As summer approaches, households often face an increasing nuisance from mosquitoes and other insects. Common responses to mosquitoes include swatting or using mosquito lamps, while cockroaches might be dealt with using slippers or insecticides. But what about flies?
A Man's Frustration with House Flies and Maggots
A male user shared on Dcard's insect forum that his home is frequently invaded by large house flies, which annoy him greatly. However, the sight of flies exploding and releasing maggots when swatted is even more distressing to him.
He explained that stray dogs fed nearby attract swarms of flies that occasionally enter his home. When he kills these flies, maggots emerge from their bodies, a shocking experience he described as "too disturbing". He asked the community, "Is it normal for flies to explode and release maggots when smashed?"
Community Experiences and Expert Explanation
Many users shared similar nightmarish encounters:
- One covered a fly with tape, only to see its abdomen rot and maggots emerge shortly after.
- Another recalled spraying insecticide on flies, which then released maggots as they died.
- A user who killed a fly using a classmate's textbook was horrified to find maggots inside.
An expert clarified that flesh flies are ovoviviparous, meaning their larvae hatch inside the mother fly's body, so smashing them often releases maggots, which is a normal biological process.
How to Effectively Control Flies Without the Maggot Problem
Many expressed confusion about how to kill flies effectively without causing maggot outbreaks. The Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration's Toxic Substances Management Division recommends a three-pronged approach:
- Environmental Management: Remove kitchen waste, garbage, and weeds regularly to eliminate breeding grounds.
- Physical Prevention: Install screens on windows and doors; in kitchens and restaurants, use curtains or dark corridors to block flies from entering.
- Chemical Control: Use insecticides appropriately on screens and doors, and employ fly swatters or sticky fly paper to catch and kill flies.
Additional Tips for Fly Prevention and Control
- Keep garbage bins tightly sealed and emptied frequently to prevent flies from laying eggs.
- Clean pet areas weekly to reduce fly attraction.
- Use fly traps, insecticides designed for indoor use, and light traps strategically placed away from entrances.
- Maintain good hygiene by promptly cleaning food residues and avoiding leaving food waste exposed.
By combining environmental cleanup, physical barriers, and targeted chemical use, households can reduce fly infestations and avoid the unpleasant experience of maggots emerging from killed flies.
