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Flies Around the Trash and Back Door? Break the Cycle
Family-run, licensed and insured pest control in South Florida.
$50 OFF your first service + FREE inspectionNew customers · No code needed · No expirationFlies around the trash can and the back door are usually breeding a few steps away: in the bin, in pet waste in the yard, in compost, or in something that died under the deck. Sprays and traps only catch the adults, and in our heat new ones hatch fast. To break the cycle, find the source first, then keep a simple schedule: tight lids, a bin rinse every week or two, dog waste picked up daily and recyclables rinsed before they go out. Here's where to look and what helps.
Why flies hang around the trash can and the back door
House flies are filth flies. They lay eggs on moist, rotting material, and the maggots grow there: garbage, pet waste, grass clippings, spilled pet food. The back door is usually where all of that comes together. The bins sit by the side of the house, the grill is on the patio, the pet bowls are by the door, and it's the door you open most.
The clock is short. In our heat, a house fly can go from egg to adult in as little as 7 to 10 days, as our house fly page explains. That's why a bin that sat in the sun for a week can turn into a cloud of flies.
Where house flies breed: a 10-minute property walk
Walk the outside of the house with a flashlight and look for wet, rotting material and maggots:
- The trash and recycling bins. Look under the lid, at the bottom of the bin and on the ground underneath, where juice leaks out.
- Pet areas. Dog waste in the yard, the spot by the fence where it piles up, and spilled food by the bowls.
- Compost and yard debris. Wet piles of clippings and leaves.
- The grill and the patio. The drip tray, scraps under the grill and anything left after a cookout.
- Pool deck drains. Leaves and gunk that stay wet.
- Under the deck, the shed or the stairs. If the flies are big, shiny and metallic and they show up all at once, something may have died nearby.
If you find a dead animal, removing it is the fix, and the flies taper off once it's gone. That isn't a service we offer, so call a nuisance wildlife trapper or a dead-animal removal service for that part. We can treat the flies.
How to get rid of flies outside the back door
Once you know the source, a calendar does most of the work.
Every day
- Pick up dog waste in the yard.
- Don't leave pet food out on the patio.
Every week or two
- Rinse out the trash bins, and keep the lids closed tight.
- Clear leaves and gunk out of the pool deck drains.
Every pickup day
- Rinse recyclables before they go into the bin.
- Bag food scraps before they go in the trash.
After a cookout
- Bag the scraps, wipe up grease and empty the grill drip tray.
Keep the door and window screens in good shape and the sliding door closed, so the flies hanging around outside don't come in.
What doesn't fix it
Store traps and sprays catch the adults you can see. They don't touch the maggots growing in the bin or the yard, so a new batch keeps coming. They can help a little once the source is gone, but sprays alone don't fix a fly problem.
What we do about flies
Flies are a breeding-site problem first. During the inspection we look for what's feeding the maggots: bins, drains, pet areas, compost or a hidden source. Then we treat the fly resting areas around doors, eaves, the garage and patio walls with products labeled for flies, and use fly baits or traps where they fit. Keep kids and pets off treated areas until dry, and follow your technician's instructions.
Seeing small flies around the kitchen trash or the sink instead? That's usually fruit flies or drain flies: see fruit flies vs. drain flies in the kitchen. Flies around horses or livestock are their own job; see barn fly control. And if the trash area also has standing water, our standing-water checklist covers the mosquito side.
Our general pest control plan is $125 per quarter, about $42 a month, and monthly or custom schedules are quoted after the inspection. For plan customers: "If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost." There are no long-term contracts and no cancellation fees, just a simple service agreement. We're family-run and licensed, with 30+ years in the business, and hablamos español. See all flies, or browse more guides.
Fly questions
How do I get rid of flies around my trash can?
Why are flies attracted to trash cans?
Why do I have flies around my back door?
Why do I suddenly have a lot of flies in the house?
Cleaned the bins and the flies are still there?
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