Flies are becoming unruly this summer — and not just at your picnic and cookout.
Summer's been abuzz with them. Some even set up shop in the Spectrum News 1 Rochester studio. It's the kind of up close and personal experience that can have anyone reaching for a swatter.
Flies come from everywhere, and you never know where the insect's previous destination was. Typically, flies are attracted to food, garbage and dead rodents.
Besides being a major nuisance, that buzzing near your ear may also pose health risks by transmitting disease.
There are more than 110,000 species of flies. A local exterminator says in the Rochester region, cluster flies, which are not harmful to humans, are taking over.
"The weather was so warm and then it cooled off and they're a type of fly that normally is actually going to be out in fields, they're feeding off of grubs and worms," said Jasmine Almeter of Residential & Commercial Pest Pros. "They're a parasitic fly and so in their youth, as larvae, they spend that in earthworms, but then as soon as they [are] adults, they come near buildings and they just want to sit on the side of buildings and collect heat and they come in massive numbers. So it could be something like that or it could be a field fly, could be a trash can was too close to a door and some got in, a rodent died somewhere and they're feeding off of it. Locating that source is imperative to removing those flies."
You can help keep flies away by:
- Removing food sources
- Keeping doors closed and screens in good shape
- Removing dead rodents
- Using electric fans
Almeter also suggested taking preventative steps such as getting spray treatments around the exterior of your home. That can also help keep other insects and pests away.
