GREENFLY
EXTERMINATION

How to get rid of your green bottle fly problems

Do you want to know why you suddenly have a green fly problem in your home? Are you wondering if hiring an exterminator is going to be necessary? The following tips and information from Elite Pest Control’s experts will help you decide if the problem warrants a pest-control inspection and extermination.

Identification

At first glance, you may think the flies buzzing around your home are houseflies. But take a closer look at their colour; green bottle flies are thus named for their coppery sheen. They are also slightly bigger and more sluggish than common houseflies.

The legs and antennae of blue or green bottle flies are black, while the wings are brownish and veined. Known also as cluster flies, they are especially remarkable because of the pronounced buzzing sound they make as they cluster together.

You might also be familiar with bottle fly larvae. These are the whitish rice-shaped maggots you find in rotting meat, carcasses or in the feces of dogs and farm animals. In fact, the green bottle fly is part of the blow-fly family, so called because of the way a carcass bloats up (or “blows” up) as maggots eat their way through it.

A problem or just a nuisance?

In some ways, green bottle flies are like the canary in the coal mine—their presence can be an indicator of other pest problems in your home. If you suddenly start seeing them, or hearing their buzzing, it may be a sign that there’s a dead animal in the basement, attic or in a wall void. It’s not for nothing that they’re classed as carrion flies.

Because they land on and lay their eggs in rotting flesh or on manure, these flies can carry e-coli and salmonella with them as they fly around. The potential for food contamination makes a compelling argument to bring in a green fly exterminator to deal with the problem.

Signs of an infestation

It’s time to look for solutions if you see:

  • Flies inexplicably appearing from air vents connected to the basement or appearing in the attic, closets or unused rooms.
  • Loudly buzzing flies congregating around a rodent or bird carcass or garbage.
  • Maggots feeding on decomposing matter left around your home or yard.
  • Stained walls and curtains where flies have been congregating.

Believe it or not, the rotten-flesh eating habit of maggots makes them a valuable resource in the field of human medicine, where they are sometimes used to clean out necrotic flesh in difficult-to-heal wounds.

DIY control methods

Here are the safest, most effective DIY fly-control tips that we suggest to our clients:

  • Use a fly swatter, sticky fly tape and fly traps—it’s a time-tested approach.
  • Repair window screens and replace ineffective weather stripping.
  • Remove any animal carcasses—such as dead mice and birds—from the attic or basement, especially if you’ve been using rat poison.
  • Vacuum up any fly carcasses from windowsills or floor furnace vents to keep away larder beetles.
  • Keep your home and property clean and free of decomposing food, carcasses and organic matter.

High numbers of flies can be a problem for people living near livestock farms and abattoirs. Also, if you have a hobby farm or outdoor pets, be vigilant, as blow flies sometimes lay their eggs in the open wounds of cattle or other domestic animals.

The professional approach

Sometimes the aggravation of a fly problem is so great that you just don’t know what to do anymore. When that happens, bring in a pest-management company like Elite Pest Control. When you call us, our technician will come to your home and:

  • Evaluate the situation.
  • Correctly identify the insect.
  • Use any required mechanical means to trap or control the fly population.
  • Use chemical extermination methods, if necessary. Our pest control operators can spray safe pesticides into wall voids, attics, etc.
  • Give you prevention tips so you can keep blow flies away from your home and family. He or she will also seal any relevant holes and cracks and place mesh screening around dryer vents.

Remember, green bottle flies are only part of a pest problem. For expert help in getting rid of them in your home or place of business, contact us today.