As temperatures rise and spring settles in, many facilities experience a sharp uptick in fly activity. These unwelcome visitors are more than just a nuisance—they can jeopardize food safety, damage your reputation, and lead to regulatory issues. Understanding why flies become more active this time of year, and how Sprague helps protect your facility, is key to staying ahead of infestations.
Why Do Flies Become More Active in Spring?
Flies thrive in warm, moist environments. As winter fades and outdoor temperatures rise above 60°F, flies emerge from overwintering sites like wall voids, attics, and other protected areas. Spring also brings an increase in organic matter—like waste, spilled food, and standing water—which provides flies with ideal breeding conditions.
In short, spring delivers the perfect mix of warmth, moisture, and food sources that fuel rapid population growth and activity.
Common Fly Species That Emerge in Spring
Different types of flies become active at different points throughout the season, and each brings unique challenges. Here are a few you’re likely to encounter:
- Cluster Flies (Pollenia rudius): These flies overwinter in wall voids and attics and begin to appear in large numbers on sunny days in spring as they try to escape outdoors—often ending up dying inside instead.
- House Flies (Musca domestica): As temperatures rise, house flies begin breeding near dumpsters, waste bins, and other decaying organic matter. They’re strong fliers and quick invaders.
- Blow Flies (Family Calliphoridae): Recognized by their metallic blue or green sheen, these flies are often early indicators of sanitation issues or decaying matter.
- Drain Flies or Moth Flies (Subfamily Psychodinae): These small, fuzzy-looking flies breed in the organic buildup inside floor drains, sink traps, and other moist, scummy environments.
- Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster): Especially active in facilities with food prep areas, fruit flies show up when ripe produce or sugary liquids are left uncovered.
- Fungus Gnats (Family Mycetophilidae): Common in moist indoor plant soil or areas with water damage, fungus gnats may be mistaken for fruit flies but are a separate concern.
Identifying the species is the first step in determining where they’re coming from—and how to stop them.
Why Flies Are Entering Your Facility
Once active, flies are naturally drawn toward indoor environments. Here’s why:
- Food and moisture: Break rooms, kitchens, dumpsters, floor drains, and food prep areas offer abundant resources and attractive odors to flies.
- Light: Flies are phototactic, meaning they’re attracted to light. Open doors, windows, and even light leaks around entryways can lure them inside.
- Gaps and cracks: Even the smallest structural vulnerabilities—gaps in doors, unscreened vents, damaged weather stripping—can serve as entry points.
The Problem with Sticky Traps
Many businesses set up fly sticky traps in the hopes that they will curtail a fly problem, but most often they are not a complete solution to the problem. Sticky traps are helpful for monitoring fly activity and identifying hot spots, but by themselves they will not be enough to fully eliminate an infestation. Here’s why:
- They don’t address the source: Sticky traps only catch flies after they’re inside. They don’t stop breeding or prevent more flies from entering.
- Limited coverage: Traps only affect a small area. Flies are highly mobile and can avoid traps altogether.
- No impact on reproduction: A single female fly can lay hundreds of eggs. If breeding sources are not eliminated, infestations can grow quickly.
How Sprague Prevents and Controls Fly Infestations
At Sprague, we take a comprehensive, science-based approach to fly prevention and control. Here’s how we protect your facility:
- Inspection and identification: We identify the specific fly species involved, which helps determine breeding sites and tailor our strategy.
- Source elimination: Our experts locate and eliminate breeding grounds—like dirty drains, leaking pipes, or uncovered food waste.
- Exclusion: We inspect your facility for structural vulnerabilities and recommend or perform repairs to prevent fly entry.
- Targeted control: From bioremediation to clean your drains to insect light traps, our tools are chosen based on your facility’s unique risks and layout.
- Ongoing monitoring: We use sticky traps for trend analysis—not as a standalone solution—and adjust your Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan based on real-time data.
Stay Ahead of Spring Flies
Don’t let spring flies put your operations at risk. A proactive, expert-led approach is the key to a fly-free facility. Sprague’s team of trained professionals is here to help you eliminate fly attractants, seal up entry points, and put prevention measures in place that last all year long.
Ready to take control of spring fly activity? Contact us today for a customized assessment and action plan.