Cluster flies are related to blow flies, such as the blue bottle flies, green bottle flies, etc. A milder pyrethrum based spray is effective and widely available. Cluster flies are generally just considered a nuisance when they decide to move into your house in the fall. It appears that cluster flies eat flower nectar and are not associated, as many nuisance flies are, with garbage, carrion and other unsanitary food sources. Just as they become a nuisance in the fall while seeking hibernating quarters, they … Both male and female flies suck nectar from flowers as well. Cluster fly repellent are meant to repel or kill insects and can be used indoors as well as outdoors. Cluster flies are strictly parasitic on earthworms. Like many other species of fly, cluster flies love decaying food and are more attracted to food with high sugar composition. WHAT DO CLUSTER FLIES EAT? Photo credit: MSU Diagnostic Services. Cluster Flies feed on much safer organic matter such as sap, honey dew, plant nectar and other mostly harmless things. The larvae use earthworms as a food source.The larvae feed for about 22 days. Get Rid of Cluster Flies with Chemicals They are attracted to buildings because of the heat and odors they may emit. Unlike house flies, cluster flies prefer to lay eggs in the soil. Flies are most active when it is warm, for this is when their larvae are most likely to hatch. Parasitic behavior is exhibited by cluster flies in the larval stages. Indoor bug sprays can help but you want to avoid using them too often within your living space. Additionally, cluster flies have golden hairs growing on their body whereas house flies do not. The Calliphoridae (commonly known as blow flies, blow-flies, carrion flies, bluebottles, greenbottles, or cluster flies) are a family of insects in the order Diptera, with 1,200 known species.The maggot larvae, often used as fishing bait, are known as gentles. Why are cluster flies a problem? Where Do Flies Go At Night? The major source of food for the larvae of cluster flies is earthworms and especially Aporrectoda chlorotica and Aporrectoda caliginosa species of earthworms. Again, the best way to avoid cluster flies is to prevent them from entering your building in the first place. They enter through cracks and crevices. They do not transmit disease. But having them show up has more to do with bad luck and a healthy earthworm population outdoors. The bottle (or blow) fly is much larger than cluster flies and significantly faster. Overwintering insects generally stay in secluded areas until the warming and lengthening days of spring pull them from hiding. What Attracts Flies Into Your Home Or Surroundings? The cluster fly larvae are parasitic on earthworms and will pupate in the soil, emerging as adults ready to find shelter for the winter. 1) are slightly larger than the common house fly, Musca domestica . don’t jump to the conclusion that you have a dead animal in your house (or rotting garbage, etc.). They are strictly parasitic on earthworms; the females lay their eggs near earthworm burrows, and the larvae then feed on the worms. Young cluster flies (larvae) can dig into the soil in search of small earthworms to eat. House flies are gray in color, while most cluster flies appear black. Understanding what flies eat is one way to prevent a fly infestation. Call us for a free quote at They also feed on other species including Lumbricus terrestris, Lumbricus rubellus, and Eisenia lucens genus of earthworms. What they do and what attracts Cluster flies: Cluster flies like to lay their eggs on lawns, areas that have earthworms within the soil. But all too often, overwintering cluster flies are drawn into the warmth of the home's interior, finding passage through cracks a… Because of their sponging mouths, they only feed on liquids, which means they must liquefy food through regurgitation. It’s important to know what flies eat so you can remove conditions that are conducive to fly infestations. Cream coloured and shaped like an elongated wedge, cluster fly larvae feed on live earthworms for about 13 to 22 days before advancing to the pupal stage, which also takes place in the soil. They’re not interested in human food (or waste), so you shouldn’t worry about throwing foods out because they may be contaminated. Female Cluster Flies lay their eggs in cracks in the soil, which hatch in three days. Take away sweets. So, if you see Cluster Flies, in a – you guessed it – cluster (ha!) 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