Warmer temperatures, open trash create prime opportunity for flies

SAN DIEGO COUNTY – County residents are reminded that they can help keep flies from being a nuisance during warm weather spells.

The key to controlling fly populations is to break the lifecycle at some point to prevent adult flies from emerging from the "puparia." If there is no moist, organic matter available, the adults will have no place to lay eggs, and the cycle will be broken. The key is to maintain clean and dry trash bins.

Use trash container liners – The most effective means of maintaining clean, maggot-free cans is to keep it clean. An effective way to do this is to fit the can with a heavy-duty plastic liner immediately after it is emptied. When tied off and sealed after the fourth day, any eggs that are deposited on the trash inside, and any maggots that emerge, are trapped in the liner, and cannot leave the container to pupate and then emerge as an adult. These liners are larger and heavier-duty than regular trash bags. After the liner is tied off on the fourth day, additional bagged trash can be piled on top for the next three days. Purchase appropriately-sized receptacle liners and install them before putting any waste in freshly dumped receptacles. Educate visitors/tenants about the benefits of lining trash containers.

Bag and seal all garbage and wet waste – When waste is bagged and sealed, any eggs that were laid before the bag was sealed cannot escape. However, this technique is not effective if scavengers rip the bags open, exposing the waste to female flies as a substrate for eggs. Lining and bagging together will be more effective than using one without the other. Purchase and seal trash bags rather than dumping moist organic material into trash receptacles. Educate visitors/tenants about use of trash bags. Landlords should furnish trash bags to tenants.

Prevent the scavenging and opening of trash bags – As explained above, the activity of scavengers breaks open trash bags making moist organic material available to female flies as a substrate for her eggs. Discourage the practice of putting recyclable materials in the trash. Scavengers open trash bags to find high value recyclable items. If they had less success finding materials of value in the trash, they would abandon the practice of ripping open trash bags. Store trash receptacles in a garage or side yard where they are not accessible to scavengers.

Lock containers to prevent trash dumping by nonresidents and the overflow and ripping of bagged material – A strict unlocking schedule must be followed because this measure will be counter-productive if the receptacle is not unlocked so that it can be emptied.

Wash garbage containers – Washing trash receptacles can remove organic residue needed by female flies for laying eggs. Be sure that wash water is not discharged into the storm water.

Maintain intact trash containers with functional lids – If a female fly makes it into a container in which there is wet organic matter and lays her eggs, they will hatch into maggots. The maggots crawl out of the container to find a dry place to pupate, often in debris such as small leaf litter in the alleys. Replace damaged receptacles.

Spray trash can lids with repellant - Effective repellants may include essential oils, bleach, or commercial pesticides. Be sure that no pesticide/repellent is allowed to come into contact with the ground, as this is a storm water violation.

Provide sufficient containers – Have additional containers available to adequately hold trash as needed. Prevent recycling containers from being used for trash. Because recycling receptacles are emptied every other week, any eggs laid on trash that is in recycling receptacles have ample opportunity to hatch and emerge as flies to continue the cycle.

Remove trash and vegetation around trash container areas - Pupae can often be found under vegetative litter in cracks and crevices. Pick up trash, leaf litter, debris. Prune vegetation around containers. When sweeping, don’t sweep into vegetation. Collect the material that is swept up, bag it, and dispose of it.