Flies don’t appear above ground until they’re fully developed. Fly Life Cycle. Top Answer. What causes a fly infestation? You’ve been attacked by the “common attic or cluster fly“! Young, newly emerged cluster flies have short light-brown/yellowish hairs on their lower bodies. Cluster flies are commonly found in quiet, undisturbed parts of your home, such as attics and wall voids. What attracts cluster flies? Flies dwelling in warm homes and laboratories develop faster and live longer than their counterparts in the wild. Typically, cluster flies are not noticed outdoors in the summer. 6–10mm in length. Drain fly ((Psychodidae family) ) Appearance. The larvae then pupate in the soil for about two weeks before emerging as flies. Adult cluster flies are dark grey in colour, 8 to 10 mm long, and have numerous golden or yellowish hairs on thorax. Tan coloured body appears as grey. The only thing that attracts them to homes is their need to hibernate during the winter months. Cluster flies, however, can live for two years or more. Cluster fly. Phorid flies. How long can a fly live in your house? The female lays her eggs in the soil where they will hatch after a couple of days. The abdomen of a typical cluster fly features a black and silver chequered pattern. Appearance What Do They Look Like? A milder pyrethrum based spray is effective and widely available. Fly pupae appear larger, and their skin changes color, often yellow, red, brown or black and no longer look as cylindrical as they do as maggots. The adult flies feed on the nectar of garden and wild flowers. Some cluster flies may live for up to one year. Houseflies are found almost everywhere people live. How long do flies live? Flies have a relatively short lifespan, contrary to the popular belief that they live for a mere 24 hours. During the summer, cluster flies lay eggs outdoors in cracks in the soil. Dead cluster flies on the loft floor can lead to infestations of undesirable insects such as carpet beetle, which may subsequently invade the house and feed on fabrics. around 20-25 days. They are about 0.31 - 0.39 inches long, are gray and covered with visible yellow, bristle-like hairs. Cluster Flies Facts, Identification & Control Latin Name. Cluster Fly Identification. You may see a large group of cluster flies around a window, as they are attracted to the light on sunny winter days. Cluster flies are found throughout the UK, but predominantly in rural areas. Eggs are laid on damp soil or beneath dead and rotting leaves. Adult cluster flies live out of doors in the summer but seek refuge (usually loft spaces) in the autumn to hibernate, sometimes in vast numbers to emerge in the spring. Cluster flies are sluggish during cold weather and go dormant in the winter, which means they do not reproduce when the weather is cold. As a free-living insect the length of the life cycle is weather dependent. Dark grey–olive thorax clothed with crinkled golden–brown hairs. The thorax of an adult cluster fly is covered in short, golden hairs and the wings overlap when at rest. After fall, the best you can do is suck up cluster flies with a small handheld vacuum cleaner. Cluster flies do not reproduce indoors, and home owners bothered by these pests do not need to fear the flies are "hatching" from a dead animal or other unpleasant material within the attic or walls. They enter through cracks and crevices. Indoor bug sprays can help but you want to avoid using them too often within your living space. The cluster fly will fly around the home but at a less frantic pace than that of the house fly. Then, continue reading our 4-part guide for cluster fly control options. A cluster fly is a bit larger than a house fly and has a black/silvery-black checkered body. 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