PEST FACTS

Flies

“ If You Followed a Fly for a Day, You Wouldn’ t Eat for a Week”

Unaccustomed to the gorgeous hot summer weather we have been experiencing lately, many Brits will have grasped the opportunity to dine al fresco, with choice cuts of meat sizzling on the barbeque. Perfect weather, perfect food, and the perfect opportunity for flies to strike! Even when cooking indoors, open windows and doors afford the opportunity for flies to seek out food.

The most common types of flies are Houseflies and Blowflies. Blowfly is a general description of a number of species of large buzzing flies, which include the Bluebottle, the Greenbottle and the Flesh Fly. They all like sunlight and are attracted to meat or carrion, and all may be found around dustbins in hot summer weather.

When a fly lands on your food, it vomits onto the food to soften it up and transmits germs on its feet from the place that it has just visited, probably excrement or rotting organic matter. Cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and gastro- enteritis are just a few of the diseases that can be spread.

In warm weather, Bluebottles can lay up to 600 eggs, which can hatch in less than 48 hours and produce maggots which can become fully developed in a week.

To avoid infestations of flies keep dustbins clean, with tight lids and away from doors or windows, and use an insecticidal dustbin powder. Keep meat and other food covered. Indoors use a vapourising insecticidal strip or aerosol fly spray. If you live in an area that is prone to fly infestations, perhaps near a rubbish tip, consider fitting fly screens over kitchen and dining area windows.

The British Pest Control Association has members all over the UK and can advise on the fitting of fly screens and eradication of serious fly infestations. Members can be found by visiting www.bpca.org.uk/search.asp For those without access to the Internet, call the BPCA on 01332 294288 and a member of staff will be happy to recommend member companies in a particular area

For further press information contact:

Christine Selden
PR Manager
BPCA
1 Gleneagles House
Vernon Gate
Derby
DE1 1UP
01332 225114
Christine@bpca.org.uk