Flies are a common nuisance in the Ozarks year-round, but their activity can dramatically spike during heat waves. Warmer temperatures create ideal conditions for flies, encouraging them to move indoors in search of food, moisture, shelter, and cool air. Both house flies and fruit flies become harder to control when heat waves set in. This reasoning isn’t just anecdotal. It turns out there’s a biological reasoning behind it too.
Flies are cold-blooded and become more active in warmer temperatures. This includes an accelerated life-cycle. Under normal conditions, a house fly takes between 10 to 12 days to develop from an egg into an adult. However, during heat waves when temperatures are in the 90s, this process can take just 4 to 6 days. Fruit flies can produce even more quickly, often completing a full cycle in as little as 4 days. This rapid cycle means fly populations can explode if left unchecked.
The indoor environment becomes especially attractive to flies during hot spells. Not only is it often cooler than the outdoors, but it also offers a buffet of food sources, such as over-ripened fruit, crumbs, spills, pet food, and trash. Standing water in sink drains or plant trays can also provide much-needed water. The combination of food and water indoors makes homes and businesses particularly vulnerable to flies during summer heat waves…