Around Montana
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local fly information
Fly control in Montana
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Flies in Montana: what to know
What to note
Where you see flies, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.
A useful next step
Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.
Local research
Flies in Montana: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which flies actually live in Montana, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Face flies "do not enter darkened buildings or shelters during the warm summer months. However, they overwinter as adults and may be problematic in the fall as they enter protected areas such as attics, barns or sheds."
Face flies overwinter inside Montana structures
Montana homeowners who find flies in the house during a winter warm spell are usually dealing with face flies that entered the attic the previous fall.
Montana State University ExtensionLife cycle completed in two to three weeks; "Each female lays approximately 25 eggs per cycle," deposited on freshly deposited cattle manure in open pasture and rangeland
Face fly life cycle and egg output
Because face flies breed in undisturbed pasture manure rather than confined manure piles, manure removal will not solve a Montana face fly problem the way it solves a house fly problem.
Montana State University Extension"An average of 12 to 14 flies on the face of an animal can reduce grazing by as much as one hour per day. Fly populations above 20 are considered a heavy infestation"
Face fly infestation threshold on cattle
It gives Montana livestock owners a countable trigger for treatment rather than a subjective judgment about whether flies look bad.
Montana State University ExtensionFly species recorded in Montana
- House fly (Musca domestica) — Non-biting; breeds in manure, garbage, lawn clippings, decaying produce. 45 days at 60°F to 7 days at 95°F. Carries bacteria and viruses causing diarrhea, cholera, food poisonin…
- Stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) — Biting fly with bayonet-like proboscis; about 12 days egg to adult; peaks early summer.
When flies are busiest in Montana
MSU Extension describes face flies as active on livestock through the warm summer months, then entering attics, barns and sheds in the fall to overwinter as adults, with nuisance appearances indoors during winter warm spells.
MSU Extension notes that stable fly larvae develop in decaying organic matter such as wet hay and winter feeding areas, so cleaning up wet hay residue is the practical control step on Montana properties.
For context, nationally
- About 45 days at 60°F; 7 days at 95°F — House fly life cycle vs temperature. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- 75–150 per cluster; 350 to 900 in a lifetime — House fly eggs per female. University of New Hampshire Extension
Sources: Montana State University Extension; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; University of New Hampshire Extension; Flies (Home and Landscape). Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Explore Montana cities
Anaconda
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Belgrade
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Billings
Semi-Arid Continental · urban setting
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Bozeman
Warm Summer Continental · suburban setting
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Butte
Semi-Arid Continental · suburban setting
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Great Falls
Semi-Arid Continental · suburban setting
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Havre
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Helena
Semi-Arid Continental · suburban setting
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Kalispell
Warm Summer Continental · suburban setting
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Miles City
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Missoula
Warm Summer Continental · urban setting
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Livingston
Warm Summer Continental · rural setting
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