Flying insects can be a significant nuisance, particularly during the summer months. This season is the peak time for house flies, cluster flies, blow flies, fruit flies, wasps, and other flying pests. It’s also their prime breeding season, which can lead to rapid population growth if not managed effectively.
Managing flying insects is crucial for comfort, health and safety. Whether at home, in hospitality, agriculture, or business settings. Here, we outline best practices and insect control product recommendations to help you control these pests throughout the summer.
Best practicesÂ
There are several pre-emptive measures you can take to keep flying insects at bay before resorting to more permanent solutions. Here are some effective strategies:
Empty Your Bins Regularly:
Ensure that your bins are emptied frequently and before they become too full. After emptying, seal the bags completely and place them as far from the building as possible. Wash bins with detergents and disinfectants regularly.Â
Use Mini Fans:
To deter flies from landing on food and tables, consider placing mini fans on your tables. The airflow can help keep insects away from these surfaces.
Standing water:
Regularly check and manage any standing water in drains, bird baths, watering cans, and other containers. Standing water can become a breeding ground for many fly species, including mosquitoes, midges, gnats and flies that need moisture to survive, so eliminating these sources will make your environment unappealing.
Seal Food Properly:
Keep food in airtight containers and ensure that fruit is not overripe, as this can attract flies into your buildings. Wipe down surfaces after use to remove food residue. Â
Install Screens:
During the summer, open windows and doors can also invite flying insects. Installing fly screens can help keep these pests out whilst allowing ventilation.
Insect Repellant Plants:
Certain plants such as lavender, marigolds, and basil, can naturally deter flying insects. Consider adding these to your garden or indoor spaces.
Conduct Regular inspections:
Regularly inspect potential problem areas for signs of breeding sites and infestations. Early detection allows you to address issues before they become more significant. This is especially important on farms where there are many areas that flies could be attracted to.
By following these best practices, you can effectively manage and reduce the presence of flying insects, ensuring a more comfortable and safe summer environment.
When preventative measures aren’t enough
Unfortunately, these precautions may not completely eliminate your flying insect problems. If you find yourself facing an infestation, home measures alone may not suffice. Here are some recommended insecticides to tackle the most common flying pests this summer.
Wasp Control
In the UK, there are many types of wasps, which are likely to sting if they feel threatened. When a social wasp is disturbed, it releases a distress signal via pheromones, alerting its colony to the threat. This often results in a swarm of wasps appearing to defend their nest.
Finding a few wasps around your premises is normal, but spotting more could indicate a nearby nest. Removing these wasps yourself can be dangerous, as they are known to become aggressive when defending their nest. In such cases, using a wasp trap can be a safer and more effective solution.
Wasp Pro Trap
The Wasp Pro Trap is an efficient, professional-grade solution for eliminating wasps in outdoor spaces such as beer gardens, farms, restaurants, cafes, parks, and home gardens. Simply add the organic Wasp Lure concentrate to the trap and hang it in the areas where you notice wasps the most. The wasps will enter the wasp trap and become ensnared in the liquid. Pheromones in the lure are highly effective at attracting wasps. This long-lasting trap performs for up to two weeks and can be easily refilled for continued use until the problem is resolved.
Fly Control
With windows and doors open throughout the summer, flies can easily enter your home. Once inside, they are not only unhygienic but also a nuisance. Here are a few effective fly control solutions:
Twenty One Fly Killer
This professional-grade fly killer is ideal for use in poultry, pig, and livestock housing. It can be applied to walls, floors, and ceilings of buildings on farms, such as stables, piggeries, and cow and poultry sheds. Dilute in water and spray or mix thicker and paint onto boards. Hang the boards painted in Twenty one in sunrise sunspots, doing so uses the flies’ natural behaviour to increase contact with the product. The flies are attracted to the product and effectively eliminated.
Red Top Fly Catcher
The Red Top Fly Traps are a simple yet effective fly trap, and a go-to fly product within the farming community. Fill the bag with water, which mixes with the non-toxic powder to bait the trap and emit a scent that attracts nearby flies. Once hung, around 10 metres from where you don’t want the flies, preferably in a sunspot, the trap can last up to 12 weeks, attracting only flies and avoiding bees and other insects. It specifically targets female flies, interrupting the reproductive cycle. It can catch up to 20,000 flies in just three days! Red Top fly catchers work in the background so you can enjoy the sunshine, whether that be at an outdoor family gathering, beer garden, festival or public park.
Bayer Flying Insect Killer
This aerosol is designed for rapid fly control. Simply spray it on the problem insects, and the professional formula (d-tetramethrin and d-phenothrin) will quickly knock them down, allowing you to carry on with your day undisturbed. This is best used for flying insects but can also be used for crawling insects such as ants, cockroaches and fleas.Â
Need Professional Help?
Always follow the product instructions closely to achieve the best results. However, if these treatments do not resolve your infestation, please give us a call on 01842 765634. We can review our range of insect control products and recommend the best solution for your situation.
