Spring is here and it’s starting to get warmer. That’s nice, but it also brings along bother with cluster flies.

Life stages

The cluster fly looks much like a usual fly. The cluster fly is a bit longer. The colour of the fly is brown-grey and its breast is covered in gold hairs. In the different life stages (egg-larvae-pop-adult), the cluster fly changes a lot. The females lay eggs under the ground, these eggs hatch within three days in the summer. After hatching, the larvae actively search for earthworms. Once they found one, they drill a hole in them and eat them from the inside. As soon as the worm died, the larvae will pop under the ground. It is common for cluster flies to have two generations per year, but if it is very hot in summer, they can also have as much as four. Adults feed with the nectar of flowers.

Lifestyle

The cluster fly thanks his name to the fact that they winter in swarms of possibly a thousand flies. They do this in the tops of buildings in covered places, like corners and cracks. In spring, when it’s slowly starting to lighten up and get warmer, the flies awake and are attracted by the light. They will mainly hang around the building they wintered in. After a couple of weeks they leave the building. The cluster flies can be very bothersome, because they are never alone, but always in a swarm. That is why we recommend getting rid of them by a professional in pest control.

Control

Cluster flies are harmless, but they can be very bothersome in big numbers. They sit on windows in swarms for example (because they are attracted by light). EWS Pest control is your professional in fighting the cluster fly. We do this by performing a seams and cracks treatment. This means that, in autumn, we spray an insecticide on every possible entrance in the top of the building. Consequently, flies that are looking for cover and try to get In, will be killed instantly. To prevent any fly from surviving, we always carry out a second treatment in spring. This way, the flies that come out after wintering are also killed.

Would you like to have more information about the control of cluster flies or other kinds of insect nuisance? Don’t hesitate to contact us, or go to: https://www.ews-group.nl/en/pest-control/