Shoo Fly - You Bother Me!

How many kinds of flies are there? Well that depends on who you ask.
Most people would say, “one kind…the annoying kind!”
But if you asked a scientist, they’d tell you there are over 
40,000 known species of flies.
A House Fly(Musca domestica L)
The word “fly” is a very broad definition.
In scientific terms, all 2-winged insects are
called Diptera and this classification includes 
 the Horse Fly, the common House Fly, the 
Fruit Fly, the Bee Fly, the Black Fly, 
the Moth Fly and on and on! 
Even the mosquito is considered a fly.
For our purposes
we are going to concentrate on the  
Musca domestica Lthe common housefly.
This little pest is always found in association
with humans or human activities.
Not only are they a nuisance
but they also can
transport disease-causing organisms
to your food, your body and to the surfaces
 in your home.
More than 100 germs can be
transmitted by the
common housefly, including typhoid, dysentery, 
cholera, tuberculosis, anthrax and even parasitic 
worms.
The Common House Fly can complete its life
cycle in 7-10 days. It goes from egg to larva
or maggot, then pupa to adult stages in about
a week. As many as 10 to 12 generations can

be produced in one summer at 500 eggs a week!
Life Cycle of a Fly
Adults usually live 15-25 days. If a pair reproduces
at full capacity starting in April, in a single summer the
two could produce through their offspring up
to – are you ready for this? - 191,010,000,000,000,000,000,
flies by August. That’s over 191 trillion flies! Wow!
That would put a damper on anyone’s picnic.
Mouthparts of a fly


Adults use their mouthparts
like a straw and can only drink
food that is in liquid form.
The fly regurgitates or vomits
on the food to chemically
break down the substance
before sipping up their meal.
That’s just what they’re doing
when they land on your sandwich,
your arm or the rim of your
juice glass!
The common housefly is more than annoying though.
It is a pest that can transport and transmit diseases
in people and animals. Scientists are exploring
 ways to safely manage fly populations
around the world. The use of pesticides,
electrocution and fly traps have proven
effective and scientists are trying to
discover a fly parasite, an insect or
other organism that feeds on flies,
as an option that may be better for
the environment.
Pesticides
Trash 
Cans
Flies reproduce in manure
piles, trash cans, leaf litter,
compost piles and other
warm, humid areas that
provide protection and
food for the growing
maggots. How can
you work to keep your
environment safer and
keep the fly population down? 
Thanks:
http://www.sciencewithme.com

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