Every summer in Meridian it goes about the same way. The heat settles in around late June, the trash carts by the garage start to bake, and the two or three house flies by the back door turn into a dozen on the kitchen window by August. Homes that back up to pasture or hay ground out toward Ten Mile and Black Cat tend to get it worst, but tidy lots off Eagle Road see plenty too.
The good news is that house flies are mostly a breeding-site problem. Find where they’re breeding and take it away, keep them from getting inside, and catch the adults that are left. Here’s how to do each of those around a Meridian home.
Why Meridian Sees So Many House Flies
House flies (Musca domestica) lay their eggs in moist, rotting material: garbage, pet waste, wet grass clippings, compost and manure. In hot weather an egg can become a breeding adult in about a week to ten days, so one forgotten bag of trash can turn into a real problem quickly. The University of California’s pest note on flies has a good rundown of their life cycle and habits.
A few local things push the numbers up here:
- Summer heat. Treasure Valley afternoons in the 90s speed up every stage of the fly life cycle.
- Irrigation. Pressurized irrigation keeps lawns, clippings and the soil under shrubs damp all season, and damp organic matter is right where larvae do well.
- Ag edges. Meridian still has horse properties, hobby farms and dairies around its edges. Manure and wet feed can produce flies that drift into neighborhoods on a warm breeze.
- Trash day. Roll-out carts sit in the sun for a week between pickups, and food scraps stuck to the bottom of a hot cart make a fly nursery.
Signs There’s a Breeding Spot Close By
A few flies that wander in through an open door are normal for a Meridian summer. These are the signs that something nearby is producing them:
- Flies sitting on the same sunny wall, window or fence every afternoon.
- Small white maggots in the bottom of trash carts, around a dog run or under a wet pile of clippings.
- Flies indoors even when the doors have stayed shut. That usually points to something inside, like a forgotten bag of potatoes, a drain or the garbage disposal.
- Numbers that climb week over week instead of holding steady.
Step 1: Clean Up Breeding Sites Outside
This step does more than anything else on the list, so start here.
- Bag kitchen scraps and tie them off before they go in the outdoor cart. Rinse the cart every couple of weeks in summer and let it dry upside down.
- Pick up dog waste at least twice a week. In July and August, daily is better.
- Don’t leave wet clippings in a heap. Spread them thin, bag them or put them in the green waste cart.
- Keep a lid on the compost, turn it often, and bury fresh food scraps under dry leaves or shredded paper.
- If you keep chickens, goats or horses, clean out wet bedding and spilled feed on a regular schedule. On any property with animals, manure is the first place to look.
Step 2: Keep Them From Getting In
Once breeding is under control, turn to the house itself.
- Check window and door screens every spring. Small tears near the bottom of sliding-door screens are common.
- Replace worn door sweeps and weatherstripping, especially on the door between the garage and the house.
- Keep the garage door down. A garage with trash carts inside is one of the easiest ways in.
- Close doors behind kids and dogs during barbecue season. It sounds simple, but it makes a difference.
Step 3: Check for Breeding Spots Inside
If you’re seeing flies with the doors closed, look here:
- Kitchen trash cans, including the space under the bag liner.
- The garbage disposal and sink drains. Tiny, fuzzy flies hanging around a drain are usually drain flies rather than house flies, and our guide to getting rid of drain flies in sinks and showers walks through that problem.
- Produce bins, onion and potato bags, and recycling with sticky cans or bottles.
- Pet food bowls left out in a warm room.
Step 4: Catch the Adults That Are Left
Traps won’t fix a breeding problem, but they do bring the adult population down while you work on the source. Keep them away from doors and patios where people gather, because a trap pulls flies toward it. Sticky ribbons work well in garages and sheds. Jar-style traps work outside if you empty and replace them on schedule, since a full one stops catching and starts to smell.
This is where we can take it off your hands. ProGuard can add fly traps to any regular service visit, so you don’t have to deal with the mess. We’ll install them during the visit, placed where they’ll catch flies before they reach your doors, and dispose of the used ones. Fly traps are an add-on to our pest control service, not a standalone fly service. If you run a business or live over in Boise, our post on fly traps for Boise homes and businesses covers the commercial side in more detail.
A Seasonal Fly Routine for Meridian
- Spring (April to May): repair screens and sweeps, scrub out trash carts and set up a routine for compost and clippings before the heat arrives.
- Early summer (June): get traps out before numbers build. Fly pressure usually climbs once the nights stay warm.
- Peak season (July to August): pick up pet waste daily, rinse carts more often and keep the garage door down.
- Fall (September to October): flies slow down as nights cool off. Clean up the last of the garden and any fallen fruit, then pull traps once activity drops.
Common Questions
Do house flies spread germs?
They can carry bacteria from garbage and waste onto food and counters, which is reason enough to keep them off the picnic table. Cover food outside and wipe down the surfaces flies land on.
Do fly-repelling plants work?
Basil, mint and lavender are nice to have by the back door, but they won’t hold off flies coming from a breeding spot down the fence line. Sanitation and traps do the real work.
Why do I have flies when my house is clean?
The source is usually outside: a neighbor’s trash cart, a dog run, wet clippings or a nearby animal property. On a warm evening, flies can travel a surprising distance.
Does my pest plan include flies?
Flies aren’t a guaranteed pest, so they aren’t covered by the free return visits that come with our quarterly plans. Fly traps aren’t booked on their own, but you can add them to any regular service visit, and we’ll install them and dispose of the used ones while we’re there.
Fly Control in Meridian
Our residential pest control plans handle spiders, ants, wasps and hornets, mice, rats and fall invaders, with quarterly, bi-annual and one-time service. Fly traps are available as an add-on: we install them and dispose of the used ones during a regular service visit. You can see what else we do around town on our Meridian pest control page.
ProGuard is a local, family and veteran owned company based in Eagle, serving homes and businesses in Eagle, Boise, Meridian, Garden City, Star, Nampa, Caldwell, Emmett and Middleton. Call or text (208) 352-2062 or contact us about a pest control plan, and ask about adding fly traps.