If you’re plagued by cluster flies, you might have to call a professional exterminator. While these tiny flies are not dangerous to humans, they can be a nuisance in large numbers. During the fall and winter, cluster flies emerge from hiding to attempt to gain entry into buildings. Once inside, they will attempt to find food, and then remain hidden until spring, when they will come out of hiding again.
The most effective way to get rid of cluster flies is to prevent them from getting inside the building. Sprays and other treatments will only be effective if you catch them in their pre-infestation stage. However, if you do manage to trap cluster flies in your home, you can use a contact spray and space spray to knock them out. You’ll need to spray the area around the void and leave the area for the recommended time period.
Once inside, cluster flies will remain for a long time and can cause significant damage to your home. They are attracted to light and heat, so the best way to control these insects is to seal the interior and exterior cracks. If you’re in the South, cluster flies don’t generally become an indoor nuisance, but if you live in a warm, moist area, they can still be a problem.
To prevent cluster flies from entering your home, you should install mosquito nets and insect screens over air vents in the attic. A licensed pest control professional can use residual insecticides to spray around your home’s perimeter and on the sunny side. This is the best way to control cluster flies, as they migrate indoors during the spring and fall, which is when they’re most active. Insecticides, on the other hand, may kill flies on the surface, but they don’t prevent them from emerging from the wall voids.
Besides being a nuisance, cluster flies can be dangerous to the health of humans. Not only do they contaminate surfaces, but they can also cause liability issues. They can contaminate foods and cause health problems if they live in a structure where food is prepared. Moreover, cluster flies can also attract other pests that feed on dead cluster flies. If you’re in the South, you might want to contact a pest control company to get rid of these flies once and for all.
You can also try using citronella fragrance wicks to deter cluster flies. During the fall, cluster flies overwinter in hard-to-reach places. When they come out again in the spring, they’re a nuisance, but you can still prevent them from getting inside. Fortunately, there are several natural ways to prevent these flies from entering your home, including sealing cracks and holes.
During the winter, the temperature inside of the house is too cold for cluster flies to hibernate. They then emerge and move toward light sources. Excessive cluster flies may also stain your curtains and walls. When the cluster flies die, their excrement may attract larder beetles, which feed on them. In addition to hiring a professional cluster fly extermination company, you should also install insect light traps in cracks and crevices in your home.
In the autumn and winter, cluster flies are often found on sunny walls in buildings. When temperatures become too cold, they seek warm spots and will invade homes. These flies may find shelter in attics and wall voids, and they will move toward a light source if warm days persist. And because cluster flies reproduce only in warm environments, the pesticides applied to these insects may be ineffective.
The life cycle of cluster flies is unique. The larvae live in the soil and eat earthworms. In the spring, the adult cluster flies emerge and lay eggs in cracks in the soil. Within three to four days, the eggs hatch. The larvae feed on earthworms for two to three weeks before emerging as adults. Then, during the fall and winter, they seek out protected areas to overwinter. These can be in the form of a garden, a lawn, or in a structure where there is a lot of grass.
Cluster flies are common nuisance insects that breed outdoors in the spring and summer. They are not harmful to humans and are generally not a health hazard. While cluster flies lay their eggs in the soil, they are not harmful to humans. The adult females, known as cluster flies, stop egg laying in late August and begin searching for warm places to overwinter. For the most part, they breed in the lawn.