Easy ID tips for 3 common fly species

Dr. Chuck Silcox, Product Development Manager, AMVAC Environmental Products

Cultural control is key to fly control. Breeding sites must be eliminated — and this means locating manure, decaying vegetation or garbage in which fly larvae develop. Adult flies can be controlled by applying a residual application of an appropriately labeled insecticide, for example. Another common method is to hang a dichlorvos (DDVP)-impregnated resin strip in garbage receptacles or trash dumpsters. Easy identification tips for three common fly species include:

• A stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) looks very similar to the common house fly but, when at rest, its head is held slightly higher and its abdomen is held slightly lower. It also is recognizable by its painful bite, which it often imposes on the lower leg and ankle areas of its host.
• A bottle fly is slightly larger than a house or stable fly. Also known as a blow fly, it is easily recognized by its body color, which is usually metallic blue (Calliphora vomitoria is a common species) or green (Lucilia sericata is a common species).
• Cluster flies are similar in size to bottle flies and often are found in large numbers on the southern side of buildings during the late summer and fall.