4 Common Fly Species
What are the common fly species?
- Housefly
- Fruit Fly
- Horsefly
- Drain Fly
In the Philippines, flies are a common sight in homes and other business establishments. While some common fly species are typically found in these locations, there are others that occasionally appear due to their natural habitat and average life cycles. Globally, there are over 120,000 types of flies, but only a few of these will be focused on in this guide. These include the housefly, fruit fly, drain fly, and horse fly.
The average fly will have a relatively short lifespan of around 30 days, but that doesn’t mean that the destruction they bring isn’t as impactful. Most of these flies are actually carriers of harmful pathogens and diseases. Houseflies, which are common across Filipino homes, for example, may carry salmonellosis and tuberculosis. Not to mention that these flies, in general, are known to contaminate food products due to swarming in grimy or feces-infested locations.
Keeping all of these in mind, it’s crucial that you have some basic understanding of these pests that may potentially invade your home. This, alongside finding the right pest control services can help reduce the impacts these pests bring. Read on to learn more.
Housefly
A housefly or house fly appears in a dark grey color with four black stripes located on their thorax. These flies will generally have hairy bodies, red eyes, and a single pair of wings. Although they grow up to ¼ of an inch on average, female house flies will usually be larger than their male counterparts.
House flies are prone to clustering in grimy locations, such as garbage dumps, sewers, drain systems, or even in agricultural landscapes. They are known to spread a number of diseases — at least 65 of them — such as diarrhea, conjunctivitis, typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and other skin infections.
When indoors, house flies are oftentimes found resting in clusters or batches in areas like floors, ceilings, and walls. Fortunately, a number of effective home remedies can control their population. Aside from the typical vinegar and dish soap cleaning solution, you could also repel house flies by growing your own herb & flower garden, buying an electric bug zapper, and spraying infested areas with insecticide.
Fruit Fly
As the name suggests, fruit flies are another fly species that are attracted to fruit, particularly rotten ones. These pests often gather around rotten produce, such as tomatoes, grapes, melons, squash, and other perishable food. When brought indoors, these can be sources of infestation, especially when these fruits have been left unrefrigerated.
Aside from the average household, fruit flies are common in places like restaurants, supermarkets, or wherever there may be rotten food present. Adult fruit flies will grow up to ⅛ of an inch and will also have red eyes similar to the house fly. Other noteworthy features to watch out for include black rear portions and a tanned appearance in the front of the fruit fly’s body.
To get rid of fruit flies is simply to avoid any fresh produce from decaying in the first place. For example, as soon as fresh fruits and vegetables have been purchased from the store, they should immediately be stored in cold areas, like a freezer or refrigerator. As for any rotten food, they should be thrown out immediately for added prevention.
Horsefly
Horseflies are large and dark in appearance and are usually active in the daytime during summer. While house and fruit flies will grow up to only an eighth of an inch, adult horse flies will measure up to 1 inch compared to the average fly.
Female horseflies are known for their painful and relentless bites that will cause redness of skin and swelling. In some cases, people who have been bitten by this type of fly will also eventually develop rashes that can be irritating during humid climates.
Preventing horsefly infestations at home is certainly possible through a number of remedies, such as using bug sprays, wearing long-sleeved clothing when heading out, throwing out stagnant water, and the like.
Drain Fly
Drain flies will oftentimes be synonymous with sewage systems where the larvae consume sludge, tar, and other forms of organic matter. These flies can be further subcategorized into moths and sewage flies, growing only up to 2 millimeters in length with hairy wings and a grey-colored body.
Similar to many of the flies on this list, drain flies can reproduce quickly — as short as 48 hours — making it easy for them to spread and attract larger clusters. You can always turn to a professional pest control service provider as the best prevention technique.
However, you can also do a number of home remedies, such as cleaning indoor and outdoor sinks frequently, avoiding standing water, cleaning with baking soda solution, or draining plumbing systems.
Key Takeaway
As mentioned before, some of the common fly species in the Philippines include horse flies, drain flies, fruit flies, and the typical house fly. Understanding how to get rid of them should always be one of your priorities. In order to do that, you have to learn how to identify them as well as the conditions that attract these pests.
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