CLUSTER FLY CONTROL | BUGSPRAY

Cluster flies closely resemble house flies and are easy to mistake one for the other. Their behavior is quite different, however, and this difference is usually enough to determine which you have.

CLUSTER FLY BIOLOGY

Cluster flies are parasites of earthworms. Adult females lay their eggs in the soil. When the larva hatch, they seek earthworms as their food. The larva burrow into the worm and feed on it for up to a month. Once it gets its fill, it leaves the worm to pupate. It does so in about two weeks and then emerges as an adult which feeds on shrubs and flowers. It is prevalent throughout the entire United States and will be able to complete up to 8 generations in any season.

 

CLUSTER FLY LIFE CYCLE

Cluster flies are a nuisance because they live a long time. In fact, most other flies live less than three months. Cluster flies, however, can live for two years or more. To endure the harsh winter, they will hibernate. This is what causes conflict with man.

Cluster flies grow in the ground. Female flies lay eggs in the soil which hatch larvae that seek earthworms. Using the worm as a host, the larvae will feed inside the worm. This will not affect the worm. After it gets its fill, the larvae leave the worm and pupate in the soil to emerge as the adult fly. Over the course of the summer, this pattern will play out. Females mating, laying eggs in the soil, feeding on worms as larvae, pupating in the ground to adults and then leaving to seek a mate.

In the fall, Cluster flies will migrate into the siding of homes and other buildings. There they stay until warm weather and spring. Homes which attract cluster flies seem to attract more each year. This happens because once a home is “marked” as a good location on which to hibernate, pheromones will be left on the home signaling to other flies to come and nest here too. The first few years of having the flies stay all winter go undetected but at some point their population will start to find their way inside and once that happens, it can be an ongoing problem for many years if left untreated.

Cluster flies will migrate inside seeking heat. And in the spring, it can happen more by mistake. It is not uncommon for some of them to mistake a warm winter day as spring. Once they awake they will move to where it is warm. This may turn out to be inside your home. They crawl out around molding and vents, warm up and become an instant pest. Most people are at a loss when trying to understand where they came from and will spend a lot of time and effort trying to control them. Once identified, there is a way to get control.

 

HOW TO TREAT A CLUSTER FLY PROBLEM

Cluster flies can be hard to control but there are options. You will need to do several things to break their cycle and stop them from living in your home.

 

BEST CLUSTER FLY SPRAY FOR THE HOUSE

On the outside of the home, spray with MAXXTHOR EC. This fast working concentrate will keep them off the structure by repelling them immediately.

Spray from the gutters down to where the ground meets the foundation using our GREEN HOSE END SPRAYER.

The following “short video” (less than 60 seconds long) shows how to use it in our sprayer:

Next, spray around the home. Since cluster flies come from the ground, its important to eliminate your grass, mulch and pine straw as places for them to be reproducing.

If using a pump sprayer, mix 1 oz per gallon of water in a standard PUMP SPRAYER to treat the home. Use 1 gallon of mixed product per 500-750 sq/ft and renew as needed; once a month will usually be enough to keep them off the home. But for most people, the hose end sprayer will be better as it will allow you to apply a lot more product faster and this is usually needed for this fly.

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To get the most of your treatment, add SPREAD-X BOOST to your tank mix along with the Maxxthor. Boost is an adjuvant, also known as a wetter spreader or spreader sticker. It basically makes water and the mixture more “slippery” so you get better coverage. Treatments will spread 2-3 times wider and penetrate deeper. This is especially helpful when treating a homes siding for pests that like to nest under it like cluster flies.

The following short video summarizes why Boost can help deliver your treatment to where it matters the most. And this is extra helpful when treating homes with siding like vinyl, aluminum and stucco where cluster flies are likely hiding.

Add no more than the rate you’re applying the Maxxthor so in this case, if you’re adding 2.5 oz of Maxxthor to the hose end sprayer, add 2.5 oz of Boost too before adding water. If you’re adding Maxxthor to a pump sprayer at the rate of 1 oz per gallon, use 1 oz of Boost.

And don’t spray in the middle of the day; treat late in the day close to sunset so the treatment can dry without direct sunlight. UV light on the Boost can stress plants if the temperature is 85 degrees or higher so treat 2 hours or less before sunset to reduce sunlight stress.

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This PUMP SPRAYER will reach up 15 feet and can be adequate for most homes.

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But if you need to reach higher, our HOSE END SPRAYER will use the power of your garden hose and reach as high as the hose will spray.

This video show why this particular sprayer is well suited for the task of applying up high:

Add 2.5 oz of Maxxthor to the sprayer, fill it with water to the 5 gallon line and then hook it to your hose to treat. Use the entire amount to treat up to 5,000 sq/ft of home or turf.

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BEST TIME TO TREAT CLUSTER FLIES

We get this question quite a bit and the quick answer is from spring through fall. Here’s why.

First, in early spring, cluster flies living under your homes siding or in the attic/wall voids will exit your home to go off and live their life outside for the summer and fall. So if the homes exterior has been dusted and sprayed prior to them leaving in early spring? Many will die so the amount returning the following fall will be greatly reduced.

Second, any that are using the ground around your home to lay eggs will be returning all spring and summer. Even though you don’t see them on your home, they will be in the turf. But spraying it will Maxxthor will both kill them AND keep their eggs from thriving.

