We all know that virtually all animals and plants have seasons. Most seasons are based on an annual cycle and largely governed by temperature, food availability and light availability.

As a general rule, animals are more active in warm months. This is particularly true of insects. In the winter most insects cannot survive. They will have died off towards the end of autumn/fall or would have found a spot to overwinter.

Most insects do not bother us humans - and we do not bother them. As we all know, there are some exceptions and these include house flies and mosquitoes. Just like other insects, these pests also tend to leave us alone during the cold months. That is, of course, when they do not have the benefit of habiting a building that is heated all year round, 24/7. Such buildings are more common nowadays, whether they are factories and shops that are operating around the clock or hospitals and care homes that must stay warm and open at all times. Even private dwellings are increasingly being heated 24/7 during winter months where air conditioning units are programmed to maintain a constant temperature.

Flies and mosquitoes that find themselves in these buildings will not venture out as the winter approaches. Their natural inclination will be to stay in the warm building. If their adopted home does not cool as winter approaches, they will not receive the usual signal to slow down and hibernate and they will not die off. They will simply remain active spending a great deal of time in the search for food - and generally being an unwanted pest and disease mongerer.

One way of dealing with them would be to turn off the heating for, say, 48 hours. If you live in a house, go on vacation for a couple of days, turning all heating and air-conditioning off. If you run a 24 hour factory, turn off the heating during the Christmas holiday.

There are examples, such as hospitals and homes with house-bound invalids, where this simply cannot be done. There are many factories that simply cannot stop production at any time. Take power stations - try turning one of those off!

In these cases, flying insects need to be dealt with using fly killers and fly screens. In other words, there needs to be a fly control system in place. This is especially true in factories where food is being processed and in hospitals and care homes where there are vulnerable people and hygiene is particularly important.

So, for these places the war against flies is a year-round activity. The best place to go for help with fly control is UK Fly Control. They are available all year round to help you. They exclusively stock a wide range of Insect-o-Cutor fly control products that will ensure you have a happy, fly-free winter!