Flies can be a nuisance! 

Trying to enjoy a sunny day with a cup of coffee in your backyard or inside your house, chit chatting with your friend and all of a sudden a (cluster) fly comes to ruin your day? Even just one fly can be pesky. Personally, I dislike flies! 

It May Be Summer, But Fall Is Around The Corner! And So is Cluster Fly Season! 

This may sound disturbing but cluster flies are currently planning their move into your home. Be prepared! You may see the occasional cluster fly during the dead of winter on a nice sunny day, or in droves in the early spring. As cluster flies like to move into homes in the early-mid fall, the end of summer is the opportune time to seal windows and doors, creating a physical barrier.  Don’t wait until it’s too late, now is the perfect time to seal any entry points for cluster flies.

Things you should know 

• Cluster flies and House flies look alike. 
• Cluster fly species live for 2 years under ideal circumstances whereas house flies live for 15 to 30 days maximum.
• Unlike other flies Cluster flies do not bite humans or animals and are not known to carry any diseases. … whereas Dead Flies inside wall voids, cracks, and crevices may trigger allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. 

• These pesky flies like decomposing food and sweets!

Physical Characteristics: 

• A cluster fly has a black/silvery-black checkered body. 
• Young, newly emerged cluster flies have short light-brown/yellowish hairs on their lower bodies. 
• Sluggish movement: The cluster fly will fly around the home but at a slower pace than other flies.
• Overlapped wings: When at rest, the cluster fly will overlap its wings; the house fly’s wings remain separate.
• Clustering at windows: If there is a large population of cluster flies, they tend to cluster along windows or inside attics and usually in little-used areas on warm, sunny days. 

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN A CURE

• Seal interior cracks and gaps in the Summer Months
• Hire a professional to treat the exterior of your home in the late summer to prevent a fall infestation.
• Vinegar and Dish Soap – Fill a bowl slightly with apple cider vinegar, wine or honey with some dish soap. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap with punctured holes or leave uncovered. Flies will be attracted to the smell and will get stuck within the liquid.
• Use traps or flypaper near your window or where you are seeing the activity

Are flies still causing trouble? Call the professionals at GreenLeaf Pest Control for ant control in Toronto. We are a fully licensed Toronto pest control company. GreenLeaf Pest Control will help protect your home before cluster flies become an issue! Contact us today by calling (416) 998-9473 or send us an email to info@greenleafpestcontrol.com.

The GreenLeaf Way, Way Better!

About the Author:

Navjot Kaur, the Digital Marketing Specialist and Web-Developer at Greenleaf Pest Control. Happily graduated from Lambton College in Mobile app design & development. She is new to the pest control world. In her free time, she is an avid gardener, reader, likes to explore and definitely has some great dance moves.