Remember, cluster flies live several years AND their offspring is “pre-wired” to target the home where they were first created. By killing off any regenerating in your yard will in turn reduce the amount coming back in the fall to use your home for hibernation.

Lastly, in the fall, renewing the exterior spraying is vital to both kill and repel any survivors who will be per-disposed to target your home.

So in summary, spray the homes exterior siding in the spring and during the summer, spray your turf every 4-6 weeks (this will also prevent ants, roaches and other pests). And be sure to spray the homes exterior siding in the fall to prevent the natural migration they make into homes they’re using for over wintering.

DUST WALL VOIDS AND EXTERIOR SIDING FOR THE LONGEST LASTING PROTECTION

On the homes siding, in the attic and deep in the wall voids will also need to be treated. And the best option for these hidden spaces is XEMPT DUST. Using a CRUSADER, you can puff small amounts up under the exterior siding, into any cracks or crevice common to log homes and into all crevices they might choose to use for hibernating.

The following “short video” (less than 60 seconds long) shows how to treat your homes siding which for Vinyl, Aluminum, Wood Shakes or Stucco will be required.

Xempt D features two qualities that make it more efficient compared to ordinary insecticide dusts.

First, like insecticide dusts, it will agitate insects and force them to leave the dusted area or else they will die. And once they start moving, if they have dust on them, they will die by dehydration.

Directly treated pests will succumb to the dust within a day BUT even as the active ingredient wears off in 1-2 months, the remaining base ingredient will keep working by making pests uncomfortable. So where ordinary dusts break down after 1-2 months and have no way of impacting pests, Xempt’s base lasts and keeps active by retaining its dehydrating feature.

The second most important part of this feature is that Xempt D CAN GET WET BUT WILL STILL WORK! This makes it quite unique and why it’s so well suited for both dry AND moist environments. The only way it won’t keep working is if you have water moving which causes it to wash away. But when left in place? Xempt dust will keep working!

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Use this duster to apply the Xempt D. It only takes 2-3 squirts every 3-4 feet and as you treat, watch how far the dust floats to ensure you’re getting adequate coverage.

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If you don’t feel like climbing a ladder to apply the dust, use our DUSTICK.

It features 4 foot extensions so you can reach up 30 feet or more to get every row of siding properly treated.

The following “short video” shows how the Dustick is used:

The Dustick is an investment but will pay back by both keeping you safely on the ground and saving time.

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In attics, use a DUSTIN MIZER to blow the dust out.

Cluster Flies love attics but dusting it good with Xempt D will keep them from using it for many years.

The following video shows how the Dustin Mizer works for attics or crawl spaces:

Again, use 1 lb for every 1500-2000 sq/ft. In protected areas like attics, treatments can last at least 12 months.

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HOW TO TREAT CLUSTER FLIES ON WINDOWS

During the winter, cluster flies can become a real problem as they migrate into living spaces when feeling the “warmth” from within. If a house is “scented” and luring cluster flies inside, they tend to accumulate around windows since they’re a weak spot for points of entry on most homes.

To help manage the problem, you have two options.

SPRAY WINDOW FRAMES WITH FLYING INSECT KILLER

First, lightly mist window frames and the wall around it with FLYING INSECT KILLER.  This will provide both residual and a quick kill to any active when you treat.

Treatments will last several days up to a week but with a lot of fly activity, you may need to treat twice a week until you knock down their numbers to your satisfaction.

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Plan on treating twice  week until the fly activity ends. Also expect to be vacuuming up a lot of dead flies!

FOR DEEP PENETRATION FS MP AEROSOL IS BEST

Now for deep penetration, you’ll need our FS MP AEROSOL. Its both quick killing and highly repellent so it will kill all stages nesting and reproducing in the walls and around the window. But more importantly, it will repel the new ones coming to your home which often times use the window as a main route of entry.

Since windows are so important when treating for cluster flies, we did a whole video which shows nothing but how to properly treat a window. This worth the watch if you have cluster flies nesting around window frames:

Spraying these cracks and crevices with FS MP AEROSOL. will offer a quick kill and repellency since they don’t like FS MP and avoid the area. Use it once a week when flies are active.

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Another option is to install AEROSOL MACHINES equipped with CLEAR ZONE REFILLS. These machines run on batteries and can cover up to 400 sq/ft per machine. Once powered on and filled with a can of Clear Zone, they’ll work around the clock by releasing a small 1/2 second blast of pyrethrin based spray strong enough to control any flying pests like mosquitoes, gnats, flies, moths and more.

The following “short video” (less than 60 seconds) shows how easy these machines are to use and why they’re so effective for any flying pest:

Set up machines close to any window where cluster flies are active and they’ll quickly die.

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Fit each machine with a can of CLEAR ZONE. This spray is safe enough to be deployed in any room including kitchens and bedrooms. Cans will generally last 30 days when set to release every 15 minutes.

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Lаѕtlу, thе SPARROW HAWK FLY TRAP саn bе dерlоуеd іn аnу rооm whеrе аdult cluster flies аrе ѕееn. It’ѕ amazingly well adapted for catching flying insects like mosquitoes, no-seeums, drain flies and more. It has a large glue board that catches them once they enter the holes on the outside band. Keep one installed in kitchens bathrooms or bedrooms where pests have been seen.

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Here is the kit that features the Sparrow Hawk with our Aerosol Dispenser and a can of Clear Zone.

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