There are few things more irritating than pests. They’re also unsanitary and no one likes looking at them. It’s especially bad when you find you’ve got an infestation rather than just one or two, and it’s the same when you have an issue with cluster flies. The question arises: how to get rid of cluster flies?
Appearing in spring, cluster flies will begin to lay eggs outside and will hibernate in your home around nearing winter, around August time. To get rid of cluster flies you can use your vacuum cleaner, aerosol fly killer or call your local professionals who will be able to use smoke bombs or foggers for more effective results.
They are 8mm in length and they’re dark grey in color, having small gold hair patches on their long wings and back. The biggest sign that you have an infestation of cluster flies is seeing a lot of dead or lame flies. You also may find them in a loft, underneath layers of insulating felt, or in spotlighting. They usually will return on a yearly basis unless you adequately seal entryways like eaves.
What are the differences between cluster flies and house flies?
The best thing that you can do to avoid the problems of cluster flies is to prevent them from coming into your house.
This is going to help with preventing them from coming inside. These are small pests, so you shouldn’t overlook small holes. These are areas that you should give special attention to:
One thing that cluster flies love is an undisturbed location. If your house is unorganized and messy, it gives them with a lot of spots to hide. Make sure that you’re taking time to keep the house clean. If you have an attic, chances are that there is a lot of stuff up there. So you want to make sure that you are keeping your attic organized too. This is also going to help with minimizing areas where they’re able to hide.
You can also spray your home’s perimeter with an insecticide spray that is plant based. This creates a barrier around the home that is going to help with keeping the cluster flies from getting in.
Ok, so you know how to prevent cluster flies from getting into your home. However, what if you have read this article too late and you need to know how to get rid of cluster flies that are in your home? Here are a few things that you can do.
Do you want to know how to get rid of cluster flies with home remedies? The good news is that there are things that you can do using something that you already have in your house. Since they’re sluggish when compared with houseflies, it’s usually pretty easy to vacuum or swat the ones that you see. Some of the best electric fly swatters will do the job perfectly. After you’ve killed some, chances are that there are going to be more that you see coming out which means that you are going to repeat the process of vacuuming and swatting. However, eventually the ones that are left are going to die while they try to find the exit.
Don’t want to keep vacuuming and swatting? The good news is that they also can be managed using sticky traps or flypaper. You also can make a solution of sugar water and put it into a jar. The opening should be just big enough for them to get into it. Like any kind of fly, they love sweets. Just make sure the jar’s emptied regularly. Some of the trap from our best yellow jacket traps article might fit in here too.
Since you are using it indoors, you want to choose a pesticide that contains pyrethrin. This is based on a chrysanthemum flower extract. It’s going to quickly kill the cluster flies. They’re found in many commercial products. It should be used lightly, directly aiming at the flies.
One thing that you should note is that these pyrethrin aren’t totally harmless. They will harm fish, so they should be kept out of the water supplies. However, their toxicity is low for humans as well as other kinds of mammals. Make sure that you’re using products that list pyrethrin rather than pyrethroids as an ingredient. Pyrethroids are synthetic.
Some of the suitable pesticides are listed in our guide on the best earwig killers, so check it out.
If you want to jump on the problem now before they start hibernating instead of having to search for how to get rid of cluster flies in the winter, now is the time to seal those interior cracks and gaps. Those cluster flies which are already inside thanks to the exterior crevices and cracks won’t be a problem inside unless you also have interior wall gaps. Even tiny cracks along your door and window frames and around your baseboards can give them a way to get into your home.
Keep getting rid of the cluster flies by filling all of the crevices and cracks in your homes inside wall surfaces, which include:
This is going to help you with preventing the new cluster flies from coming out as you’re killing those that are already in the house.
Do you want to know how to get rid of cluster flies naturally outside? One of the best ways that you can attract cluster flies and trap them is by making a solution of sugar water and putting it into a jar. Then have an opening on the jar just big enough to let the flies to get into it. This is a great option for when you are looking for how to get rid of cluster flies with DIY options without having to call an exterminator.
They can crawl through tiny openings inside your home’s walls. These kinds of flies will go into homes and look for places where they can hibernate during the winter. They prefer the warm areas, so you will many times find these pests flying around your home on the sunny days in the later part of fall and in winter.
They often will get into a house through a baseboard or electrical outlet and will take up shelter inside walls and the attic. Here is where they will await the warmer weather of spring. On sunny days during the winter, the walls could become warm so these inhabitants might try moving towards light.
Cluster flies, unlike houseflies, don’t carry disease. So even if you are looking for tips on how to get rid of cluster flies in your garage, you don’t have to worry about getting sick because of them. it’s also good to know that they also aren’t going to cause your home any extensive damage. But they might make your windows or walls dark with droppings. They also could attract other kinds of insects if they should di in the voids of the walls. Large cluster fly numbers often will collect in ceiling lights and windows, which makes them a pain in the neck to deal with.
Thank you for taking the time to read our article and we hope that you know how to get rid of cluster flies in your house now. So, even though cluster flies are not as much of a problem as houseflies, as in they don’t carry disease, they still can be a pain to worry about coming into your home. We hope that you found this to be useful and that we’ve helped you understand a bit more about one of the most annoying pests that you can have in your house – cluster flies.
