10 Facts About Flies

Flies can be an annoyance to anyone with their constant buzzing around. For businesses, especially in the food and pharmaceutical industries, they can be a huge concern due to their impact on consumer health. However, they can also be quite interesting insects. Here are 10 facts about flies you need to know.

1. House flies live on a liquid diet- You read that correctly, flies tend to live off a liquid based diet due to their lack of mouth anatomy, they are forced to drink their food. They will also vomit digestive juices to break down the food into smaller pieces that allow them to drink the meal.
2. They taste with their feet- A lot like butterflies, flies can taste food using their feet. When a fly lands on your food, they will often hang around it for a minute to give it a good taste before deciding to eat it.
3. House flies defecate frequently- Because house flies live off of a liquid diet, their digestive system can move rather fast, meaning they defecate quite often as well. It has been speculated that they defecate every time they land, even if it is on their next meal.
4. Flies carry a variety of diseases- Due to their feeding and breeding habits, house flies come into contact with a variety of harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E.coli. This means that they can aid in the spread of bacteria to humans by contaminating things like food and cooking utensils.
5. House flies can walk upside down- The build of a house fly allows it to walk on horizontal, vertical or even upside down surfaces. Their feet contain two fat foot pads with tiny hairs that produce a sticky substance made of sugars and oils that provides with them amazing grip.
6. Flies can see behind them- Their specialized eyes allow them to see with a nearly 360-degree field of view. Unlike ours, a house flies eyes don’t move. Being able to see in all directions allows them to navigate while on the lookout for danger. This also makes them very hard to catch or squish.
7. The lifespan of a house fly is short- On average, the lifespan of a house fly only lasts about 30 days. However, they accomplish a lot in such a short time span. They can lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime. So even though they don’t live long, an infestation can still quickly take place.
8. House flies are fast- House flies are able to process what they see and react with amazing reaction times making them very hard to swat.
9. They are unhygienic breeders- House flies like to lay their eggs on things like dead animals and faeces. This disgusting habit is to provide their larvae with something to eat once they hatch.
10. Male house flies are constantly looking for a date- Males use their special eyes to lock onto potential mates even during aerial pursuit.

Living in the Columbia, SC area, we have all experienced how annoying flies can be. Econ-O-Bug can help you eliminate the flies in your home and help you keep them away – permanently! Our pest control estimates are free, and they come with no risk or obligation to you. Don’t let flies take over your property. Call the local pest control experts at Econ-O-Bug today.