Phone: 614-292-5274 Fax: 614-292-9783
e-mail: extento@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu
William F. Lyon
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| House Fly | Stable Fly |
Occasionally, during the warm, moist summer months, various flies may become an outdoor problem at kennels, kennel runs, dog houses, sleeping quarters, etc. House flies, Musca domestia Linnaeus are not only a nuisance by their presence, but can spread diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, cholera, tuberculosis, etc. Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans Linnaeus, sometimes called "dog flies," often attack dogs viciously, especially around the ears, causing raw, bleeding wounds. Stable flies feed on blood, causing much irritation from their skin punctures along with blood loss, making pets nervous and tired from fighting these flies. Certain blow flies, Green Bottle Fly, Phaenicia sericata Meigen, Blue Blow Fly, Calliphora spp., etc., may infest dogs and cats, causing myiasis. Larvae of these flies are very similar to screwworm larvae except that they feed on dead as well as living animals around wounds, feces and urine matted hair, etc. Blood poisoning and death can occur.
In order to successfully control flies, one must first collect fly specimens and have them correctly identified. Proper identification will aid in determining the fly biology and potential breeding sites. Collect several specimens and submit to your local Ohio State University Extension Office located in each of Ohio's 88 counties. Also, the C. Wayne Ellett Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic (614-292-5006) on the OSU campus charges a fee for specimen identification.
A community educational program plus the services of a licensed pest control applicator are needed in neighborhoods with widespread fly problems.
Sanitation is the most effective and important step in controlling flies. Moisture control is essential since fly larvae are semi-aquatic (as many as 1,000 house flies can complete development in one pound of breeding material). Drain wet, low areas by using clean gravel and other fill. Eliminate any standing surface water through proper surface grade and tiling if needed. All outside trash areas must be kept clean. Garbage should be drained and wrapped in plastic bags before being placed in trash receptacles or dumpsters outdoors. By placing garbage in bags, odors will be reduced, therefore attracting fewer egg-laying flies. (Reduce attractive odors by routinely scraping out and thoroughly cleaning food residues from garbage containers.)
Use garbage cans with tight fitting lids lined inside with plastic bags. Locate the garbage cans or trash receptacles as far away from the house or building as possible to reduce nuisance flies nearby. Dispose of garbage at least twice weekly at a regular landfill, by incineration or burying in the soil, if local health regulations permit.
Eliminate all potential breeding materials such as rotting straw or mulch, manure, garbage and animal excrement. Avoid damp pet foods left outdoors for several days. Eliminate carcasses of dead animals and birds. Any potential breeding material should be spread out thinly in the field and allowed to dry to prevent fly development.
Dispose of piles of old, wet lawn clippings, leaves, manure stacks, old wet hay or straw bales and other such debris. Waste piles can be covered with black plastic which will heat the organic matter, destroying fly development.
Use adequate screens of 10 mesh on windows and doors to prevent fly entry or 18 mesh to exclude mosquito-size flies. Screen doors should open outward and have fitted springs for tight closing. A double set of doors is best where adult fly populations are heavy. If doors are open constantly, use an air stream with a velocity of 1,600 feet per minute or more.
Bead curtains are an alternative to screens in areas of heavy traffic. Beads should be oval with each string's beads offset from the next string so that the beads fit into each other's contours, eliminating gaps. Beads have been used in the past to brush flies off people and pets.
It is best and cheapest economically to replace a 100 watt mercury vapor light (ultraviolet energy) with a 50 watt high pressure sodium vapor light or dichrom yellow non-insect attractant light. Place lights away from potential points of fly entry.
Remove fermenting overripe fruits from the ground. Flies may move several miles within a day or two, often originating from unsanitary sites.
A simple fly swatter or folded newspaper is effective indoors against a few individual flies (thin wire stems and natural fiber head swatters are superior to the plastic ones).
Rolls of sticky flypaper are available from most hardware stores. Use on back porches, garages and storage sheds where aesthetics are not of primary importance.
With concerns for the environment and human and pet safety, currently at an all time high, many are switching to non-chemical fly control and discovering that these approaches may be more effective and longer-lasting than chemicals.
Devices such as the Vector Fly System used indoors will capture nuisance fruit flies, house flies, etc. Flies are attracted to lights and become trapped on adhesive boards which need to be changed regularly. These devices are good "monitoring tools" to identify the type and quantity of flies present. They help minimize the use of insecticides. Also, the Catchmaster Flying Insect device traps flies on UV-resistant glue boards concealed inside the attractive lighting fixture. Trapped flies cannot be seen. This device uses black light, warmth, sex attractant, multibaits, their favorite color - fluorescent chartreuse and glue wrapped around the bulb. There are no chemicals, no electric zap, no airborne contamination and no fumes. A 12 x 24 inch Catchmaster Giant Fly Glue Trap is available to pest control operators.
There are Musca-Cide fly baits using a combination of pheromones, feeding stimulants and insecticides. The Musca Stik Sticky Fly Trap attracts flies with a sex pheromone, then traps and kills without insecticides. The Musca-Doom Disposable Fly Trap uses attractants, including a sex pheromone to lure and kill flies by the thousands. The Musca Terminator Fly Trap attracts and kills flies without insecticides or electricity. The Catch & Pitch Disposable Fly Trap, when full, can be tossed away out of reach by children and pets.
Some use electrocuter light traps and ultrasonic devices. Electric light traps may be helpful in small, tight enclosed areas, but are not effective when used alone outside to reduce fly numbers to satisfactory levels. Ultrasonic pest repellers are not effective in controlling flies and other insects.
Total reliance on insecticide applications in and around the outdoor pet premises often results in failure to produce long-term control results. Constant effort must be made to eliminate and dry out potential fly breeding sites. At times, insecticides may be helpful in reducing heavy nuisance fly populations.
Treat outdoor surfaces where flies rest, especially around doors, windows, screens, garbage cans and trash piles with a residual spray of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved, labeled insecticide such as chlorpyrifos, permethrin or other synthetic pyrethroids.
Indoors, use space sprays or aerosols containing synergized pyrethrins or synthetic pyrethroids labeled for flies.
Again in some cases, heavy fly populations are best controlled by a licensed pesticide applicator or professional pest control firm. Homeowners often do not have the experience, availability of certain insecticides and equipment needed to perform the control job effectively on certain fly species.
For further information: Contact your county's office of Ohio State University Extension located in each of Ohio's 88 counties for the most recent, up-to-date fly control literature and advice regarding your situation.
Label precautions and directions are nobody's guesswork. They are based on data and facts submitted by the manufacturer and reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency as part of label registration procedure.
Treat only the pets listed on the pesticide label. (Do not use on pets any pesticides labeled for crops and livestock, unless the formulation is so authorized.)
Use no more than the recommended dosage and only at the time recommended.
Do not use any pesticide in conjunction with a systemic insecticide for flea control prescribed by your veterinarian. If your pet is being treated by a vet, consult him before applying an insecticide.
For the benefit of you and your doctor, Poison Information Centers in Ohio are listed on the inside back cover.