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Blow Fly

Blow Flies in Jacksonville FL

Blow flies are one of the most common flies found around dead animals. They prefer highly unsanitary habitats, and because of this, they may be vectors of disease pathogens, such as dysentery. These flies are distinguished by their bright metallic appearance and are abundant around commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential buildings when they are located near recycling centers, garbage dumps, slaughter-houses, and meat processing plants. Blow flies can pick up faint traces of odor of decay and can fly up to 12 miles in search of a suitable carcass to lay their eggs.

Blow Fly Habitat

Blow flies thrive best in weather that is warm and humid. They normally lay their eggs on meat, fish, or dead animals, but will also lay eggs in decomposing organic matter, like garbage, animal manure, decaying vegetables, grass clippings, and poorly managed compost piles. Under ideal temperatures, blow flies can develop from egg to adult in as little as 7 days. Many homeowners have witnessed this behavior as a mass emergence of maggots crawling from their backyard trash cans when kitchen waste placed in these trash cans was not sealed in a plastic trash bag.

Blow Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Blow flies do not bite or sting. They are, however, strongly attracted to human foods and garbage, making cooking outdoors difficult when they are present. As with house flies, they may be involved in the transmission of disease agents acquired from garbage or animal feces and subsequently deposited onto human foods. The primary threat from blow flies is the distribution of disease-carrying organisms that affect humans such as salmonella food poisoning, Dysentery, Cholera, various parasitic worms, and many others.

If you are dealing with a blow fly problem on your property, contact your local fly exterminators.

Drain Fly

Drain Flies in Jacksonville FL

Drain flies, also called moth flies, belong to the family Psychodidae and get their name because they often breed in drains. They are found throughout the United States and can become an annoyance in homes, sometimes appearing suddenly from sinks and bathtub drains. They can breed in tremendous numbers in sewage treatment plants and then be carried away by the wind to nearby buildings, where they can crawl through fly screens.

Drain Fly Habitat

Drain flies develop in muck or gelatinous material that accumulates in sewage disposal beds, septic tanks, moist compost, or dirty garbage containers. They may also emerge from drains of sinks or bathtubs, from tree holes, rain barrels, moist organic solids, or bird nests that have accumulations of fecal material. Drain flies gather, mate, and lay eggs in moisture or standing water. The slimy film that forms in sewers and drains is a favorite breeding spot. Inside structures, they are strongly attracted to light and will be found on glass windows, doors, lamps, and indoor lighting.

Drain Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Drain flies do not bite people or animals or do damage to structures or plants. However, because these flies originate from filthy sources, they have the potential of being mechanical vectors of diseases. Populations of these insects can become a nuisance in homes, and their presence is almost always linked to a clogged drain. In residential homes, the most common breeding sites are bathroom drains. Drain flies are weak fliers and when encountered, they are often found crawling on walls and other surfaces.

If you are dealing with a drain fly problem in your property, contact your local fly exterminators.

Fruit Fly

Fruit Flies in Jacksonville FL

Over 177 species of fruit flies occur in North America, north of Mexico, and eight species are believed to be common in the United States. The scientific name, Drosophila, means “lover of dew” probably suggesting these flies require moist environments to reproduce. They are known as fruit, vinegar, or pomace flies and are often confused with other small flies found in structures. Fruit flies are vectors of disease, consuming bacteria and sugar from decaying foods and can often be seen near bowls of fruit, glasses of wine, garbage, and trash cans.

Fruit Fly Habitat

Fruit flies are small flies that can pass through ordinary insect screens and are often found in homes, restaurants, fruit markets, bars, salad bars, and any other place where fruits and vegetables are found. They will often enter structures from nearby dumpsters, trash receptacles, and damp compost piles where fruits and vegetables have been disposed of. Fruit flies lay large numbers of eggs on fruit, and the hatched larvae feed on the fruit. Fruit flies are active during periods of warm weather; single generations may develop in less than a week when temperatures are between 80° and 89°F.

Fruit Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Unlike some insects, fruit flies do not sting or bite. They are primarily nuisance pests, however, results of a recent study showed that fruit flies are capable of transferring E.coli, Salmonella, and Listeria to surfaces and relocating E.coli from a contaminated source to fresh, ready-to-eat food. Although fruit flies spend the majority of their time fermenting foods, they also travel to dishes, flatware, drinking glasses, and even toothbrushes. While you may not consume the contaminated produce itself, when you eat or drink from these objects, you’re exposed to the same bacteria the fruit fly has transported from site to site.

If you are dealing with a fruit fly problem on your property, contact your local fly exterminators.

House Fly

House Flies in Jacksonville FL

Found on every continent except Antarctica, the house fly is one of the most familiar of all insects. House flies are generally found in the greatest numbers during the hotter summer months and generally live in close proximity to humans and animals. These pests breed in animal wastes and decaying organic material, including animal corpses and food waste from which they can pick up bacteria and viruses that may cause human disease. House flies defecate almost every time they land, contaminating food, with the potential to spread disease.

House Fly Habitat

In rural areas, manure piles are often the main source of house flies, and in urban areas, piles of fermenting lawn clippings commonly generate large numbers of flies. Animal manure is a favorite breeding medium for flies with the most important sites being horse manure, human excrement, cow manure, fermenting vegetable refuse, dumpsters and refuse containers, and household garbage. Some species of flies can live and breed in recycling containers, and fly problems are common in recycling centers.

House Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Although house flies do not bite, they are capable of transferring more than 100 different pathogens, including salmonellosis, typhoid, and tuberculosis. Pathogenic organisms are picked up by flies from garbage, sewage, and other sources of filth, and then transferred on their mouthparts, through their vomitus, feces, and contaminated external body parts to human and animal food. They can carry a wide range of germs from filthy breeding sites to the dinner table or spread some diseases within herds or flocks.

If you are experiencing a house fly infestation on your property, contact your local fly exterminators for help.

Mosquito

Mosquitoes in Jacksonville FL

Mosquitoes pose a greater threat to human health and existence than any other animal. They are an annoyance because of the itchy bites they leave, however, they also transmit many dangerous diseases, like malaria, West Nile, and Zika Virus. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquito bites result in the deaths of more than 1 million people every year, with the majority of these deaths due to malaria. There are about 200 different species of mosquitoes found throughout the United States, with habitats ranging from deserts at or below sea level to mountain meadows with elevations of 10,000 feet or higher.

Mosquito Habitat

Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant or slow-moving water, so they are commonly found around marshes and lakes. However, needing only a half-inch of standing water to breed, mosquitoes are often found around homes, in kiddie pools, metal buckets, flower pots, and any object that collects rainwater or excess water from irrigation systems. This underscores the importance of homeowners regularly checking their property for containers that could be collecting water, providing a safe harbor for mosquito populations to breed and grow.

Mosquito Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Most mosquito species require a blood meal before they can reproduce a batch of eggs. Many people and animals are bitten by mosquitoes with no side effects except the typical itchy welt. And, while a large number of mosquito bites can reduce the quality of life, the diseases these insects can transmit can be serious. Most people infected with mosquito-transmitted viruses show no symptoms or only mild, flu-like symptoms that may not result in a visit to the doctor. However, severe symptoms following infection occur in a small percentage of people. Mosquitoes are also responsible for transmitting heartworm in dogs.

Mosquitoes can be dangerous, which is why it’s so important to contact a professional mosquito exterminator for exclusion and control services to protect your Jacksonville FL property.

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