Flies
- The most common flies are: Housefly, Flesh Fly, Fruit Fly, Sewage Fly and etc.
- An adult Housefly can cover a distance of 5km at a top speed of 6km per hour and beat its wings 200 times per second.
- The life cycle of the Housefly takes only 2 weeks to complete and the adult female can live for about 2 months
Introduction
| House flies are generally 3/16 to 1/4 inches in length, and have two translucent wings and a grey thorax marked with four dark stripes. Their diet consists of rotting organic matter, such as decaying food and flesh, feces, and mucus. House flies cannot consume solid food, so they often predigest their food by first spitting on it to dissolve it. They then ingest the food once it has become liquefied. |
Reproduction Process
- Female house flies can lay as many as 3 to 7 batches of eggs in a lifetime, for a total of approximately 500 eggs. Once the eggs hatch, they quickly develop into maggots: short, white, worm-like creatures that feed on rotting organic matter.
- They exist as maggots for approximately one week, after which they enter the pupa stage of their development. They inflate their skin, which becomes a reddish-brown cocoon. After 4-6 days, they then emerge as fully grown house flies. In this final stage of life, house flies can typically live between two weeks and one month.
Behaviour of Flies
- House flies tend to gather in large groups, and are particularly active during the daytime. They prefer warmer temperatures, and in colder climates are therefore most likely to be found indoors.
- Flies are thought to be responsible for the spread of diseases such as diarrhoea, anthrax, eye inflammation and possibly tuberculosis. House flies are almost universally viewed as pests. They are capable of carrying and spreading diseases.
Hazards Which They Can Cause
| 1. | Disease transmitters eg. gastroenteritis, typhoid, cholera and tuberculosis. |
| 2. | Causing major problems where infestations over-spill from breeding sites such as rubbish tips and animal houses. |
| 3. | Produces allergens that are sensitive to people in asthma. |
| 4. | Imparts stains and unpleasant odious. |
Control Method
| 1. | Sanitation and habitat elimination are keys to managing. |
| 2. | Spraying or fogging of all potential breeding grounds and harbourages for immediate extermination. |
| 3. | Baiting, Traps & Aerosols. |
| 4. | Removal of breeding sources. |
