As the tagline for the 1986 film The Fly suggests, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” Flies are the absolute worst. The astonishing thing is that most people look at flies as annoying little pests; something they can simply brush away with the wave of a hand. Sure, you can do that. But the fact of the matter is, flies are among the filthiest, most disease-ridden creatures on the planet.
Really! Why?
First of all, flies carry, on average, twice as many germs as cockroaches. A big reason for this is how they typically live. Flies land on and eat some of the grossest things you can imagine; fecal matter, rotten food, dead animals, garbage… you name it. Everywhere they land, the tiny hairs on their legs pick up bacteria, viruses, and other disgusting particulate matter. Then, every time they land somewhere else, all that offensive material gets dropped off, like a filthy hitchhiker being dropped off on your dinner plate. Bon Appétit.
Speaking of your dinner plate, there is one more tidbit you should know about flies… They vomit on their food.
RELATED: Controlling and Preventing Flies in Your Home or Business
Flies have no teeth, so to digest their meals, they vomit digestive enzymes directly onto their selected menu item, let it dissolve, and then suck it up like a banana smoothie. This can happen within seconds of a fly landing on your hamburger, so even if you wave it away, the damage may already have been done. As gross as the idea of fly vomit is, in reality, the most critical factor is the disease they potentially spread with their legs and bodies onto your food. Cholera, E. coli, and all sorts of bacteria, can be passed onto your food in a split second.
So you might want to think about that before you wave a fly off your kabob and begin chowing down. Remember what you’re really eating. Remember why flies are just the grossest!
If you’re dealing with fly issues in your home or business, Modern Pest Services can help. Give us a call at 1-800-323-7378 or get an instant online quote for the comprehensive HomeCare Green program that controls 60 common pests, year- round!