Where Are All These Flies Coming From In My Kittitas County Home?

Serving Families Throughout Ellensburg
house fly landing on countertop
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If you have a fly problem and you're wondering where all the flies are coming from, the first step is to figure out what types of flies you're dealing with. Proper identification is the first step in understanding a fly problem and a necessary step if you hope to get rid of flies. Today, we're going to talk about common types of flies in Kittitas County, hit on the point of where flies come from, and discuss what you need to do to deal with the different kinds of flies you might find in your home. How does that sound? Great! Let's get into it!  

What Are These Flies In My Kittitas County Home?

We have quite a selection of flies. We're not going to get into the details. It would take way too long. Here are a few important facts to help you figure out what flies you have.

  • House flies and bottle flies hang out near garbage and are likely to be in small numbers in your home. These are mid-sized flies. Bottle flies have a metallic coloration.
  • If you're seeing tiny black flies, they may be phorid flies or fungus gnats. You can tell phorid flies by the fact that they run across surfaces rather than fly away immediately when you approach. You can tell fungus gnats by the way they hang out near potted plants. If you see one of these two types of flies, it is easier to tell them apart by their behavior rather than their description.
  • If you have bathroom flies, they could be phorid flies. These flies are drawn to feces and decay. They may also be drain flies as drain flies need lots of moisture and they breed in drains. A drain fly has a moth-like appearance. Fungus gnats are little black specks. While these aren't the only bathroom flies, they're by far the most common.
  • If you have flies in your kitchen, they could be any one of the common types of flies in Kittitas County. If there are lots of them, and they're not tiny black flies, they're probably fruit flies.      

How Are They Getting Into My Kittitas County Home?

Any fly can get into your home simply because it has found an entry point, but different kinds of flies use different methods more often than others. Let's break this down.

  • In general, flies get in through damaged screens, gaps around screens, gaps in weather stripping, gaps under doors, gaps around plumbing, and through any opening that isn't protected by screen material.
  • Flies can come in through an open door or an open window that doesn't have a working screen.
  • Fungus gnats can be brought in with potted plants. 
  • Fruit flies can be brought in with grocery items.
  • House flies or bottle flies can get inside because there is a trash receptacle too close to an entryway.
  • All flies can get in because they're first attracted to light in an entryway.   

How Can I Prevent Flies From Invading My Kittitas County Home?

The first step in fly prevention is to seal entry points. Once you've done this, you may consider these prevention tips:

  • Keep trash contained.
  • Deodorize trash receptacles that acquire an odor.
  • Keep your home clean.
  • Replace exterior white lights with yellow lights.
  • Remove organic debris near your home, such as leaves and sticks.
  • Check potted plants before bringing them in.
  • Store fruit in your fridge.

Should I Call A Professional In Kittitas County?

In most cases, you can probably deal with fly problems on your own. Where a professional can really help is in identifying breeding sites for difficult fly infestations, or by providing ongoing exterior pest control to prevent fly infestations. If you live in Kittitas County and you need help with flies, reach out to us. We're here to help.