Sweep your home clean of bugs

This month we look at flying pests, the common housefly being the first that always springs to mind.

Flies

Flies are as much a part of life in South Africa or most of the countries with a hot climate as boerewors and vuvuzelas. What isn’t cricket though, are how much of a pest they are when you are trying to enjoy the outdoors, or when some get into your home or even your car.

A pest in the strongest sense of the word, their buzzing is not just annoying, they post a real health risk to people and pets alike.

Livestock is also prone to illness due to their presence on farms, and they can even infest your home or business and spread disease just by touching surfaces and food left open. Some fly species even bite humans and animals.

Prevention

To prevent flies, take practical steps you can take to deter them. Cover all potential spaces where flies would be attracted and ensure that a small fly problem is not left to become a serious infestation. Some fly species have a very short lifecycle and are able to mature from eggs to adults in just seven days, so very the first time you notice a few noisy flies in your house or your business you should take some preventative action immediately.

Signs of infestation

Small dark clusters of spots the size of a pinhead in upper areas of the room and wall surfaces can be a sign there is a serious infestation in your home or business. Vigilance is important. Be sure to check areas where cleaning is difficult such as drainage channels, drains and sub-floor cavities. Sometimes, the contents of broken drains can accumulate under the floorboards and in many areas around sinks and below damaged floor tiling which can attract an infestation.

If you regularly see large numbers of flies around refuse areas and the base of waste containers you might have a serious infestation requiring professional intervention.

Check any areas where water pools including in guttering, tyres or old machinery or waterlogged pot plants. These can all attract flies.

Maggots are flies in their larval stage and seeing them could indicate your property has become a potential breeding site. They are most often found in waste areas on and around rotting food, especially meat byproducts. Making sure your rubbish bins are kept securely sealed can prevent flies from laying their eggs in your rubbish which should prevent maggots.

Tips to keep flying pests at bay

Aside from flies, other flying pests include cockroaches – yes, they can fly – flying ants, mosquitoes, gnats, and other assorted irritating buzzing creatures which can disturb your sleep and get into your food.

Top tips:

• Standing water – do not leave standing water (in watering cans and pot plants for example) as this offers mosquitoes opportunity to breed.
• Fit flyscreens to windows, especially around kitchen and waste areas.
• Water collection buckets – cover these with well-fitted lids.
• Clean up after your pets, not only are faeces a perfect breeding place for flies, they may land there before landing on your food.
• Cover food – flies spread diseases by landing on food before we eat it.
• Clear food debris and liquid spillages from food consumption and preparation areas, under kitchen benches and appliances.
• Clear up dead flies as they provide a tasty snack for other pests such as carpet beetles.