Flies set to return, bringing disease with them

Close-up of houseflyPhoto byDeposit Photos

Along with other notorious and oft-ridiculed pests such as mosquitoes, Texans often also have to fend off common houseflies. The past two years have brought this scourge to homes throughout the state during the spring and fall seasons, but the summers have been a different story.

Houseflies generally become a nuisance during the transition of seasons, from Spring to Summer and again from Summer to Fall. This is because flies, much like many electronic devices, have a range of temperatures through which they can operate.

The common housefly generally finds itself unable to fly when temperatures reach 48°F (9°C), and will find the cold fatal at 44°F (7°C). As a result, any houseflies found when temperatures near these extremes will be searching for warmth, such as that found inside a house. Since most are unable to make their way to such an environment, the flies are not as much of a nuisance during the year from late Fall to late Spring.

At the other end of the temperature spectrum, heat can also prove damaging and even fatal to the housefly. According to Clemson University, fly larvae begin experiencing issues as the temperatures approach 115°F (46°C) and die off at 120°F (49°C). As Texas temperatures over the past two summers have routinely exceeded, or at least come very close to, 110°F (43°C), housefly populations have dwindled in the heat.

Thermometer in the heatPhoto byDeposit Photos

This past Spring brought with it a notoriously high population of houseflies to Texas as the temperatures were generally mild. In April, shoppers found it difficult to locate fly traps to help ease the infestation. Big box stores such as Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, which generally carry such non-toxic remedies, all found their shelves empty due to the high demand.

As Summer drew near, though, and as temperatures began to rise, the heat that brought emergency energy conservation requests from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the organization that operates the state’s electrical grid, also depleted the population of houseflies. While Texans suffered and sweated in the heat, they did not have the infamous pests with which to contend.

With about two weeks left in the official Summer, though, cool fronts have started to flow into the state from the north. This was evidenced by strong storms that passed through the North Texas area on Friday Night, September 8. These storms brought with them high winds, upwards of at least 80 mph, knocking out power to many in the area. Even through Saturday Morning, many homes were still without electricity as crews worked to get this restored.

Lightning from the storm also caused at least one large fire in Joshua, around 20 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

Storms, though, are not the only inconvenience that the cooler temperatures are bringing to the state. As temperatures cool, with highs predicted for the weekend to only reach 100°F (38°C) and to be even lower entering the new week (90s and even 80s are predicted for highs, with more storms in the forecast), the heat is no longer a factor for the houseflies.

Houseflies are not just a nuisance, though. They also are suspected of transmitting at least 65 diseases to humans. Thought by many to transmit these diseases through contact as they often land on infected sources and then on humans or their food. Instead, the transmission comes from the fact that flies actually regurgitate and excrete waste whenever they come to rest. The diseases that they can transmit include typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera, leprosy, tuberculosis, and even anthrax.

While many of these diseases have been either eradicated or greatly controlled within the United States, the danger of their spread increases with the population of houseflies. As the temperatures begin their dip to those of Fall, the chance of this spread also becomes more than just a nuisance.

Now would be the time to shop for and purchase fly traps to protect homes and families. As the seasons change, so do the offerings by the big box stores. While they may have been able to restock over the summer due to the lack of flies, their stocks will be limited, and the onslaught of new houseflies will increase the demand for them, causing stores to once again sell out quickly.