Flies in Lancashire

Blue bottle (Calliphora Vomitoria)

Appearance:

Shiny, metallic blue or green; 1/4- to 3/8-inch.

Habitat:

Bottle flies are one of the first insects to reach a dead animal,¬¬ and the sudden appearance of dozens of them within a building signals a dead rodent, bird or other animal in the wall, ceiling, attic or crawl space. They breed in rubbish bins and decaying vegetative matter. They are attracted to buildings by food odours and also warm or cool air currents coming through cracks around doors and windows.

Diet:

Like all flies, bottle flies feed on a variety of food materials but prefer fermenting or decaying organic matter.

Insect control:

Fly control is challenging because their larval sites must be located and eliminated for success, and these sites may be some distance from where the adults are a nuisance. Throw rubbish away in waste bins, and locate waste bins as far from the building as possible. Keep doors and windows closed unless they are equipped with a tight-fitting screen. While a dead animal behind a wall or in a crawlspace is not always easily found, if you suspect a dead animal it must be removed.

House fly (Musca Domestica)

Appearance:

Usually grey, with black stripes on their backs; the adult is 7-8mm long.

Habitat:

As their name implies, house flies are the most common type found in homes. They lay their eggs in almost any warm, moist material that will supply suitable food for the larvae. House flies excrete and regurgitate whenever they come to rest. This habit, combined with their many body hairs and the sticky pads on their legs, makes them well adapted for transporting disease organisms.

Diet:

Wide variety of food, including human food, animal food and carcasses, rubbish and excrement.

Insect control:

To minimize problems with flies, eliminate their breeding sites by throwing away rubbish in plastic bags. Keep rubbish bins as far from your home as possible.

Equip all doors and windows with tight-fitting screens, and apply weather stripping to the edges of all doors and windows; flies can squeeze through amazingly small cracks. Install fly control units in kitchen areas.