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How to get rid of cluster flies

Are you getting swarms of flies around your house? Then it’s possible you have a cluster fly infestation.

How do you tell the difference between Flies and Cluster flies ?

​Cluster flies or attic flies differ from their more common relatives the blowfly in a number of ways.

Unlike blow flies, cluster flies pose little or no health risk. They do not seek out food or waste to lay their eggs on, or to eat.

They only enter properties to over winter. 
A cluster fly infestation is normally located within a single area within the house, more often than not this is around a South or a South Westerly facing window or in the attic. Whereas blow and house flies will fly around a house, and tend to congregate around food.
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The most notable difference is in numbers. Although a cluster fly infestation may start off small it will soon swarm to hundreds of individuals.

Getting rid of cluster flies

​There are a number of products on the market for treating your problem, however these can sometimes be less than effective when used by inexperienced people.

These products normally come in three forms.

Foggers (Smoke bombs)
Aerosol Sprays (Fly Spray)
Contact Powder (Fly Powder)
There are also some deterrents on the market which may help to prevent re-infestation.​

All about flies

When flies invade your home or business it is a serious matter.  This article gives you some general information about flies, fly control, and how to get rid of your fly problem.

Flies differ from most other insects in having only one pair of wings.  The remaining pair has evolved into a remarkable balancing device which helps flies to be skilled and efficient ‘pilots’.

Stable Fly
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Most flies feed by vomiting onto the surface of some food,  then using their long and specialised mouthparts to suck up the softened or liquefied food surface.

Each time the fly vomits,  it brings up some bacteria and particles from its previous meal,  which could have been rotting meat,  human or animal faeces and so on.

You can see just how easily flies spread disease by this practice and through contaminated particles carried on their feet and bodies.

In this way,  food poisoning and a range of other diseases can be quickly spread by the local fly population.

In your house
Obviously you will not want flies living in your house and spreading germs to your family.

It is particularly important to keep food preparation areas free from flies and this is not always straightforward in some houses.

At certain times of year some species of fly will invade homes in large numbers,  and this is best dealt with by a professional pest control contractor

What you can do
Keeping bins regularly disinfected and sited away from windows and doors helps to discourage these unwelcome intruders.

Food should be stored under cover or kept in sealed containers and surfaces regularly wiped down.

Even tiny crumbs or drops of spilt liquid can be an attractive meal for flies.

What we can do
In homes where heavy infestations occur,  we can treat loft spaces etc with insecticidal fogs and advise you on reducing or preventing future infestations.

For commercial premises we can supply a range of fly screens and doors,  and  an excellent range of electric flykillers.

Some of the new slimline flykillers are also suitable for home use and can be sited discretely above kitchen wall cupboards or in roofspaces where appropriate

If you have a problem with flies in the house, you are not alone.  The country services team is busy helping residents in Surrey and Hampshire deal with the annual problem of ‘cluster flies’. 

What is a cluster fly?

Cluster flies are darkish flies less than 1/2 inch long with overlapping wings.  They look a little like a small slow flying ‘bluebottle’.

In the autumn cluster flies may gather in large numbers in the upper attics or bedroom of domestic houses.   They are searching for a warm place to overwinter

Although not a significant health hazard cluster flies can be present in large numbers (sometimes thousands) and householders not unnaturally find this invasion upsetting.

Why do I have cluster flies in my house?

Houses  with a South or South Westerly aspect,  tall buildings,  tile hung buildings and white buildings all seem to be most attractive to these insects.

Once the initial invaders have  settled in,  the area becomes even more attractive and numbers can build up dramatically.

How can Country Services help?

Our technician will carry out a quick survey  and safety  inspection of the exterior and interior of your house focusing on potential entry points for these annoying visitors.

He will then discuss with you,  the best course of action for your needs and carry out any treatments that are required.

Treatments may include physical exclusion of the flies and/or insecticidal treatment of the affected areas.   With the smaller ‘Yellow Cluster Fly’  physical exclusion is more difficult to achieve.

How permanent is the treatment?

Sometimes it is possible to achieve long  term control by careful placement of one or two Electric Fly Killer (EFK) units, especially designed for cluster fly control.

These special units can cope with the large numbers of flies that may be involved.

Sometimes regular annual re-treatments are required to keep on top of the problem.

Whatever your  situation,  we can give you the information and advice that you need in order to make an informed decision.

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How can Country Services help?

Our technician will carry out a quick survey  and safety  inspection of the exterior and interior of your house focusing on potential entry points for these annoying visitors.

He will then discuss with you,  the best course of action for your needs and carry out any treatments that are required.

Treatments may include physical exclusion of the flies and/or insecticidal treatment of the affected areas.   With the smaller ‘Yellow Cluster Fly’  physical exclusion is more difficult to achieve.

How permanent is the treatment?
Sometimes it is possible to achieve long  term control by careful placement of one or two Electric Fly Killer (EFK) units, especially designed for cluster fly control.

These special units can cope with the large numbers of flies that may be involved.

Sometimes regular annual re-treatments are required to keep on top of the problem.

Whatever your  situation,  we can give you the information and advice that you need in order to make an informed decision.

Need more help with Fly / Flies? Get in touch

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