Cluster flies are exactly as they sound and appear in buildings in mass groups or ‘clusters’. They can sometimes arrive in large numbers and be quite unexpected. In appearance they resemble the common house fly and are normally seen in the Autumn when they are attracted to buildings, looking for somewhere to hibernate. In Springtime they emerge from hibernation, and so it is often during Autumn and Spring that people can suddenly find themselves with a fly infestation.
The cluster fly lifecycle involves parasitic larvae that live on earthworms, but cluster flies themselves are harmless to humans and cause no structural damage to houses – although in large numbers they can be very unpleasant.
A cluster fly infestation tends to appear on the southern aspect of houses or anywhere there is more sunlight, as this is warmest during winter. The flies will get into your house through tiny cracks and crevices. To stop flies getting into your house it helps to seal any crevices you can find, but it is not always easy to see exactly how flies are getting into the house. Most people do want to get rid of flies if they are appearing in large numbers and the most effective way to remove a fly infestation is to employ a reputable pest control service – one that is equipped to carry out fly pest control and fly infestation removal.
Often cluster flies will appear in the attic or loft and a professional pest control service with a cluster fly pest control program should be able to deal with this relatively easily for you. If your loft is treated for cluster fly removal, the pest control service will use an insecticide throughout the whole area which should be sufficient to remove the cluster fly infestation.
Sometimes cluster flies can gather in windows, coming through small gaps from outside walls. Getting rid of cluster flies yourself using off the shelf products can be difficult due to the large number of flies involved. Again, the best option is to employ a local pest control service who can provide cluster fly pest control. They will treat affected areas, often using smoke bombs or fogging equipment. It is always best to use a professional pest control service as the insecticide they use will be highly effective (so you know it will work) but it may need to be used along with professional safety equipment. If there are large numbers of cluster flies left dying off after the treatment process, they are easily removed using a vacuum cleaner.
