Shoo, fly! MN county invaded by pestering flies
Isanti County residents are dealing with a fly infestation – millions of the little buggers getting in homes, mailboxes, porches.
KSTP reports the Biblical plague-like swarms of blow flies started weeks ago.
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It apparently stems from a farmer in the neighborhood, who dumped manure and garbage in his yard last winter and left it, WCCO says. Since then, the fly population has quickly gotten out of hand. The property owner had no comment for the station.
Blow flies lay eggs in decomposing organic matter – garbage, animal manure, decaying vegetables, grass clippings and poorly managed compost piles, writes Barb Ogg, with the University of Nebraska Lincoln. The flies are important to the natural decay process of animal carcasses, she says.
A female blow fly lives between two and eight weeks – and during that time lays thousands of eggs, an NC State University sheet says.
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According to KSTP, Isanti County Zoning, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Minnesota Department of Health are looking into whether the landfill-like pile could be an ordinance violation – but it could be at least another week before a decision is made.
