{"id":15081,"date":"2018-11-19T08:12:30","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T07:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/?p=15081"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:59:13","slug":"how-to-get-rid-of-cluster-flies-this-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-to-get-rid-of-cluster-flies-this-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Rid of Cluster Flies From Homes and Businesses?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How to get rid of cluster flies from your homes and businesses? This article will help you identify and understand everything you need to know about cluster flies and what are the top remedies to get rid of them. Although <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/flies\/\">flies<\/a> can be a nuisance at most times of the year, cluster flies tend to become most problematic as autumn turns into winter. Seeking shelter from the frost and wind, they come indoors and settle down for the winter. So how can you get rid of cluster flies in the house?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can recognise <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/flies\/species\/\">cluster flies<\/a> because they are larger than house flies and often appear to be slightly yellow or golden, because of their tiny hairs. They breed in soil and host on earthworms during the larva stage of their development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many insects, they move inside for the winter months. They usually enter through gaps in roofs, attics, and eaves, and settle in warm, sun-facing spaces. Although the leave around early spring, they have been known to return to previously occupied spaces, leading to annual infestations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where Do Cluster Flies Come From?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important that you correctly identify the source of the cluster fly infestation before you decide the correct course of action. You should check the following areas to see if your property has a cluster fly problem:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check around doors and windows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Around electrical outlets in the house<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In and under eaves and siding.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pipe, wire, and cable openings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Along the roof or attic<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Around vents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Are The Risks of a Fly Infestation?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>You must be asking yourself, are cluster flies dangerous? Although cluster flies don\u2019t pose a direct health risk to humans, they can be an annoyance. They tend to travel in huge swarms of thousands of flies. While they hibernate over the winter, their accumulated excrement can give off a noticeable stench. They can also stain fabrics and walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll be most likely to find in your loft space. Historically cluster flies would hibernate in hollow trees, under loose bark or other dry sheltered areas. However, our warm, weatherproof and protected homes are particularly inviting to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/flies\/species\/\">Cluster flies<\/a> pose a particular problem for home or business because they could contaminate the food or spread diseases. You need to ensure that all food storage and preparation areas are free from the pests. Otherwise, you could face reputational damage if customers see flies swarming around your premises. In addition, you could be fined or even shut down on health grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn more:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/house-fly-transmitted-diseases\/\">House-fly diseases: what you need to know<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/flies\/fly-infestation\/\">Signs of a fly infestation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How To Get Rid of Cluster Flies in The house?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Although it is quite easy to swat and kill cluster flies, your primary objective should be to prevent them gaining access in the first place. You can use these measures to fly-proof your premises.&nbsp;DIY fly sprays&nbsp;will have an effect on direct contact with the flies, but not on those already hibernating in cracks and crevices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make your premises less inviting by keeping windows and doors shut. Remember cluster flies are attracted to sunny spaces, so use the curtain to block out light where necessary. You could also use fly screens so that you can open your windows while still preventing flies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How To Get Rid Of Cluster Flies At Home?     |      Rentokil Pest Control\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OZ82KD2PpLo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Tidiness and cleanliness are vital allies in the battle against flies:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clean up any spills or discarded food or liquids<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Store rubbish in clean, lidded containers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Remove and discard of any dead flies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clean any animal excrement, as this attracts flies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pour away any standing or stagnant water<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If an infestation has already occurred, you need to take immediate action. You are likely to need the help of a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\">professional pest controller<\/a>, who can use treatments such as residual sprays to target all active flies and others as they emerge from hibernation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How To Eliminate Cluster Flies In Businesses?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Cluster flies are not just limited to infesting homes, they re also known to infest business premises and cause a lot of damage to the business reputation. Rentokil Pest Control Ireland offers highly innovative solutions for businesses to get rid of flies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Electric Fly Killers and Fly Box<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/flies\/business-service\/fly-box\/\">Fly Box<\/a> is a unique fly control unit that is designed to effectively control the number of flies around external refuse areas of premises. This helps to eliminate them before they enter the building and potentially spread disease. The Fly Box targets the flies external breeding sites. The unit requires no electricity to work, so is highly flexible in where it can be deployed to offer the most effective results. If used in conjunction with adequate fly screening it can be pivotal in reducing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/house-fly-transmitted-diseases\/\">the risk of flies<\/a> entering your property. You can also try to use the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/flies\/business-service\/lumnia\/\"> electric fly killers<\/a> capture and kill flying insects.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/contact-us\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"386\" height=\"191\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Blog-CTA-Contact-a-Rentokil-Expert.png\" alt=\"Blog-CTA-Contact-a-Rentokil-Expert\" class=\"wp-image-15010\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Blog-CTA-Contact-a-Rentokil-Expert.png 386w, https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Blog-CTA-Contact-a-Rentokil-Expert-300x148.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 386px) 100vw, 386px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Worried about an infestation? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/contact-us\/\">Contact us today<\/a> or call 1890 666 444 for advice, free call out and free quote from your local expert<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to get rid of cluster flies from your homes and businesses? This article will help you identify and understand everything you need to know about cluster flies and what are the top remedies to get rid of them. Although flies can be a nuisance at most times of the year, cluster flies tend to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15083,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[2408,2405],"tags":[143,257,1989],"class_list":["post-15081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flies","category-insects","tag-chemical-free-pest-control","tag-flies","tag-flies-flying-insects"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Get Rid of Cluster Flies | Pest Control Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cluster flies are problematic as autumn turns to winter. Discover effective ways to get rid of these nuisance insects from your house.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-to-get-rid-of-cluster-flies-this-winter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to get rid of cluster flies this winter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Although flies can be a nuisance at most times of the year, cluster flies tend to become most problematic as autumn turns into winter. What should you do?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/how-to-get-rid-of-cluster-flies-this-winter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"deBugged\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-11-19T07:12:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T13:59:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rentokil.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/cluster-flies.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"930\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"414\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"How to get rid of cluster flies this winter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Although flies can be a nuisance at most times of the year, cluster flies tend to become most problematic as autumn turns into winter. 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