How to Get Rid of Bluebottles

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Get Rid of Bluebottles

Bluebottle flies are the size of houseflies and have a shiny blue or green coloring---the color of a glass bottle, which gives them their name. These flies lay eggs in animal carcasses, and the hatched maggots eat the flesh, thus aiding decomposition. When bluebottles find their way indoors, they can become nuisances and potential hazards in the kitchen. Here's how to get rid of them.

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Step 1

Locate and remove the bluebottles' food source. Check your garbage for meat scraps, clean out any animal cages and litter boxes, and look for a dead animal, such as a mouse.

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Step 2

If you can't find the source, look for it outside. Any pet food, even the dry kind, can bring bluebottles. Remove anything that might be attracting the pests.

Step 3

Cover your garbage cans tightly so flies cannot enter them. This is as important outdoors as it is indoors.

Step 4

Remove kitchen garbage and animal litter from your home once a day while you have a bluebottle fly problem. Once the problem is cleared up, make sure you still remove garbage at least three times a week.

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Step 5

Dispose of any animal feces in your yard once a day.

Step 6

Check your screens for holes and repair them to prevent flies from entering your home.

Step 7

Use flystrips, fly bait or an insecticide in your home to rid yourself of existing bluebottles.

Tip

Seal meat scraps and animal litter in plastic bags before throwing them away inside.

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