▪ The common house fly (Musca domestica), is one of

most prevalent of all insects and is widely distributed

throughout the world, which can make fly control
difficult
▪ Adults are strong fliers and can travel up to 20 miles.
▪ Filth flies carry disease-causing organisms and can be a
threat to public health.
▪ A single house fly can carry over one million bacteria.
▪ To keep fly populations under control, you must limit the
places where they can breed and feed.
WHAT DISEASES DO THEY CARRY?
▪ E. coli: house flies have
been known to transmit E.
coli, a particularly nasty
disease which can cause
diarrhoea, blood in stool,
vomiting, stomach cramps
and fever. Symptoms tend to
appear around three to four
days after infection,
however, they can start as
late as two weeks.
▪ Food poisoning: caused by
eating contaminated food,
food poisoning can cause
nausea, vomiting,
diarrhoea, stomach
cramps, a loss of appetite
and fever. Although food
poisoning tends to pass on
its own, it can be an
extremely painful and
unpleasant experience.
Typhoid is an
acute illness
associated with
the Salmonella
bacteria, typhoid
presents itself as
a particularly
nasty fever.
▪ Clean up all pet and animal feces promptly.
▪ Dispose of kitchen scraps and other organic waste properly.
▪ If you save kitchen waste for your compost heap, add some
sawdust to your scrap bin to help absorb moisture and odors
that might attract flies.
▪ Garbage cans and dumpsters are favorite breeding areas for
flies.
▪ Recycling cans also attract some filth flies.
▪ If you have fruit trees in your yard, pick up any fruit that falls on
the ground.
▪ Install and maintain tight-fitting window screens.
▪ Sticky fly paper does work, but is most useful when fly
populations are low.
▪ Commercially available fly traps work well, especially
for house flies.
▪ Pesticides are available to control flies, but should never
be used as the first line of defense against them. Proper
sanitation is the best way to keep flies to a minimum.
Quiz
1. Houseflies have been known to transmit _______
bacteria.
2. Is one of most prevalent of all insects and is widely
distributed throughout the world.
3. It is an acute illness associated by salmonella
bacteria.
4. Give at least 1 physical control on flies.
5. It is the most effective and important step in
controlling house flies.