There is probably no person who has not encountered flies in his life. These insects are one of the most ancient pests, closely adjacent to humans and, in fact, surviving with the help of people.
Flies are a genus of insects that includes more than 1,000 species, distributed on all continents except Antarctica. It should be noted that flies are very heat-loving creatures and cannot tolerate sub-zero temperatures. That is why the spread of flies is directly related to the spread of human habitation.
In nature, flies are ubiquitous. The habitat of blood-sucking insects – horseflies, gadflies, etc. – is especially large. Most species that feed on animal excrement and waste live near animal burrows and in human habitation.
The destruction of flies today is one of the main tasks of exterminators around the world. This problem is becoming especially relevant for our country.
Flies are able to sense smells and also have excellent spatial orientation thanks to their facet vision. It is almost impossible to approach these insects from behind. They sense danger and are able to react with lightning speed to quickly approaching objects. Therefore, killing flies mechanically is not effective.
Regular houseflies can live up to 40 days. Throughout their life cycle, they reproduce. It is noteworthy that the nesting places of flies and their feeding are often different. Like flying insects, flies travel vast distances in search of food and breeding grounds. It is noteworthy that high temperatures, destructive for most insects, have no effect on flies. Even in hot summers, with temperatures up to 400 C, flies remain active, and their reproduction rate even increases.
Flies are present everywhere in human homes. Their active period begins in April-May, when the average daily temperature exceeds 120 C and the period of suspended animation comes to an end. Flies can remain active all year round if they live in an apartment, but their lifespan in such conditions is sharply reduced.
Flies appeared on the planet more than 250 million years ago. During this time, paleoflies managed to develop into more than 400 thousand species and adapt to any living conditions. This two-winged insect today cannot be found only in the Arctic Circle and Antarctica. Flies have occupied everything possible for living organisms. Some feed on the nectar of flowers, others on blood, others on decaying organic matter, and for others, fresh is good. Some previously steppe and forest species of flies quickly “realized” what benefits the development of civilization promised them and moved closer to human habitation. Once you move a couple of kilometers from your last home, these synanthropic flies stop bothering you. They are replaced by the remaining “wild” species.
Classification of flies
They still cannot systematize flies, proposing various ways to divide these insects into orders, genera, families, etc. But the ordinary inhabitant of the planet is of little interest in such methods of classification as the shape of the seam along which the pupa bursts, or the length of the whiskers of a fly. But the food habits of flies worry everyone, since the comfort of human existence depends on it. And the division of dipterans according to nutritional factor is quite clear and does not cause confusion.
According to the nature of feeding of adult flies, there are:
- nectarivores;
- aphagi;
- hematophagous;
- coprophages;
- necrophages;
- polyphages.
The second part of these words comes from the Greek phagos - “devouring” and indicates the type of food that each of the groups eats.
The food of nectarophages is the nectar of flowers, aphages do not eat at all as adults, hematophages drink blood, coprophages eat excrement, necrophages eat dead flesh, and polyphages have a very extensive food base. A striking example of a polyphage is the housefly.
On a note!
Among coprophages and hematophages, there are two types of flies: obligate and facultative. In the former, larvae and adults feed on the same food. In the second variety, the food bases of the larvae and adults are different.
Coprophagous
Among others, obligate flies include some species of the family of true flies that live in pastures. These insects contribute to the breakdown of excrement in nature and are difficult to classify as pests or dangerous flies. But sometimes they fly into houses, carrying worm eggs. In addition, these types of flies often settle in premises where animals are kept.
Facultative flies are much more dangerous, since adult flies feed on excrement, but also willingly eat human food. Often these species fly in to eat directly from a dung heap. The food of the larvae is excrement.
On a note!
The most typical and widespread representative of facultative coprophages is. This is one of the most common types of flies in Russia, so adapted to life in human homes that it is practically no longer found in nature.
Appearance of a housefly
In the photo of a housefly, with macro magnification, you can clearly see all the details of the coloring. But when viewed with the naked eye, the fly looks gray.
This is a small insect with an average length of 7 mm. The color of house flies is gray with four longitudinal black stripes on the chest. The belly is yellowish on the underside. The eyes are large and dark red. faceted. The male differs from the female in the distance between the eyes: in females, the length of the organ of vision is equal to the distance between them; in the male, the eyes are spaced 2/3 of the way.
Nutrition
A housefly is an insect that is not capable of biting through human skin, although the female needs protein food to reproduce. This type of fly feeds only on liquid food. When finding solid pieces of organic matter, the housefly dissolves them in saliva before consuming them.
In this way she can “bite” a person. Trying to dissolve the skin with saliva, the fly causes sharp pain. An acid burn would cause similar sensations in us. But this leaves no traces on the body.
Hematophagous
Flies that bite are obligate hematophages. This species feeds on blood in its adult stage. The larvae develop in rotting organic matter. Obligate hematophages include: horse flies, autumn flies and tsetse flies, which are often called killer flies.
Interesting!
The largest flies are called horse flies because of their thirst for blood. The female, trying to drink blood and lay eggs, does not feel danger, does not notice anything around her and often dies from the tail of an animal or the hand of a person.
In horseflies, females differ from males in that humans usually do not even see the latter. Male horseflies feed on nectar and do not attack mammals.
