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The common misconception among many people is that a fly lives for only 24 hours. But the truth is that the average lifespan of a fly is roughly 28 days. But then again there are many species of flies and each of them has a different life span. For example, the fruit fly lifespan is between 40 and 50 days, black flies live for 21 days, cluster flies live for 27 to 40 days, crane flies have a lifespan of 15 days and sand flies live up to three months. Clearly flies have a longer life span that a majority of us assume.

All type of flies love warm and moist environments with plenty of moist food to provide nourishment for the larvae. Fleas are the most common species of insects in the world. They occur everywhere in all types of climates. Most flies are filthy, disease carrying insects that love decaying organic matter, fecal matter and blood. To combat any type of fly infestation it is crucial to keep your environment sanitary. They can spread diseases like dysentery, cholera, and typhoid and cause food poisoning.

How to get rid of flies

First you need to identify the cause of the infestation. It could be unsanitary conditions in your environment, an animal carcass in the vicinity, dirty dishes or toilet. Once the area of infestation is identified you can go ahead to remove it. A thorough inspection of the area is required but this should be done by a professional who can spot breeding areas that you can’t.

Fix the structural issues that allow flies to enter your home uninhibited. For example, a broken window, damaged weather stripping and screen doors. It is recommended that these be taken care of before fighting the infestation to prevent the flies the issue once and for all.

Now go ahead and eliminate the adults by using insecticide. You can also use traps and fly bait as well to get rid of the flies. The larvae can be killed by pouring boiling water over the breeding area.

Signs of a fly infestation

You can see the larvae as they crawl about. Outdoors the larvae will be on the leaves, the garbage can, fence, and even the ground. Indoors they are in the corners, ceiling and walls where the adult flies tend to rest all day and breed there.

The female fly lays five to six batches of 100 eggs which hatch in 12 to 24 hours. Within no time you will begin to notice flies in your compound, garbage can, on the kitchen counter and the generally everywhere. Flies are indiscriminate in where they take refuge in your house. They will even hover on your dinner table as you eat. However, keep in mind that these flies are most active during the day at the most humid and warm times of the day.
Some people use safe home spray to kill the flies in their homes but that cannot deter an full on infestation as it only takes care of single flies at time.