How Do Flies Survive the Winter? Uncovering the Overwintering Methods of Flies

Flies can be said to be a creature that everyone hates. In summer, flies always hover around food, which is extremely annoying, and they can also harm our health by carrying and spreading various pathogenic microorganisms. But this creature seems to pop out on its own as soon as the weather gets hot, yet is rarely seen in winter. So how do flies survive the winter?

1. How Flies Survive the Winter

Flies generally have two ways of overwintering. In winter, they lay their eggs in feces or in water. Compared with the cold outdoors, the temperature of feces and the bottom of the water is higher, which can ensure the eggs do not freeze to death. When spring and summer arrive, these flies begin to reproduce again. Another way flies overwinter is by flying into warmer indoor spaces or caves to escape the cold. When we clean the house in winter, we occasionally find some larger flies that cannot fly, and most of them belong to this category.

In addition, how flies overwinter is also related to the local climate. In the northern frigid and temperate zones, very active flies cannot be seen in nature; adult flies may only be active indoors where artificial heating is used. In the subtropical regions of South China, where the average temperature is above 5°C, flies do not need to enter dormancy and continue to breed and multiply.

2. The Harm Caused by Flies

Flies breed and land among garbage dumps, toilets, rotting animal carcasses, as well as pus and blood, sputum, and vomit, and forage for food from them. Their body surfaces and abdomens carry tens of thousands of bacteria, viruses, and parasitic eggs. Flies have the habit of eating, vomiting, and defecating at the same time. Wherever they land, the food and tableware there will be contaminated by bacteria, viruses, and worm eggs. When people eat contaminated food, intestinal infectious diseases or parasitic diseases can occur.

3. How to Deal with Indoor Flies

1. A flyswatter is a powerful tool for killing flies. You can swat flies to death with a flyswatter. However, the effectiveness of this method depends on personal skill.

2. Flies all fly in from outside, so the best way to eliminate flies is naturally prevention. Reduce the time doors are open, and install screens on windows to prevent flies from flying in from outside.

3. Insecticides are very lethal. Close the windows, spray the insecticide, and then open the windows for ventilation after a period of time. However, insecticides are harmful to both the human body and the environment, so they are not recommended for frequent use.

4. Set out flypaper. Flypaper can trap flies so they cannot move. After too many flies have been caught, simply replace it with a new sheet. This method is only suitable for places with many flies where strict fly elimination is not required.

5. Handle indoor food and garbage properly, keep the environment clean and tidy, and reduce the conditions for flies to breed. In addition, indoor mosquito-repellent products such as incense can also be used to reduce flies entering.

That is all for our discussion about flies. When flies appear indoors, be sure to clean up the garbage in the home promptly and keep the indoors clean. Otherwise, there will only be more and more flies, turning it into a fly paradise.