Flies can’t chew.
So, they “taste” food with their feet.
Then, to consume it, they regurgitate digestive enzymes onto it and suck up the resulting liquid.
Meanwhile, they defecate over it.
In other words, if flies keep appearing in your home, you should find out why and get rid of them – quickly!
How common are flies in houses?
Flies are one of the most common pests that UK homeowners struggle with, especially in summer.
Experts predict that around 44% of households struggle with flies.
This makes it the second most common pest in the UK, behind spiders.
They are particularly prevalent in Belfast, where 58% of residents report having them.
Flies usually enter homes through windows, doors, or any other gaps they can find.
What causes flies to keep appearing in my house?
The source of flies is typically related to:
- Food left out in the open (i.e., not in fridges or cupboards, fruit bowls, food not sealed with clingfilm, pet food, etc.)
- Open doors and windows
- Exposed waste (open bins, dirty crockery, overripe fruit, pet waste)
- High moisture (especially when it causes mould)
- Unhygienic conditions (dirty surfaces and floors, poor plumbing, stored rubbish).
How many flies is a problem?
It’s common to see the occasional fly around your house.
But if you should feel concerned if you:
- See more than three flies in the same room
- Regularly see one or more flies in different rooms
- Consistently see them reappearing (after killing or releasing them) in the same place.
Where are flies most likely to appear in my house?
Flies are most often seen in your kitchen. They are drawn to the food and waste found here.
You might also find them in the bathroom, where there’s extra moisture and windows and doors are often left open.
Signs that I’ve got flies in my house
You spot droppings
Small clusters of dark faeces may be found on your windowsill.
You should ensure this is from flies, not another type of pest. An expert could guide you if you’re unclear.
Decaying food
When your food starts to decay faster than expected, it could be a sign flies have found it.
Maggots
Maggots are fly larva. They start out soft and white, quickly turning grey and harder before hatching into flies.
Ways to remove flies from my house
Check for breeding sites
Your first step is to look for where flies are breeding in or near your house. This is a great way to reduce your fly problem.
If piles of rubbish are left out, you can clear this away. You can also take care of clogged drains, or pet faeces.
Seal entry points
Once you’ve stopped flies from breeding, you can also take steps to prevent them from getting in the house. This ensures that your problem doesn’t get any worse.
Open doors and windows are the most common entry point.
Cracks in the wall or ceiling are another example. They can even get into your house via plumbing.
You could block all these open spaces. You may even want to install a fly screen on your windows, which prevents them from getting through.
Use fly traps or bait
Fly traps or zappers are worth using to kill flies in your house. You could also use bait to achieve this.
Just remember that this only works when done together with stopping them at the source. An expert could help with this (more below).
Tidy and clean
Tidying up (especially in the kitchen) and cleaning is a great way to find potential sources of flies and reduce their chances of returning. Taking rubbish out more regularly is part of this.
If you have too much rubbish, then visiting the tip will prevent flies from collecting outside your property (and therefore being more likely to enter inside, too).
Cleaning out your oven and hobs is also useful. Oven cleaning can be difficult, so consider hiring a professional oven cleaner to do this.
Dishwashers are easier to clean – you can do this by hand and with the aid of a special dishwasher cleaner (available in most supermarkets).
Check outside
It could be that something in your (or your neighbour’s garden) is atracting flies, which are then entering your house.
It is most likely to be something to do with bins being unsealed or left for too long. However, it could also be related to sewage problems.
Hire a professional
Most people with flies in their house choose to hire a professional. This is a smart decision if you’ve got no experience in this area.
Do flies in my house impact property value?
If your house has a problem with flies, it can reduce your property value.
The severity of the situation will determine how much it affects your house value.
A small, manageable problem may only reduce the value by up to 5%. However, a larger issue could be 10% or more.
Ideally, you’ll fix this problem before staging the house.
And if you can’t, you should get a clear report from an expert on the situation, what’s causing it, how to fix it, and/or how it’s being managed.
Do I need to disclose if I’ve got flies in my house?
If you’ve got a ‘fly problem’ – i.e. 10 or more flies are in one room, which occurs regularly – then you should disclose it. Your buyer’s surveyor will often pick this up as well.
You should explain the situation and how it’s being fixed (if at all). Your estate agent could offer more advice on handling this.
Can flies cause lasting damage to my house?
It’s extremely rare for flies to cause structural damage to your house. They’re not capable of this.
Flies in your house may cause a bad smell. Hygiene could be poor, which trickles into other problems.
And the infestation may have reached a scale that it’s difficult to solve. This will involve more time and money to fix.
