However, cluster flies make their debut in the autumn when they fly to the sunny sides of homes in search of protected over-wintering sites and may be found flying about inside, often in great numbers, throughout the winter. Other flies that will use buildings for winter shelter include blue bottle flies … You may see a large group of cluster flies around a window, as they are attracted to the light on sunny winter days. The large, black, pesky flies that show up in bed rooms and on window sills from late fall through early spring are a common household pest. Mike: We have flies all summer long; and even in the middle of winter if the sun comes out for a few hours. In the summer cluster flies live and breed in fields and open spaces. The adult flies feed on the nectar of garden and wild flowers. Cluster flies habits mean that they are no real risk to human health like most common flies but they are a nuisance. The larvae are parasitic on earthworms, in which they live and feed for around 3 weeks before pupating. Flies are potential disease carriers, therefore getting rid of the summer fly problem is imperative. They live outside during the summer months but invade homes and lofts in their hundreds and sometimes thousands during the autumn, winter and spring. around windows as they are attracted to light during the day, but they will then move and hibernate in roof spaces at night. In August and September the final generation of flies seeks shelter for the winter in homes and buildings. Autumn has arrived and with that comes the cluster fly season. Their abundance varies from year to year, possibly in relation to the amount of rainfall through the summer. Cluster flies are unique because they are parasites of earthworms. Eggs are laid in damp soil and rotting vegetation and hatch in approximately 7 days. Management. The key to getting rid of cluster flies is to understand their life cycle and break it. As a free-living insect the length of the life cycle is weather dependent. Cluster Fly. We have been told that these are cluster flies, and that they come from the ground every three weeks with a new hatch. These eggs quickly hatch and the larvae are parasitoids on earthworms. Cluster flies are parasites of earthworms and breed outdoors in gardens and fields during the spring and summer periods. Although flies can be a nuisance at most times of the year, cluster flies tend to become most problematic as autumn turns into winter. They are strictly parasitic on earthworms; the females lay their eggs near earthworm burrows, and the larvae then feed on the worms.Cluster flies seek refuge in cold weather and find their way into attic spaces and similar areas indoors. Cluster flies enter homes in the late summer months and the early fall, looking for somewhere to hibernate as the temperatures drop and winter approaches. Found cluster flies in your house or simply want to defend against the problem? They require warm places to hibernate over winter. Cluster flies live outdoors in the warmer months of the year. They “overwinter” in your home and come out in the summer in a confused attempt to go back outside. The flies later pupate (go into the cocoon stage), then hatch as adult flies. They are named for their tendency to “cluster” together when they overwinter in the adult stage. As the weather becomes cooler, cluster flies will be in search of a loft space/void where they can hibernate for the winter. Cluster flies are not a problem in summer and early autumn, when they’re still living in fields. During the summer and early autumn cluster flies are rarely noticed as they are away from buildings. These are not the same as the blue bottles that buzz hard against the windows in the warmer weather, or the house flies and smaller flies that are active in summer too. Cluster flies breed in the ground outside of buildings during the warm weather (late Spring into early Summer) using earthworms as a food source for the immature larva (maggots). The cluster fly thanks his name to the fact that they winter in swarms of possibly a thousand flies. The adult flies will feed on flowers and so many eggs could hatch that up to four generations could be hatched each summer. Cluster flies resemble the common house fly but differ in that they have a patch of yellow hairs under their wings. Cluster flies aka attic flies get their name from clustering together in large numbers over the winter months. During the summer, cluster flies lay eggs outdoors in cracks in the soil. Since the larvae develop in fresh cattle manure, face flies are most likely to invade farm homes or homes located near pastures or where cattle are kept. Cluster Fly Season. Where cluster flies hide will help you find cluster flies inside or around your home or building. Cluster Flies are colored a dark, non-metallic gray with light and dark markings on their abdomens. There are two or three generations of flies produced each year. Cluster Fly (Pollenia rudis) The cluster fly is one of several species of insects that enter homes in late summer and early fall in search of protected sites in which to spend the winter. The flies can become a nuisance in the middle of the winter, as well as spring and fall, when warmth or light lures them from their hiding places into other rooms of the house. They get their name from their characteristic behaviour of congregating in groups of hundreds and even thousands in lofts, small spaces and window frames. 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