The fall is heralding the changing of seasons as a harbinger of winter that won't be far behind. The temperatures are moderating too, reduced to the 70s and 80s in contrast to the 90s and 100s of summertime. I even saw a light dusting of snow the other night.
But nothing can compare to the onslaught of houseflies that has invaded my living space when they seem to materialize from nowhere. Their numbers are what prompted the title of today's post. Keep your comments about satire and hyperbole to yourselves. I have no idea if that number is even a reality, but it gives some approximation of the fantasy world in which I am living. I suppose they are seeking what little remaining heat may be found indoors. They seem to prefer climbing all over the inside of the windows when the sun is out.
So all of that said, I went searching in an attempt to find some useful purpose that the common housefly might offer to humankind like me. Here's what I discovered this morning in a simple Google search.
Houseflies play several useful roles in the environment, including:
Waste management
Housefly larvae can break down a wide range of decaying organic matter, including household waste and animal manure. This helps recycle nutrients and reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
Food source
Housefly pupae are a food source for many animals, including birds, reptiles, and insects. Maggots are also used as bait by freshwater fishermen and as feed for tilapia.
Pollination
Flies pollinate many cultivated crops, including apples, strawberries, carrots, onions, bell peppers, black pepper, and coriander.
Wound treatment
Maggots can be used to treat gangrenous wounds without antibiotics. Sheep blowfly larvae can be used to treat diabetic ulcers, bedsores, and other wounds.
However, houseflies can also transmit pathogens and are a nuisance to livestock. The most effective way to control housefly populations is to use an integrated pest management approach that targets both adults and larvae.
Flies can be harmful to humans and animals in a number of ways, including:
Disease transmission:
Flies can carry and spread pathogens that cause diseases like food poisoning, dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever, and more. They can contaminate food and surfaces by landing on them, regurgitating, and defecating.
Biting:
Some types of flies, like mosquitoes, can bite humans and other animals to feed on their blood, which can transmit disease.
Economic losses:
Flies can cause economic losses.
Nuisance:
Flies can be a nuisance pest. Flies are attracted to rotting animal and plant waste, which can contain pathogens and parasites. They can also be found around pet waste, which they can carry bacteria from to other places.
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I can accept that there may be useful purposes for houseflies, but (and this is a BIG BUT) - I draw the line when I find them climbing into bed at night with me.
So, having done my due diligence to satisfy my curiosity, I can clearly state I am in the category this morning of attempting to control housefly populations. I routinely spend an inordinate amount of time vacuuming up both dead and live houseflies. If you ask me to estimate the number of houseflies I have dispatched to the hell from whence they came into my home during this fall season, my conservative estimate is a thousand million gazillion to date and that's where I lost count.
For wholesale destruction of houseflies, I recommend the use of a fly bomb. My product of choice is always the Hot Shot, distributed by Spectrum Group, a division of United Industries Corporation in St. Louis, MO. It's a simple-to-use fogger you can find at your local grocery store in the pest control aisle. (That tells you all you need to know about categorizing houseflies). It comes in a handy spray can. You hit the trigger at the top after making certain all the windows and doors are closed, then evacuate for three hours. You will return to your home to find at least a thousand million gazillion dead flies everywhere and blessed silence prevails in your home.
Take out your vacuum and commence sucking them all up. It's a task, but compared to putting up with all the annoyance it's a small price to pay for your reclaimed independence, believe me.
I have looked over the list of useful purposes the common housefly might provide, as cited above, but for me the best houseflies are the dead ones. I have learned that it only takes one male and one female to produce hundreds of larvae, so don't be surprised if you have to repeat the use of the fogger. It's worth it.
There's another sure cure for ridding yourself of houseflies.
It's called WINTER.
