While not all flies are bad – filth flies are not something you want buzzing around your food or home. These flies are aptly named as their larvae are often found in excrement, garbage, and rotting organic material. Everyone knows the house fly – it is more than happy to slurp up a meal inside your home with its sponging mouth parts. This unique way of feeding means they can regurgitate their last meal onto their new one – which can pose a threat to public health. House flies can be a smorgasbord of pathogens, with the ability to transmit over 60 to humans. If the CDC had a most wanted list, the humble house fly would probably be on it.  Their short lives – usually one month, has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Here in Florida,  developing from egg to adult can take place within seven to ten days. Adult house flies are strong fliers and can roam up to twenty miles foraging for food. House flies are not the only filth fly to look out for. Greenbottle, bluebottle, and flesh flies can all rain on your picnic as well.  The best way to keep them out of your house is to use an IPM approach. Keep your home and yard free of areas where they can breed by throwing away trash. Traps and strips, which can be purchased at any grocery store, can help manage small populations. Pesticides should be used judiciously to slow the development of insecticide resistance.

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