Around South Dakota
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 South Dakota
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Flies in South Dakota: 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 South Dakota: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which flies actually live in South Dakota, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
High-moisture decaying organic matter, with the highest concentrations around feed bunks, hay stacks, and manure piles
Where stable fly maggots develop in South Dakota
Wet hay under a feeder is a bigger stable fly source than the pasture itself.
South Dakota State University ExtensionResearch has determined horn flies can travel as far as three miles in search of hosts
Horn fly host-seeking range
Biting flies at a rural South Dakota home can originate from a herd miles away.
South Dakota State University ExtensionDocumented transmission of brucellosis, eyeworms, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, mastitis, and pinkeye; eggs laid in fresh manure
Face fly disease transmission
Face flies are the reason manure management matters beyond nuisance.
South Dakota State University ExtensionFly species recorded in South Dakota
- 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 South Dakota
Black flies swarm for about three weeks from May into mid-June; stable, face, and horn fly pressure runs through the summer grazing season.
SDSU Extension: signs of stable fly pressure are tail flicking, leg stamping, standing in water, and bunching; parasitoid wasps can be applied to manure piles and feed bunks alongside sanitation.
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: South Dakota 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 South Dakota cities
Aberdeen
Humid Continental · rural setting
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Brookings
Humid Continental · rural setting
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Huron
Humid Continental · rural setting
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Mitchell
Humid Continental · rural setting
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Pierre
Humid Continental · rural setting
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Rapid City
Semi-Arid Continental · suburban setting
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Sioux Falls
Humid Continental · urban setting
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Watertown
Humid Continental · rural setting
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Yankton
Humid Continental · rural setting
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Vermillion
Humid Continental · rural setting
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