""Flies are very common pests and can be found just about anywhere; however, this does not mean that it is okay to have them flying around your commercial establishment. Nothing will turn your customers away more than seeing flies buzzing throughout your business. Flies can carry and transmit diseases, as well as contaminate food stored or sold in your facility. Having a fly control program established for your business is a crucial part of your pest control success.

Three Common Commercial Fly Species

There are many different species of flies that can invade your commercial property but three of the more common species include the house fly, the drain fly, and the fruit fly.

  • House Flies – Adult house flies are about 1/8-1/4 of an inch in length. They are gray in color with four distinctive black stripes on their thorax. Adults will lay their eggs in any moist warm material that will provide the newly hatched larvae with a food source. Adult house flies will eat almost anything we will eat along with carcasses, garbage, and feces.
  • Drain Flies – Drain flies are a small fly measuring 1.5-5 mm in length. They have an overall fuzzy appearance due to their bodies and wings being covered in long hairs. They are light gray to tan in color with lighter colored wings. Drain flies feed on organic matter and sewage. Inside buildings they are found in bathroom, kitchen, and basement areas.
  • Fruit Flies – Another small fly, the fruit fly measures in length from 3-4mm. They appear brown to tan in color and some have red eyes. As their name suggests, these pests eat ripe fruits and vegetables, along with fermenting products. Their populations tend to be the highest in the summer and early fall.

Fly Prevention Tips

Because flies tend to land on and consume less than desirable things like excrement, carcasses and garbage, they carry and transmit diseases including food poisoning to humans. In order to eat, most flies will also liquefy and regurgitate their food again leading to the spread of illness. In order to protect yourself, employees and customers from being introduced to diseases spread by flies, steps should be taken in and around your facility to prevent them. Some fly prevention tips include:

  • Making sure trash bins are stored away from the exterior of your facility and that they have a tight fitting lid on them.
  • Inside your facility, make sure food is not left out in the open for long periods of time. At the end of the night all food should be properly stored and not be left out in the open.
  • Fix any leaky pipes or leaky fixtures they could use as a water source.
  • Make sure all screens are intact and any gaps around exterior windows and doors are sealed.

Completely preventing flies can be a difficult task, but is a very important for the health and safety of your customers and for your business’ reputation. Getting professional help with fly control will not only safely, quickly and effectively eliminate any current problems, but will prevent future problems from happening again throughout the rest of the year. Don’t leave fly control in your business up to chance; get help today!