Several kinds of fly can be found in and around food premises and the home. All of them can be a nuisance and are capable of transmitting diseases to man.

Did you know?

If there was not control for flies they could cover the whole planet 18 inches deep in one season!

Flies can live 2 to 3 days without food!

Flies have been shown to carry salmonella and other organisms which cause typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, tuberculosis, anthrax, opthalmia as well as parasitic worms.

Flies have a egg, larva (maggot), pupa and adult stages in their life cycle.

House Fly

The common house fly (Musca domestica) is one of the most common of all insects. It is distributed world-wide and in just two weeks, one fly may lay more than 1000 eggs. The eggs are laid in any form of warm organic matter such as, animal excrement, kitchen refuse, lawn clippings.

The eggs are laid in clusters of about 100 and hatch within 24 hours into maggots, pupation takes place 4 to 6 days later and the adult fly emerges after about 3 days in ideal conditions. The adult fly rarely lives for more than a week or two. The house fly is black and about 1/4 inch long its body is covered with fine hairs and bristles which readily pick up dirt particles. The sex of a house fly can be determined by the distance between their eyes (females are wider) and the female is usually larger than the male.

Bottle Fly

There are several species of bottle flies (eg. bluebottles, greenbottles), they are larger than house flies and have shiny, metallic coloured bodies. They make a loud droning buzz and prefer to lay their eggs on exposed meat. The life cycle is usually 9-21 days from egg to adult.

Fruit Fly

Fruit flies are a nuisance pest and also contaminate food. They breed in fruit, rubbish and the slime of drains.

Control of Flies

The best method of fly control is good housekeeping. Mechanical methods of control are preferred in food premises these include screening to windows and doors, air blast doors, U.V. light traps and the good old fashioned fly paper. Chemical control measures are available to kill fly larvae and the adult insects. Great care should be taken when using any form of chemicals near food.

WARNING: PESTICIDES ARE POISONOUS. PROPER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS MUST BE TAKEN WHEN HANDLING ANY PESTICIDES. READ AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE.