Here is a guide on how to get rid of sandflies in the house or yard, while also preventing them from biting you.
Living within regions with sandfly presence will require appropriate control strategies to be adopted. In other words, you’ll need to know how to get rid of insect pests.
This article has been written to help you achieve just that.
The nuisance posed by sandflies isn’t restricted to their presence alone, but mainly due to their painful bites. The females are known culprits for such bites as they need to consume blood to develop eggs. This in turn (the bites) may lead to allergies which can be life-threatening for some people.
There’s no doubt that a sandfly infestation needs to be countered before it gets worse. Taking back control of your surroundings involves a variety of strategies.
This article seeks to discuss these and more.
Identifying Sandflies
To successfully combat sandfly infestation, identification is necessary. In other words, the pest in question (in this case sandflies) will need to be identified. This enables you to proffer the right solutions.
There’s a tendency to confuse sandflies with mosquitoes. However, a closer look will reveal the differences. So, what are these unique features that stand them apart from similar-looking pests? First, you’ll need to consider the size of these pests.
Sandflies are typically smaller than mosquitoes. They measure around 3 mm long. When comparing sandflies with mosquitoes, they differ in appearance. Sandflies are yellowish and light-colored unlike the dark, grew or brown color mosquitoes are known to have.
Why You Need to Get Rid of Sandflies
A pest is usually associated with nuisance. Sandflies cause significant harm to humans.
Apart from feeding on blood, this pest also transfers diseases through its saliva. Chief among such diseases is leishmaniasis caused by the Leishmania parasite found in sandflies.
Other diseases transmitted by sandflies include Punta Toro Virus, Oraya Fever, Chagres virus, Carrison’s disease, Toscana virus, and Sandfly fever virus.
Where Are Sandflies Found in Homes?
When it’s sandfly season, these pests have similar patterns in choosing their preferred habitat. In homes, you’re likely to find sandflies in accumulated garbage, under the floor as well as areas of the home which are warm and dark.
Why is this piece of information important? It is important because to successfully get rid of them, you’ll need to identify specific areas that are likely to be nesting spots. This helps greatly when applying treatment as their populations are easily decimated.
Seasonal Pests
Each year, the month of May and June are periods when sandflies hatch in mass.
This time of year is when sandfly infestations are common. The problem lingers on to July and August before it subsides. When sandflies go in search of blood, they move in hordes.
This is bad news for anyone having no idea about the countermeasures to adopt. Luckily for you, the information here should be of great help in finding lasting relief from this menace.
How To Get Rid of Sandflies In Homes
When dealing with a sandfly infestation, most people will need to treat both indoor and outdoor environments. That is because these pests infiltrate almost every space around you.
Getting rid of sandflies involves multiple approaches. These approaches as listed below have proven time and again to be very effective.
The type of strategy employed to get rid of sandflies will depend on your specific needs as well as the type of area (that is whether indoor or outdoor) being treated.
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Calling a Pest Control Service
One of the easiest methods of sandfly control involves calling in experts. Pest control services are always ready to solve all sorts of pest issues including sandflies. Before placing a call to your preferred service provider, it will serve your interest well to first carry out some background research.
This will dwell mainly on the track record and expertise of these pest control services. Online reviews are the easiest ways to determine if a pest control service is up to the task or not. Those with fewer reviews should be avoided.
It’s best to patronize a reliable pest control company then use those with little to no information. Having decided on your preferred pest management service, you’ll need to place a call and lay your complaints.
An assessment of your home is scheduled and a price quote is reached. This is followed by treatment. During the entire process, you won’t need to stress yourself as your pest issues are professionally handled.
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DIY Strategies
Getting rid of sandflies using DIY strategies is quite popular. This involves the use of a wide range of strategies and repellents in getting the job done. Under this type of pest control, you’re fully involved and will need to know just what to do.
Luckily, this article bridges the information gap by providing you with easy-to-implement strategies. The following are steps to take when faced with a sandfly infestation. We’ve divided these strategies into indoor and outdoor treatments.
Let’s begin with indoor strategies used to get rid of sandflies.
