It’s that time of year again when you maybe experiencing cluster flies entering your property in Altrincham. Given it’s location and beautiful surrounding areas, many properties in Cheshire suffer with cluster flies. It’s time to consider pest control for cluster flies.
What Do Cluster Flies Look Like?
The physical appearance of a cluster fly looks very similar to a house fly or a bottle fly. Adult cluster flies are dark gray in colour. They are about 8 – 10 mm in length with yellowish golden hairs on their thorax. The abdomen of a cluster fly has a prominent dark and light coloured chequered pattern.
Unlike common house flies, cluster flies do not have dark stripes on their thorax. In addition, theydon’t have bluish or greenish metallic coloured bodies like bottle flies. At rest, both the wings of a cluster fly overlap across the abdomen.
When and where do cluster flies appear in Altrincham?
Cluster fly infestations mostly occur in rural or semi-rural areas around Altrincham. They are often found in attics, roof voids and sash window frames. Once cluster flies have found a suitable place to live they will emit a pheromone which will attract others of the same species. It is also known that if the infestation is large enough the pheromone can produce repeat infestations.
The presence of cluster flies is usually first detected on warm, sunny days. The flies become more active as the temperature increases. They are often then seen in large numbers on summer days. It becomes a nuisance for property owners when cluster flies start appearing in lofts, bedrooms, bathrooms. You may also find flies landing on external walls.
What do cluster flies eat around Altrincham?
- Cluster fly pre-stage larvae (maggots) burrow into the soil and feed on earthworms.
- Adult cluster flies feed on the nectar of flowers, plant sap, fruit, flowers, and other types of organic matter.
If you think that you may have a cluster fly infestation in or around Altrincham please feel free to contact us. We will be more than happy to help or advise on a treatment for cluster flies or any other fly problems you may have.
Pest Control Treatment For Cluster Flies Altrincham
If cluster flies have taken over your property in Altrincham our local pest control service team will treat the effective areas with an insecticidal fogging machine. The machine breaks the insecticide down into fine particles filling the entire affected area with a heavy fog of insecticide. The insecticide will kill off all active flies on contact. Once the insecticide has dried it has a residual life of up to 2-3 weeks which will kill any flies that land on the treated areas. The treatment may need to be carried out twice a year for heavily infested properties.