![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/flies-comp-6fd5.gif\")
\n\t\tJust tell them to buzz off (Picture: Getty\/Metro)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tJust tell them to buzz off (Picture: Getty\/Metro)<\/p>\n
Buzzzzzzzzz buzz buzz buzzzzz buzzz buzzz.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a good chance that you\u2019re hearing this sound as you read this \u2013 UK homes are being overrun with a plague of houseflies<\/a> this summer<\/a>. <\/p>\n The nation is about to enter its fifth<\/a> heatwave<\/a> this year, raising fears of these droning insects swarming us.<\/p>\n They have, among other places, crawled on people sleeping in Leamington Spa<\/a>, swarmed beaches in Scotland<\/a> and laid siege to Congleton West Heath for so long that people are petitioning the government<\/a> to help.<\/p>\n This shouldn\u2019t be too surprising; for each person on Earth, there are 17million flies.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n But flies are also, well, dropping like flies \u2013 insect populations are \u2018dramatically<\/a>\u2019 dropping around the world amid climate change<\/a>. <\/p>\n So, why are there so many flies at the moment?<\/p>\n \t\t Experts Metro spoke to aren\u2019t sure if there are more flies inside our homes because their numbers have increased or are just more noticeable.<\/p>\n Andrew Whittington, of the insect identification service Fly Evidence<\/a>, says that it being hot is a big reason why either way.<\/p>\n Houseflies are cold-blooded critters, meaning that their body temperatures fluctuate with the air around them.<\/p>\n \u2018Fly populations rise and fall with temperature changes, increasing suddenly and sometimes alarmingly with increasing heat in summer,\u2019 Whittington says.<\/p>\n \u2018As with most insects, peak populations are reached in summer months, and there are some years worse affected than others, such as those with lower rainfall or less wind.\u2019<\/p>\n When it\u2019s warm, a housefly\u2019s metabolic rate goes into overdrive, making them eat, mate and lay eggs even faster.<\/p>\n Balmy weather also leads to more fruit flies, as they thrive in hot, humid spots.<\/p>\n But why, of all places, are there flies in my living room?<\/p>\n \t\t Many flies have adapted to live alongside humans to have better lives, a relationship experts call synanthropic.<\/p>\n And humans are making it all too easy for them, the Royal Entomological Society, a charity which brings insect experts together, says.<\/p>\n \u2018Warm weather means we keep windows and doors open more,<\/a> naturally increasing the chances of insects finding their way indoors,\u2019 it says.<\/p>\n Houseflies\u00a0don\u2019t just mindlessly roam in circles around your head when they enter your home. They\u2019re looking for moist, decomposing matter to feast on and lay 500 eggs over 30 days.<\/p>\n In other words, a compost caddy or open bin is an all-you-can-eat buffet<\/a> \u2013 as well as a nursery for them to have maggots on.<\/p>\n \u2018Economy balancing moves by councils to empty wheelie-bins less frequently do not help the situation and the recent demand to use food caddies is a disaster,\u2019 adds Whittington.<\/p>\n \t\t \u2018Few people rinse their bins and recycling boxes, leaving a slurry behind that is highly attractive to house flies.\u2019<\/p>\n Rural areas that are near farms, rubbish dumps and poultry houses may also face housefly invasions. <\/p>\n Houseflies, bluebottles and greenbottles are similarly drawn to the protein and moisture in pet food, the Royal Entomological Society adds. <\/p>\n \u2018It\u2019s not a sign of an unclean home; any pet bowl left out will attract them given the chance.\u2019<\/p>\n Likewise, homes are also perfect breeding grounds for fruit flies.<\/p>\n These zooming specks lay eggs inside fruit and vegetables that then hatch into maggots, which then munch on the sludge in your drainpipes and sinks as well as, of course, your fruit bowls. <\/p>\n What should I do about all these flies?<\/p>\n \t\t It depends on who you ask. <\/p>\n The Royal Entomological Society recommends you put the fly swatter down as flies do more than nosedive into your face.<\/p>\n \u2018Flies turning up in our homes are doing genuinely important jobs outside. Insects shouldn\u2019t be seen as pests by default, but as essential, undervalued parts of a healthy ecosystem,\u2019 it says. <\/p>\n \u2018Flies are pollinators <\/a>and decomposers: they break down organic waste, recycle nutrients back into the soil, and are a vital food source for birds, bats and other wildlife.\u2019<\/p>\n This is why the society recommends deterring, rather than killing:<\/p>\n Citrus peels: These contain the compound d-limonene, which emits a scent that scrambles the sensory receptors insects use to get around. So place a peel by the windowsill or door.<\/p>\n Peppermint oil: While refreshing to us, this menthol-rich liquid is unbearable to insects. Mix it with water in a spray and spritz your doorframe and windowsills every few days.<\/p>\n Keep on top of your bins: if they start to smell, put them in the shade or pour baking soda on them.<\/p>\n Seal gaps in windows: This gives these speedy insects fewer ways to invade your home, experts previously told Metro<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whittington, though, has a slightly different attitude. <\/p>\n \u2018It helps nobody to downplay the problem by claiming that flies are like bees (good pollinators) or that killing them \u201cinhumanely\u201d with fly traps should be replaced with buckets of water that would attract fly predators,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n \u2018Such comments only trivialise the problem that people experience and provide little pragmatic help.\u2019<\/p>\n Instead, Whittington stresses that flies can be considered a public health risk<\/a>, so it\u2019s okay to deal with them, echoing pest control experts<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018Traps, fly-papers and screens on windows and doors are in widespread use globally and it is questionable that any are inhumane,\u2019 he adds, \u2018but they are highly effective means of diminishing the nuisance factor.\u2019<\/p>\n For Whittington, though, there\u2019s only so much people can do.<\/p>\n \u2018Improvements of waste disposal at the community and the commercial levels are the most important way to resolve this national issue,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"Mandatory](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_306920290-3c56.jpg\")
\n\t\tA flesh fly (Sarcophaga s.) rests on a leaf (Picture: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd\/NurPhoto\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2232212908-768c.jpg\")
\n\t\tHouseflies (Musca domestica), bluebottles (Calliphora vomitoria) and greenbottles (Luciliasericata) numbers spike in the summer (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"epa13157941](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307809025-d3f2.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe heat means house flies and other species are more sex-driven and hungry (Picture: EPA)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1254940672-65f6.jpg\")
\n\t\tSome pest control experts recommend using sticky paper to trap insects (Credits: Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Met Office eyeing up rare extreme heat warning ahead of 36\u00b0C temperatures<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Yellow health alerts in place ahead of fifth heatwave and 36\u00b0C highs scorching UK again<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Holidaying during the ongoing heatwave? Prepare your garden with these tricks<\/a><\/p>\n