Getting Rid of House Flies in the Coachella Valley

Most of us have encountered flies in our homes, whether they come in through an open window or on fruit. Whether it’s a housefly or a fruit fly, they’re more than just an annoying houseguest. Because flies eat garbage and rotten meat, they can easily spread contamination through your home. Flies can carry diseases such as cholera, dysentery, salmonella, E. coli, tuberculosis, and typhoid.

There are two types of fruit flies common to the Coachella Valley: the red-eyed species, and the dark-eyed species. Though the dark-eyed fruit fly is larger than the red-eyed species, they’re both approximately 1/8th – 1/6th of an inch in length. Their bodies are tan in color in the front, and black in color in the rear. Not only found in fruit, some fruit flies can live and breed underneath tiles and inside drains.

Common in the Coachella Valley, houseflies are 1/4 of an inch in length and gray in color. You may be able to see a few dark stripes on its body. Houseflies feed by ejecting their saliva onto food in order to liquify it and suck it up. This process leaves behind dangerous bacteria. Houseflies also walk across feces and decaying meat and garbage, which transfers dangerous bacteria to everything they walk across afterwards. Houseflies can lay hundreds of eggs over a period of a few days, so it’s essential to deal with them right away.

Flies are also a nuisance in your home’s outdoor space when they nest and breed in your property’s shrubs, bushes, and grass. Peak fly season in the Coachella Valley happens between May and October, and ongoing treatment may be needed to ensure your home and property are rid of these pests.