It's not the fruit fly and it's not the horse fly, but the most common fly around farms and homes might just be the most pestering one out there. House flies are not only a nuisance to people, an annoyance for pets and farm animals and a headache for anyone working outside, they can also become a very big public health concern.
Surprisingly, most adult house flies only live for about 15 to 25 days on average, according to the University of Florida IFAS. Some house flies even live for as long as two months. Winged, adult house flies are typically gray in color with several yellow markings. All flies have a thorax marked with broad dark stripes although the females are generally bigger than the males. They are found all throughout the U.S. and Canada and although they tend to remain 1 to 2 miles near their birthplace, research has found that some house flies have migrated up to 20 miles to find food.
According to the National Pest Management Association, house flies can only consume liquid food. However, they have the power to change solid foods into a liquid for consumption. Oddly, house flies eat and taste with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive than the human tongue to sugar. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln reported that much of what they feed on is liquid waste found in garbage, animal waste and spoiled fruits and vegetables. When eating, house flies also defecate on their food thus, making them highly threatening sources of transmitting disease. All of these feeding habits make house flies extremely likely to transmit disease.
Preventing house flies in your home is the best way to ensure sanitation. PennState College of Agriculture Sciences reported four basic principles of pest management when it comes to keeping out the house fly. These methods include - sanitation, exclusion, non-chemical measures and chemical methods. First and foremost, house flies cannot breed in large numbers when their sources of food are limited. Keep all trash, garbage and recycling bins covered. Do not let waste, weed piles or manure pile up. Secondly, for exclusion measures, ensure that all screens and doors are tightly fitted without any holes. Non-chemical measures include sticky fly traps, ultraviolet light traps, baited fly traps and good old fashioned fly swatters. If you are still have pest problems, call your local pest management professional for chemical measures.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
The kitchen is largest gathering place for pests in a residential home. The reason is simple: pests can grab a bite to eat and take a sip of water while they're here. And when they find such a bountiful place, they will return home to their nests and report the finding - before you know it, your whole pantry is a buffet for ants! The problem could get even worse if a piece of food falls somewhere and begins to rot. Similarly, fruit and vegetables you bring into your home may be harboring unseen pests waiting to hatch.
