Scientific Pest Management - Commercial Services

Flies
  • Flies are almost a mandatory sight in Australia, whether in the bush or the city or the seaside!
  • Although a few flies may be of benefit to nature more often than not flies are a nuisance pest affecting human lifestyles.
  • Diseases such as typhoid, cholera, diarrhoea, amoebic dysentery, giardiasis and worms (pin and tape) are spread mechanically by flies. Myiasis also occurs rarely when people are infested by maggots.

  • House flies (family Muscidae) vary from 5-8 mm long with a dull grey thorax and abdomen.
  • Blow flies (family Calliphoridae) are also 11- 13 mm or larger and vary in colour from black, blue, green and bronze.
  • Fruit flies (family Tephritidae) are always found around ripening fruit whereas the Vinegar fly is found in decaying fruit. The Fruit fly is an important pest to the commercial industries and can cause much economical damage if unchecked. The adults feed on sap, nectar, honeydew and droppings.
  • Flesh flies (family Sarcophagidae) are larger at 11-13 mm long with a striped thorax, a patterned abdomen with or without a red/brown tip.
  • Female March flies (family Tabanidae) are blood-sucking because they require protein for their egg development.
  • Robber Flies are so strong that they can incapacitate their victim by holding them down while they aspirate the internal fluids.

There are many different species of flies, in fact about 150,000, but they all belong to the order Diptera (two-wings). This order is divided into two sub-orders, Nematocera and Brachycera. Brachycera has the most species.

Generally, wings are transparent with obvious veins and the mouth parts are adapted for sucking and/or penetrating purposes. Flies have a large mobile head with bulging eyes and short antennae, a large mesothorax, one pair of forewings and a pair of reduced hind wings called halteres. The forewings are the only wings used in flight. There are a few types of flies that are wingless.

The four stages of development are: eggs, larva, pupa and adult. Most people would recognize the larval stage of the fly species. Maggots are legless, cylinder shape and soft in body structure. They possess a very small head. Most have the ability to move and live in food fluids and damp locations. Flesh flies deposit living larvae, however, all the females of other fly families lay eggs, either individually or in clusters.

Contact us to get your property inspected and to initiate a control program.
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Preventative Measures - Flies

Good hygiene and elimination of foodstuffs, organic matter and animal excreta are vital to the control of flies.

  1. Cracks and crevices should be sealed to remove potential breeding sites.
  2. The use of screens and chemical control with sprays or baits will all help safeguard your home.
  3. In commercial situations, air curtains and ultraviolet lights may be installed and fogging with pyrethrins will be immediately successful in eliminating adult flies.

Call Scientific Pest Management if you need better fly control in your premises.


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