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Indoor Treatment
Getting rid of sandflies within your home, pet house, office, etc can be done successfully using a wide array of strategies. These range from sealing cracks & gaps, vacuuming, insecticides, steaming, use of eucalyptus candles or oil spray, insecticides, DEET insect repellent, and the use of citrus juice.
Additional indoor treatments include lavender candles or oil spray, citronella candles or oil lamps,s and orange peel extracts. Let’s briefly consider each of these.
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Sealing Cracks & Gaps
Sandflies find cracks and gaps attractive and use such as breeding nests. Also, they use these as entry points into your home. The best way to prevent this from happening is by having such cracks and gaps properly sealed.
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Vacuuming
Vacuuming has been proven to be very effective in getting rid of sandflies. This is because it kills not only adult sandflies but also destroys their eggs in the process. All areas of the house should be targeted including cracks and holes.
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Insecticides
Insecticides are among the most widely used treatments for sandflies. These can be purchased off the counter in local hardware stores and supermarkets.
We recommend you go for those containing ‘d-limonene’ and ‘linalool.’ These active ingredients are known to be very effective in exterminating sandflies.
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Steaming
The purpose of using steam cleaning in sandfly control is due to the heat emitted. Sandfly eggs, pupae, larvae, and even adult flies are destroyed as they can’t withstand the heat.
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Use of Eucalyptus Candles or Oil Spray
Using eucalyptus candles or spray for sandfly control will achieve the same results. When the candles are burned or the oil sprayed around your home, these pests find your surroundings unfavorable and keep away.
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DEET Insect Repellent
DEET insect repellents will help keep your home free of sandflies. You only need to walk into your local hardware or supermarket to get this repellent. Strictly abide by the use of instructions during application for the best results.
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Citrus Juice
Using citrus juice for sandfly control is another reliable method to consider. It doesn’t matter whether you use lemon or lime. All give the same results. The juice is diluted in water and sprayed around the home. This should help eliminate the problem.
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Lavender Candles or Oil Spray
When lavender oil is sprayed or its candle burned indoors, it creates an unbearable environment for sandflies which causes them to retreat.
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Citronella Candles or Oil Lamp
Citronella candles or oil lamps are all useful in battling a sandfly infestation. When burning either of these, your surroundings become unfavorable to sandflies. These pests will have to escape or get killed.
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Orange Peel Extracts
One homemade remedy that has proven to be quite effective against sandflies is orange peel extracts.
These are simply placed along with entryways. It helps create an invisible barrier that drives away sandflies from within your home.
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Outdoor Treatment
Sandflies aren’t restricted to indoor environments alone. These pests find their way in from the outdoors. Several pest control strategies can be adopted to keep them out of your home’s surroundings.
These include the use of diatomaceous earth, boric acid, citronella, insecticides, and citrus juice.
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Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a great remedy against sandfly infestation. However, it’s best used when the area is dry. If not, you’ll have to reapply after a downpour. The application should be done periodically until the results are noticeable.
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Boric Acid
Sandflies are known to target garbage cans. If that’s the case, applying some boric acid around or close to the can should help drive away these pests.
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Citronella
Citronella oil spray is a great and efficient sandfly repellent. The same applies to lavender and eucalyptus. Any of these will serve. Simply spray on or about infested areas to benefit from its powerful repellent properties.
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Insecticides
Insecticides are readily available in local stores and can be sprayed around your home for their repellent effect to kick in. The rule of thumb when using insecticides is to carefully read through the instructions. This helps with safety and also guarantees greater efficacy.
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Citrus Juice
Citrus juice of whatever kind should be diluted and sprayed on infested areas as well as on plants. This helps achieve the much-needed result you seek which is the extermination of sandflies around your home.
Wear Protective Covering
One of the cheapest and easiest ways to get rid of sandfly bites is by keeping yourself well covered. This has to do with wearing long-sleeved tops in addition to full-length pants and socks when necessary. Sandflies are unable to find exposed skin to feed on.
These are some of the many ways to get rid of sandflies. Each of these has been used with significant success. It’s best to adopt proactive measures in combating sandfly infestation than adopting the reactionary approach.