House flies are pests as they grow rapidly and are harmful. Their buzzing sound is disgusting and annoying. Flies sit on clothes, food, bare skin, and everywhere around. They sit in dirty places and spread germs with ease. Even if you drive them away, they keep coming back.
Fly screens installed on the doors and windows are an efficient solution of getting rid of not just flies ,but even mosquitoes and other bugs. On the UKflyscreens website, you will come across a variety of insect screens like roller fly screen or magnetic fly screen, or retractable fly screen suitable for residential and commercial doors & windows. The mesh screens are great for ventilation and brightness inside the house without any worries about insects entering.
Let’s learn about the common flies, their types, and some surprising facts. The common housefly is called Musca Domestica and belongs to a sub-category of Cyclorrhapha. It evolved in the Cenozoic era [Middle East] and spread across the globe.
- The common house fly is 6mm to 7mm long and has a wingspan of 13mm to 15 mm.
- A female fly is larger than a male housefly.
- The male housefly has long legs.
- Housefly head is conical and flat at the back, while curved in the front including 2 large eyes.
- They have two short antennas.
- The housefly color is gray or black.
- Its dorsal body has dark longitudinal bands with the same width.
- The entire body is covered with tiny hair.
- The wings are translucent with a yellowish base.
Four phases of the common housefly’s life cycle
Phase 1 – Eggs
Eggs are laid in decayed, rotting, or fermenting organic matter like animal manure, human waste, or garbage. Eggs hatch within few hours.
Phase 2 – Maggot or larva
The young maggots need oxygen to survive, so they burrow inside the breeding material. The breeding material, if dry means they need to penetrate deep inside and if it is wet, they stay at the surface. The larvae are slender, colored, and legless. It grows quickly and its development time can range from three days to several weeks depending on species, temperature, and food type & quantity available to them.
Phase 3 – Pupa
After the larvae are fed, it crawls to hide in dry places beneath objects for protection. A puparium is formed and the transformation from larvae into adults happens in the capsule-like case.
Phase 4 – Adult
It takes 2 to 10 days for larvae to transform into adults. As soon as the development gets concluded, the fly breaks the capsule-like case and surfaces up. It spreads its wings to dry the body and turn hard.
Fact – A female housefly can lay 120 to 130 eggs at a time. It lays eggs 5 times in its life.
How are houseflies harmful?
Houseflies feed on filth and carry diseases on their body and legs. They sit on your body or hover over food and transfer the harmful microorganisms. Commonly transferred microorganisms include Chlamydia, Enterococcus, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, and Escherichia. These cause serious illnesses like food poisoning, diarrhea TB, typhoid fever, parasitic worms, shigellosis, etc.
There are different types of flies beside the common housefly. It includes cluster flies, blowflies, drain fly, and fruit fly. Therefore, you need to eliminate breeding grounds for flies around your home. Pesticides are available but are not safe. The safest way is to install insect screens on the doors and windows!
