Flies in My Lawn

If people hanging out at your place want to know what all the buzz is about, it may not be because you have the most incredible cookouts. They may be talking about the incessant buzzing, biting and swarming flies on your property. It's a problem that can be annoying and can kill the fun associated with spending time outdoors in the lawn during the warm weather season. The Houseman Pest website tells us that your pest is most likely Musca domestica, or better known as the common house fly.

The first thing you need to determine is why you tend to have a fly problem in your yard. This is probably going to be simple to figure out once you take a moment to consider it. You have lawn flies simply because something is present in the yard to attract them. It's true that a cookout will bring a few over. So you should do your best to keep food covered so the flies do not land on the food.

But when food isn't the culprit, there is likely another reason they are hanging around. Unsecured garbage will attract flies, so keep tight-fitting lids on garbage cans and don't leave garbage on your property too long without taking it to the dump. If you have pets and they do their business in the yard, you should also keep it cleaned up. Manure of any kind will draw flies from far and wide.

If you aren't bothered somehow by the buzzing and biting of fly infestations, consider the health risks of flies in your lawn. Flies carry all sorts of diseases. Common flies can be responsible for the spread of serious diseases like typhoid, cholera, salmonella, tuberculosis and even parasitic worms and more. When flies land on your food and then you eat it, you could be digesting some unwanted bacteria or worse.

If your fly problem is a mild one with just a few flies present, you can probably contain the problem by eliminating or cleaning the area that is attracting them. Otherwise, watch where the flies seem to be resting and apply a residual pesticide to the area. This will repel the insects and keep them away. Odds are, if you are only seeing a few flies here and there, they are not breeding on your property.

Bob Vila recommends recommends using a few simple methods to clear your area of pesky lawn flies. Because flies can't fly well in breezes, set up an oscillating fan near the area being plagued by these little beasties. Citronella candles are excellent for repelling both flies and mosquitoes. Hang fly strips from fences, branches and patio railings. And don't forget the old tried-an-true swatting – some folks find that there's just something perversely pleasurable about smooshing these buzzing invaders.

If your turf is truly infested with lawn flies, you likely have a breeding area close by. You will need to find it and use an insecticide to destroy the colony of maggots to solve the problem. Investigate the area to find the largest concentration of flies and you will likely run across the area where the flies breed and lay eggs. You will probably find a place where maggots are visible. Use insecticide to kill the maggots and clean up the area. Reapply insecticide to the area to prevent further larval development.