Dealing with house flies can certainly be annoying. Having them land on your food, your kitchen utensils, or your arms and legs is surely enough to frustrate a person. The constant buzzing and persistence is close to intolerable. When around these pests, it’s easy to realize the annoyance, but there’s another underlying problem that can easily slip people’s minds as they angrily swat them away. Are house flies actually dangerous? The answer to this is, yes, but we’ll get to the details of this later on.

The house fly is the most common fly to be found in a person’s home. They encompass 90% of all fly infestations, so it’s likely you’ve encountered these types of flies before. They’re about 6 to 7 mm long and gray in color with black lines on their backs. Their eyes are red and they have a set of wings. For more description, check out our pest guide page.

On top of being the most common fly to infest a home, they are also one of the top flies for spreading bacteria. While they do not bite, they can spread disease by flying from place to place. This is what makes house flies so dangerous. Think about how quickly these guys are as they buzz around you. One minute they’re in the dumpster, crawling over rotting food, and the next, they’re on the dinner you just prepared. Picking up the bacteria on their bodies allows them to spread it to the next place they land. Ultimately, this contaminates food or kitchen supplies, which can cause a person to become ill. House flies are capable of spreading at least 65 diseases, including salmonella, typhoid fever, cholera, and tuberculosis.

The hazards that house flies bring make them unwanted in homes and businesses. If you own a business, the threat is even greater as an infestation could spread illnesses to both employees and customers. This could lead to secondary problems such as lawsuits, bad reviews, loss of products and sales, loss of employees, etc. House flies may be small, but they have the potential to cause devastation.

To prevent the annoyance of flies, and the health risks they pose, prevention is extremely important. In order to prevent house flies follow these steps:

• Take out trash frequently and keep garbage away from your home. Make sure the bins are well sealed or covered.
• Store all food using airtight containers.
• Clean up spills or crumbs. Flies are very talented at finding any source of food that’s around.
• Replace damaged screens or perhaps screens in your doorways to keep these flies from entering.
• Seal any cracks or holes that would allow house flies a way to get inside.
• Dirty dishes and clogged drains can attract these flies as well.

Russell’s Pest Control can help you keep house flies away from your home or business. This time of year, you may notice an increase of flies moving indoors. Don’t let house flies ruin your fall or your health! Partner with Russell’s Pest Control and we’ll help keep your home or facility free of pests. Contact us today to find out more information.