Pest Index Flies

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Housefly

Common house fly, Musca domestica

Pest Description

Houseflies are among the common insects on Earth, and are a common sign of unsanitary conditions due to their breeding in filth including garbage, feces, and rotting food. Houseflies make their way into homes through cracked walls, windows, and other openings, where they then feed and breed in rotting food and garbage. In addition to being a nuisance, houseflies carry diseases including bacteria, fungi, and viruses that they transfer between the decaying substances they consume and they surfaces they land on. Houseflies are a leading cause of food-borne illness.

CHARACTERISTICS

  • Brown
  • 3/8 in. size

Diseases

  • Diarrhoea
  • Typhoid fever
  • Cholera
  • Dysentery
  • More

Fruit fly

Drosophila melanogaster - side (aka)

Pest Description

Fruit flies are a common sign of rotting fruit and produce, in addition to fermented foods such as beer and wine. When they begin reproducing indoors, they can become very hard to eliminate, with each female producing 500 eggs that hatch in 24 hours. At this rate, kitchen and trash areas of homes and businesses become swarmed by these nuisances. Fruit flies also spread food-borne illnesses at extremely fast rates and their presence is cause for concern to restaurants.

CHARACTERISTICS

  • Light brown or tan with two stripes on back
  • 0.098 in. size

DISEASES

  • Diarrhoea
  • Typhoid fever
  • Cholera
  • Dysentery
  • More

Gnat

Pest Description

Gnats are widely known for their small size and large numbers, along with their tendency to swarm together and form "clouds". Gnat clouds are formed by male gnats seeking mates by using the cloud's size to gain more attention than their small bodies can alone. Due to this, gnat clouds will hover around large objects, such as people, to gain more attention. Gnats are more common in humid, damp areas, resulting in more activity during the summer. While most gnats are non-biting, some do indeed bite humans and animals.

CHARACTERISTICS

  • Black with long, slender abdomen
  • 1/8 in. to 1/4 in. size, usually in swarms

DISEASES

  • Salmonellosis
  • Typhoid Fever
  • Cholera
  • Dysentery
  • More