Cluster or Attic Fly Facts & Information
Protect your home or business from cluster flies by learning techniques for identification and control.
Treatment
How do I get rid of cluster flies?
What Orkin Does
Your local Orkin Pro is trained to help manage cluster flies and similar pests. Since every building or home is different, your Orkin Pro will design a unique fly treatment program for your situation.
Orkin can provide the right solution to keep cluster flies in their place...out of your home, or business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Behavior, Diet & Habits
Understanding Cluster Flies
Appearance
Cluster flies, also known as attic flies, are household pests.
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Length: Adults measure 8 to 10 millimeters.
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Body: Light and dark gray-checkered abdomens. The thorax of an adult cluster fly is covered in short, golden hairs and the wings overlap when at rest.
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Characteristics: Cluster flies are slightly larger and darker than the common housefly and move more sluggishly.
Life Cycle
The cluster fly life cycle begins when a female lays her eggs in the soil in late summer or early fall. These eggs hatch within a few days, after which larvae seek to enter the body cavities of earthworms. Cluster flies' development time from egg to adult is about 27 to 39 days.
Diet
Cluster fly larvae feed on earthworm hosts for several days, at which time they molt and pupate in the soil.