Say ‘Goodbye’ to Houseflies
Houseflies can be the peskiest of all pests.
If you don’t squash the one buzzing elusively around your kitchen, you could be facing a few dozen in just a few days. The older generation kept flies away by dropping a penny in the bottom of a Ziploc bag full of water, then hanging the bag above the outside door. A more effective method is to dispose of your garbage and to recycle in a way that doesn’t attract pests in the first place.
Sugar is an insect magnet
Even the last half-sip left in the bottom of a soda can attract houseflies and other insects, like roaches, who lay eggs in that tiny bit of liquid. One female housefly can lay up to 150 eggs at a time. The warm weather speeds up the gestation period—eggs hatch faster, and larvae reach maturity sooner. If a fly has laid eggs, you’ll soon see dozens of tiny white larvae appear in your home.
When food and drink containers pile up in your trash and recycling, you’re inviting a problem.
Proper disposal techniques
- Rinse before you toss — Giving soda cans and plastic food boxes a quick rinse before throwing them in the trash can or recycling bin greatly diminishes that sugary bug beacon.
- Use quality trash bags — Thick trash bags tamp down on the trash odor that attracts houseflies and other pests. In addition, they’re less likely to tear and leak into your bin.
- Clean your bins — Cleaning your trash can might sound ironic, but trash leakage can attract everything from yellow jackets to roaches. Give your bins a good power washing every so often. If you can, use trash cans and recycling bins that have a lid. This helps keep liquid out and helps contain trash odor.
- Dispose regularly — If your trash cans and recycling bins are so full the lids won’t close, you have too much trash. Minimize the amount of garbage and the time it sits around.
- Store bins away from entry points — 50 feet from doors and windows will probably do the trick. However, the farther you can store your trash from your house, the better.
Exclusion is better than removal
There are dozens of DIY methods you can try to get rid of houseflies—soda bottle and vinegar traps—and of course, there’s the classic fly paper trap. But these machinations tend to get a bit messy. As is usually the case with pests, it’s better and easier to avoid them in the first place. Our trained technicians can treat your home for existing infestations and work with you to keep pests out. During your assessment, they’ll help you identify entry points and other channels pests are using to invade your home.
To learn more about Pest 360 and other Lawn & Pest Solutions programs, check out our website.
