Blow Flies in Kailua Kona
One of the most common flies found near dead animals, blow flies thrive in highly unsanitary habitats and can serve as potential carriers of disease pathogens like dysentery. Distinguished by their vivid metallic appearance, these flies are abundant in areas near recycling centers, garbage dumps, slaughterhouses, and meat processing plants, including commercial, institutional, industrial, and residential buildings. Capable of detecting faint traces of decay odor, blow flies can cover up to 12 miles in search of a suitable carcass to deposit their eggs.
Blow Fly Habitat
Blow flies prosper in warm and humid weather, typically laying eggs on meat, fish, or deceased animals. Additionally, they deposit eggs in decomposing organic matter, including garbage, animal manure, rotting vegetables, grass clippings, and poorly managed compost piles. Given favorable temperatures, blow flies can undergo development from egg to adult within a remarkably short 7-day period. Many homeowners have observed this phenomenon, noticing a large amount of maggots emerging in large numbers from backyard trash cans when kitchen waste is not securely sealed in plastic bags.
Blow Fly Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers
Blow flies do possess the capability to bite or sting. However, their strong attraction to human foods and garbage can make outdoor cooking challenging when they are present. Similar to house flies, blow flies may play a role in transmitting disease agents acquired from garbage or animal feces, which can then be deposited onto human foods. The primary risk associated with blow flies lies in their potential to distribute disease-carrying organisms affecting humans, such as salmonella food poisoning, dysentery, cholera, various parasitic worms, and other pathogens.
If you are dealing with a blow fly problem on your property, contact your local fly exterminators.
