Fly control · Southeast Michigan
Fly Control in Ann Arbor and Southeast Michigan
A fly problem is nearly always a breeding problem close to the house. A bin, a drain, a wet plant pot, something dead in a wall. Cluster flies are the exception: they breed outside and spend the winter in your attic. An exterminator needs to know which fly you have before treating.
Quick answers
Fly control in Southeast Michigan: the quick facts
A fly problem is almost always a breeding problem close to the house: a bin, a drain, a wet plant pot, a dead animal in a wall. Cluster flies are the exception. They breed outside, spend the winter in the attic and show up at the windows on the first mild day. Indoors, the small flies are fungus gnats, drain flies and fruit flies, and each one breeds somewhere different.
- Most common here
- House fly and cluster fly
- Two different jobs. House flies breed on waste nearby. Cluster flies spend the winter in the attic and wake on warm days.
- Worst months
- Jul to Sep
- A pattern from published guidance, not a count of sightings.
- How it gets in
- Depends which fly it is
- House flies come in through open doors. Cluster flies are already in the roof space. Gnats, drain flies and fruit flies breed indoors, in wet soil, a drain or sticky residue.
- Included in
- A one-time job, quoted
- Not on the Honorable Shield list, so we price the visit. You get the number over the phone before anyone comes out.
Flies in Michigan.
Six flies cause nearly every call: house flies, cluster flies and blow flies, plus fungus gnats, drain flies and fruit flies. Each one breeds somewhere different.
Fly paper and sprays catch the adults, not the source. Our exterminators work out which fly you have, find what it breeds in, and treat that.
Seasonal pattern
When are house flies worst in Michigan?
The chart is house flies. The others keep their own calendars: cluster flies move in during late summer and early fall, fruit flies peak in late summer and fall, and fungus gnats peak in fall, when houseplants come back indoors.
Warning signs
How flies announce themselves.
Each fly leaves a different clue, and the clue points to the source. Homes near farms, wetlands or woods see more of all of them.
Flies around the bins and doors
House flies on the patio, the trash cans and the screen door all summer. Whatever they breed in is within a short flight.
Slow flies at the windows in winter
Cluster flies crawling on the glass on a warm day. They moved into the attic or the walls in fall.
Fuzzy flies on bathroom walls
Drain flies resting on walls, mirrors or the ceiling near a sink, shower or floor drain, most often in the morning.
Tiny flies at the fruit bowl
Fruit flies around bananas, the trash, the recycling, or a glass of wine, vinegar or beer. More every day.
What to look for
What a fly problem looks like at home.
Each fly points to a different source. These are six of the things people notice first, and what each one tells us.
Grey flies with dark stripes on the screen and around the bins. What they breed in is usually close by.
Slow, dull grey flies on the glass on a warm winter day. They moved into the attic or walls last fall.
A tiny fuzzy fly with wings like a moth, resting near a sink or shower. It came up out of a drain.
Tiny tan flies with red eyes around ripe fruit. They also breed in drains, the disposal and the recycling.
Small dark gnats that lift off the soil when you water. Wet potting soil is where they breed.
A big shiny blue or green fly indoors, often in one room. It usually means something dead in a wall or the attic.
How our exterminators get rid of flies.
Killing the flies you can see does very little. We find what they are breeding in, clear it, and close the way in.
Find where they are breeding
We work out which fly it is, then find its source. Bins, pet waste and anything dead in a wall or attic for house flies and blow flies. Every drain for drain flies, including basement floor drains, AC condensate lines and sump pits. Drains, bins, the disposal and stored produce for fruit flies. Houseplants and wet soil for gnats. Gaps around windows, doors and siding for cluster flies.
Treat the flies and the source
Each fly gets its own treatment. We scrub the slime out of a breeding drain and follow with an enzyme and microbial drain treatment that breaks down what bleach cannot reach. We clear fruit fly breeding sites and set traps for the adults. We treat wet soil for gnat larvae. Where house flies land, we use bait and residual treatments. For cluster flies, we treat the outside walls in late summer, just before they gather. Near food, we only use products whose label allows it.
Show you the gaps
We treat the outside of the house and show you the gaps flies use, so you can get them sealed. Then we tell you what keeps them away: flushing drains nobody uses, a regular enzyme drain treatment, letting houseplant soil dry out, and how to store food and handle the trash. For cluster flies, the gaps need closing in late summer, before they move in.
Every fly control visit
The full Honorable TriShield™, every time.
Three layers. The house, the lawn, then the property line. Not a rushed spray along your baseboards. A cheap quote usually skips two of the three.
Foundation barrier
Three feet up the wall. Three feet out from it. All the way round the house, plus windows, doors, the garage and the roofline. That strip is the road bugs use to get in.
Measured with a tape, not eyeballed
Granular yard moat
A ring of granules across the lawn. Rain wakes it back up. So does your sprinkler. In a Michigan summer that is most weeks.
