primary food source.
For example, fruit flies live on fruit or decaying matter, and houseflies can be found near garbage cans or dumpsters.
If you see one or more flying around your home, it might be a good idea to vacuum them up with a vacuum cleaner!
However, it may not be a fly if you see some crawling on your countertop or in other areas of your home. In this case, use bleach to clean the room and then rinse well.
