Size:
Medium-sized flies from 1/4-inch to 3/8-inch in length.
Color:
Shiny, metallic blue, green, or copper, depending on the species.
These flies are extremely common and can be found one to a few at a time in homes or businesses during the warm summer months. They are attracted to buildings by food odors and also warm/cool air currents emitting through cracks around doors and windows or through doors propped open for ventilation purposes. The sudden appearance of dozens of blow flies or bottle flies within a building signals a potential dead rodent, bird, or other animal in the wall, ceiling, attic, or crawl space.
Blow flies and bottle flies are important scavengers in nature as they are one of the first insects to reach a dead animal. These flies are part of the decomposition process that recycles nutrients back into the soil.
This fly eats from dead animals or meat, living animals with open wounds, animal poop, or some other decaying matter.
Beyond being a nuisance, green bottle flies may carry deadly diseases, simply by dint of coming into contact with human food. Like all flies, green bottle flies regurgitate and suck up their food repeatedly; this digestion process spreads microscopic pathogens.
Bottle Fly Prevention Tips
There are two main reason bottle flies around homes;
- openings (e.g. doors) exist that are permitting flies to enter.
- flies are being attracted to the building by trash containers or pet manure.
To minimize problems with bottle flies, take the following steps:
- Tightly seal garbage containers. Green bottle flies love to eat your trash.
- Exclude green bottle flies with screening. Make sure all of your windows and doors are screened.
- Caulk or cover all openings in your home’s exterior to prevent green bottle flies from slipping in.
- Remove manure (especially dog feces) from your property.
- Fly paper or traps may be hung to catch green bottle flies.
If the presence of these flies is due to a dead animal within the building, finding the location of the carcass and its removal is necessary, but is not easily accomplished.
Protects Your Business And Your Reputation