Skipped by most companies. Granular costs money.
Property line
We spray the whole property line. Bugs get stopped at the edge of your yard, not at your back door.
The layer a cheaper quote quietly leaves out
How to identify the flies in your house.
These are the flies we treat that have confirmed sightings in Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne and Livingston counties. Each one is identified by independent naturalists, so the animal in the photo is the animal named.
Grey with four dark stripes. Breeds in trash, pet waste and compost.
Shiny green. Indoors it usually means something dead nearby.
Fuzzy and moth-like, resting on bathroom walls near a drain.
Slow flies at the windows in winter. They spent the fall in the walls.
All of these have confirmed sightings in Washtenaw, Oakland, Wayne and Livingston counties. Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations, pulled 2026-09-25. Photos: House fly by Even Dankowicz (CC BY); Common green bottle fly by Jesse Rorabaugh (CC0); Drain fly by eebee (CC BY); Cluster fly by David Anderson (CC BY).
What it costs
Fly control is priced as its own job.
Flies are not on the Honorable Shield list, so we price the visit rather than roll it into the plan. We tell you the number over the phone before anyone comes out, and nobody here can discount it.
| One-time treatmentSingle visit | Follow-upIf it comes back | |
|---|---|---|
| You get | One visit, treated to the label | A second visit |
| Price | From $497 | $247, any house size |
Prices are the starting figures: a home up to 1,000 square feet, or half an acre for yard work. What is covered is set out in the plan terms.
Fly control, answered straight.
What types of flies are common in Michigan homes?
House flies, cluster flies and blow flies are the big ones. House flies breed in garbage, pet waste and rotting matter near the house. Cluster flies move into attics and walls in fall to spend the winter. Blow flies are shiny blue or green and come to anything dead or rotting. The small ones are fruit flies, drain flies and fungus gnats. Each breeds somewhere different, so each needs a different fix.
Why do I have cluster flies in my house every fall?
They want somewhere warm to spend the winter. In late summer and fall they squeeze through small gaps around windows, doors and siding and settle in wall voids and the attic. They do not breed indoors. On warm days, even in winter, they wake up and crawl slowly around the windows. The fix is on the outside: close the gaps before they move in.
What does a big shiny blue or green fly indoors mean?
Usually a blow fly, and usually something dead nearby. A mouse or bird that died in a wall void or the attic is the common cause. In spring, thawing waste outside can bring them too. Spraying the flies does nothing while the source is still there, so we find it first.
Are those tiny flies gnats, drain flies or fruit flies?
Look at what they look like and where they sit. Fungus gnats are small and dark and hang around houseplants. Drain flies are fuzzy and moth-like, hold their wings flat over the back, and rest on walls near a drain. Fruit flies are smooth and tan with red eyes, and hover around fruit, bins and drinks. Which one it is decides whether the fix is the plants, the drain or the kitchen.
Why do drain flies keep coming back after I clean?
Because the cleaning does not reach them. Drain flies breed in the slimy film that lines the inside of the pipe, a mix of bacteria, soap, hair and skin. Bleach and boiling water kill a few larvae on the surface and run straight past the rest. The film has to be scrubbed out and broken down, then kept from building back up.
Where do fruit flies come from so suddenly?
Often from the grocery bag. Their eggs are already on fruit from the store or the farmers market, and more fly in through open doors and windows. A female lays about 500 eggs on anything moist and fermenting. The eggs hatch in 24 to 30 hours, the larvae grow in about four days, and new adults breed two days after they emerge. A few flies become hundreds within a week or two.
Why can't I get rid of flies with fly paper and sprays?
Fly paper and sprays kill the flies that touch them. They do nothing about where the flies breed or how they get in. A female house fly lays more than 500 eggs in her life, so killing a few adults barely dents the numbers. The fix is the source and the gaps.
Is fly control part of Honorable Shield?
No. Flies and gnats are not on the Honorable Shield list, so we quote the job. A one-time treatment starts at $497, and a follow-up visit, if you need one, is $247. You get the number on the phone before anyone comes out, and nobody can discount it.
Pest-Free Guarantee
They come back? So do we, free.
On Honorable Shield, see a covered pest between visits? We come back within 48 hours and treat it again. You pay nothing.
Fly control where you live.
Old streets with big trees get different bugs than new build on cleared ground. Pick your town to see what we actually find there.
That is not all of them. See all 38 towns, or ask us if we reach your street.
Other pests we treat
One plan covers every one of these. No extra charge when something different shows up.
Every visit includes all three barrier layers. See what we treat, or ask an exterminator.
Fly control · Licensed and insured
Flies or gnats that will not go away?
Call (734) 519-6671 or send a request. Tell us what the flies look like and where you see them. We will tell you what they are and what it costs before anyone comes out.
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