Flies are one of the most annoying insects found in your home. Could one of the reasons they are attracted to your home be urine? There are many questions regarding why flies are attracted to you and your home.
Not all fly species are attracted to urine. Fruit flies are the only known fly species that are attracted to urine. The rest of the species have not yet found urine useful for their daily activities. However, flies love laying their eggs in feces, not urine. They prefer feces as the manure is suitable for feeding their larvae.
There’s a good chance there are feces around if they can smell urine. That is the reason why they are attracted to the urine smell. They can’t eat or lay their eggs in the urine, but they can drink it if it contains glucose.
Does Urine Smell Attract Flies?
Fruit flies are attracted to animal-derived proteins. Their noses can smell ammonia, which is a major attraction for them. Urine and feces are the most readily available animal protein for fruit flies. They are also the simplest to transport as they fly around.
Urine contains ammonia, which attracts flies in large numbers. The presence of feces, a primary food source for the flies’ larvae, is usually indicated by urine. It is natural that animals generally urinate and defecate in the same spot.
Urine should not be present in the area where your dogs live. Hay, straws, or the blanket your pet sleeps on can all be good breeding grounds for flies. It’s damp and warm, making it ideal for biting stable flies to breed.
What are Flies Most Attracted To?
Garbage, feces, and rotting food attract the majority of common houseflies. Fruit flies are drawn to sugary foods and usually drink spilled drinks, alcohol, urine, and eat overripe fruits.
Flies are drawn to feces and prefer to lay their larvae near urine-soaked excrement. The larvae eat feces as a part of their diet. The sugar and protein in a diabetic’s urine, which is thick and bubbly, provide food for flies.
Drain flies are attracted to drains because they need moist organic materials to lay their eggs. Cluster flies are attracted to structure during the rainy season because it provides a dry and comfortable environment.
The build-up of dead skin on your body and your natural oils attracts most flies. They are trying to see if you are a potential food source. Flies need your skin’s moisture to digest solid foods easily.
What Insects Does Urine Attract?
Some nectar-feeding insects, such as butterflies and moths, will seek a high-sodium supply. Urine contains sodium, which is why it attracts both butterflies and moths. Males are the ones who go on the hunt for food, in this instance, urine, which they transfer onto their females through mating.
Urine and feces are attractive to maggot-laying flies. To avoid maggot infestation, keep your dogs and their loving spaces free from feces and urine. When maggots enter your pet, they tend to feed on its flesh, probably killing it if not treated by a veterinarian on time.
Ants are also attracted to urine, especially sugary urine. Some people believe that if you observe ants in a pool of urine, it’s a sign that the urine owner possibly has diabetes. Kidneys regulate glucose levels in the urine; should they fail, your urine will contain glucose. Ants are attracted to the glucose in urine.
Are Flies Attracted To Blood?
Various species of flies have no qualms about consuming your blood. Biting flies have mouths similar to mosquito mouths, and they can pierce your skin and inject an anticoagulant while sucking your blood.
The biting female flies are most interested in your blood because they require proteins to aid in the development of their eggs. Biting flies will identify a host based on several features. Flies employ a variety of indicators to locate a host, including warmth and sweat, dark colors, movement, and the carbon dioxide produced when you exhale.
Let’s take a look at some of the most well-known blood-hungry fly species:
- The stable fly is gray in body color with four black stripes behind its head. Beneath its head, it has a pointed proboscis with which it uses to suck blood.
- Black flies have a humpbacked look and large wings. Black flies can travel great distances in pursuit of blood. Their bites are extremely painful, and they can cause allergic reactions and blood loss.
- Sandflies will be found mostly at night, feasting on the blood of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. They are hairy brown to gray in body color, long-legged, and have wings that form a “v” shape when the sand fly is resting.
- Horseflies are robust and mainly feed on livestock blood and other animal blood. The majority are black, and others are light brown in body color.
- Deer flies are almost the same size as a horsefly. Their wings have dark bands, and their body color is yellow-brown to black.
Both deer and horse flies have scissor-like mouthparts to draw blood from their hosts. Their bites are very painful as they cut into the skin and suck the blood that flows.
How To Get Rid of Flies at Home?
Flies should not be a reason to live in misery or hate your home. You can use several ways to get rid of flies that have become a nuisance in your home.
1. Keep home extremely clean
An untidy home is a massive attraction for the flies. Remember, they thrive in filthy places. You need to make sure your utensils are kept clean and not left all over. Clean up any spills.
You should sweep any crumbs that have fallen on any surface. You should consider washing your trash cans regularly and disposing of your garbage as soon as possible. Avoid waiting until the trash starts to smell, which will attract flies.
2. Handle your foodstuffs carefully
After filthy places, flies are always looking for food to eat. It can be challenging for them to leave where they find a food source. Make sure your food is adequately covered or kept in airtight containers. This rule applies to your pet food too.
When your fruit starts to become overripe, it will attract the fruit flies. If you have left the fruits in an open place, the best thing is to consume or dispose of them.
3. Prevent the flies from accessing your home
When your house has holes, gaps, or cracks, flies can easily access your home. The best thing is to fill them up or seal them fully and close all access to your home.
4. Plant fly-repellent flowers and herbs
Some flowers and herbs are fly-repellent and can keep flies away when planted around your home. You can also have some of them as indoor plants.
Catnip, lavender, bay leaves, basil, and marigold are well-known fly repellents, and some are good for cooking too.
5. Insecticide or other repellents
You can use other more powerful ways to get rid of flies around your home. Using a pyrethrin-based insecticide with a large fly infestation is more effective. The insecticide works more quickly, and they are safe for indoor use.
You can also use light traps to help you get rid of flies. Flies are attracted to light traps and main boxes with a light at the back. The flies are trapped or get zapped by the electricity as they try to get to the light. The reaction to the fly will depend on the kind of light trap you choose.
Some people who don’t find insecticides and light traps suitable prefer to use sticky traps. These are strips of sticky paper that you can hang all-around your house to minimize an infestation. They may not work as fast, but they will help you get rid of flies.
Flies detest the smell of vinegar; having it around your home is an effective way of getting rid of flies. Boiling some malt vinegar in a pan or pot will help you get rid of flies quickly from your home. Check on your pan to prevent burning when the vinegar has fully evaporated.
Conclusion
There are several reasons you would rather not have flies in your home. However, there are a few things you could be doing in your home that is attracting them in by the hundreds. There are many things to consider, from trash, unprotected food, and filthy places to gaps in your home.
You expose your house and pets to flies if you don’t clean up after your pet’s living place, and it continuously smells like urine. Keep in mind that some flies, such as the maggot, can be fatal to your dog if not caught early.
Fortunately, we have also helped you with some tips on how you can prevent your home from becoming fly-infested. We have also highlighted some of the daily activities that you can do within your home to repel flies.