Flies
More than 100 pathogens are associated with the house fly including: Salmonella, Staphylococcus, E. coli and Shigella. These pathogens can cause disease in humans and animals, including: typhoid fever, cholera, bacillary dysentery, hepatitis, ophthalmia, polio, tuberculosis and infantile diarrhea. Sanitation is critical to controlling these pests, but accurate identification is essential for success.
FAQ's:
- Flies belong to the Order Diptera.
- There are 16,000 species of flies in North America.
- The life expectancy of a fly is eight days to two months.
- One pair of flies can produce more than one million offspring in as little as six to eight weeks.
- Flies spread diseases readily because they move quickly from rotting, disease-laden garbage to exposed foods and utensils.
- A fly deposits thousands of bacteria each time it lands.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture sources reveal that flies contaminate or destroy $10 billion of agricultural products.
- For every fly seen, there are an estimated 19 more hidden from view. This means humans don't even see 95 percent of flies present at an infestation.
House Fly are hard to swat because they react to movement five times faster than humans do. Sensitive hairs on their bodies send data directly to the wings, so these flies can take off the instant motion is detected.
Color: Usually gray with four black stripes on the thorax.
Size: 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch long.
- They prefer corners and edges or thin objects to rest on. Indoors, they rest on floors, walls and ceilings during the day. Outdoors, they will rest on plants, the ground, fence wires, garbage cans, etc. Night resting places are usually near sources of food and 5 to 15 feet off the ground.
- Diet includes a wide variety of food, including human food, animal food and carcasses, garbage and excrement.
- House fly eggs are laid in almost any warm, moist material that will supply suitable food for the larvae. The female begins laying eggs a few days after hatching, laying a total of five to six batches of 75 to 100 eggs. In warm weather, eggs hatch in 12-24 hours.
Fruit Fly are primarily nuisance pests. However, they also have the potential to contaminate food with bacteria and other disease-producing organisms.
Size: Adults are about 1/8-inch long
Color: The abdomen is black on top, gray underneath, they have red eyes and a tan thorax.
- Populations tend to build during the summer, becoming very abundant at harvest time.
- Indoors, fruit flies are frequently active at all times of the year.
- Diet includes ripened fruit, vegetables and fermenting products.
- Larvae develop in moist areas where organic material and standing water are present.
- Life cycle lasts 25 days or more.
Horse Fly was named after the female of the species, which feeds on the blood of large animals such as horses. Silent in motion, the female lands on its prey unnoticed, delivering a painful bite with knife-like mouthparts. The male horse fly eats pollen and nectar.
Size: from 1/4-inch to 1 1/8-inch
Color: Black to dark brown with green or black eyes.
- Adult horse flies are large with broad bodies and bulging eyes.
- Males are easily differentiated from female flies because eyes are contiguous in the males and widely separated in the females.
- The antennae are three segmented.
- The thorax and abdomen are covered with fine hairs.