Some species of horseflies have green eyes, which is why they are often confused with others with green eyes - aphagous gadflies.
All obligate hematophages have mouthparts adapted to obtain blood.
Facultative hematophages are not able to independently obtain blood from the victim’s body. They feed on secretions of the skin and mucous membranes. They willingly drink blood protruding from fresh wounds. In addition to secretions, they feed on mammal excrement and plant juices. The larvae develop in excrement.
A typical representative of a facultative hematophage is the market fly, which is very similar to the house fly, but lives only in the southern regions. Distributed throughout Central Asia and Transcaucasia. In Russia it lives in the subtropical zone.
Necrophages
Fly species names can often be misleading. Such a species as the “dust fly” does not exist in nature. This name most often hides lucilia, which belongs to the group of necrophages. In the garbage dumps themselves, you can find any synanthropic species, including fruit flies. The group of necrophagous flies of the most famous flies includes:
- Lucilia (green);
- gray meat;
They all feed on animal carcasses, but also include food scraps, plant juices and excrement in their diet.
Interesting!
Necrophages are easy to distinguish from other dipterans: all these flies have red eyes. Some eyes may be blood red () or brick (green).
Lucilia
Very common and well-known, it can lay eggs on meat left unattended for a couple of minutes.
They often lay eggs in open wounds, where larvae begin to develop by eating rotting flesh. The main habitat of these dipterans near human habitation is slaughterhouses. But larvae can also develop in animal excrement. It takes 1-2 days for the larvae to develop from the egg.
Blue meat
Medium sized insect. Distributed across all continents. Like the green one, it prefers slaughterhouses and decaying meat.
Gray meat
One of the most dangerous carrion flies. Outwardly, it is similar to an ordinary indoor one, but larger and with clearly visible bright red eyes on its head. The species is viviparous. The female only needs to touch the meat with her belly to lay the larva. When emerging, the larva immediately begins to bite into the meat. The location of the larvae's penetration can be determined by the appearance of liquid from decomposing meat.
Nectarivores
This group includes the mudfly - an insect similar to a bee, but with two yellow spots on the upper side of the abdomen. Sometimes these spots have a reddish tint.
The bee moth can cause harm to humans only if its eggs enter the gastrointestinal tract. Considering that siltworm larvae develop in pits with sewage, the likelihood of siltworm eggs getting into fresh food is very low.
Afagi
On a note!
Bodfly eggs, depending on the species, are either stuck to the animal’s fur, laid on the grass, or injected into the nose and eyes. The hatched larva makes its way under the skin or into the intestines.
Piedwings
This is a family of spotted wing flies. Most of them are small, only a few mm in length. Some species can reach 2 cm. They are harmless to humans, but cause serious damage to crops.
The list of variegated flies includes the Mediterranean fruit fly with a red belly, which is exotic for Russians. Due to its size (up to 5 mm) and similar color, the details of which are difficult to discern without a microscope, this fly can be easily confused with.
The Mediterranean fly is not among the Russian pests, but can be imported along with citrus fruits - the main food for its larvae.
The fly is the most familiar and most annoying insect for us, which attacks our homes in the warm season. This usually lasts from spring until late autumn. We are accustomed to seeing ordinary house flies and green flies, which we associate with dirt and infectious diseases. But in fact, we know very little about these insects. There are about 75 thousand different species of flies in the world, among which there are both those that bite and carry infection, and completely harmless creatures.
Many of us have only a negative image of a fly. As a rule, we associate it with a buzzing sound that gets on our nerves and unsanitary conditions. But it turns out that the fly is an integral element of the biosphere, without which our planet could not fully exist. Many animals feed on adult flies and their larvae. Some types of flies pollinate plants, while others participate in the process of decomposition of plant waste and eat caterpillars and bugs. If it were not for flies, our planet would have long been littered with various plant debris.
What kind of insect is this?
A fly is a two-winged insect belonging to the phylum Arthropods, order Flies and. The insect's body length varies from a few millimeters to 2 cm, depending on the species.
The lifespan of flies is 1–2.5 months. One of the most important distinguishing features of the fly is its huge eyes, which consist of several thousand hexagonal lenses. Thanks to this structure of the eyes, the fly has very good vision and is able to see even what is happening from the side and behind, that is, it practically has a circular field of vision.
The fly belonging to this species practically no longer lives in the wild. Therefore, she is the most annoying and impudent guest in our homes in the summer-autumn period. At this time, our life is complicated by the constant struggle with these small, but very fast and resourceful insects.
House flies are most active during the daytime. The homeland of this insect is the steppe of Central Asia. But at the moment, its distribution is observed everywhere near human homes - both in rural areas and in cities.
A fly of this species is not a biting or blood-sucking insect, but nevertheless it causes significant harm to humans. Its limbs have tentacles on which various harmful bacteria and dirt accumulate, leading to infectious diseases.
The housefly's body is gray with brown tints. It consists of the abdomen, head and chest. The chest is connected to wings and three pairs of legs. On the head there are very large eyes, occupying almost the entire head, an oral cavity and short antennae. The upper part of the breast has four dark stripes, the belly has black spots in the form of quadrangles. The lower half of the head is yellow. The total body length of the fly usually does not exceed 8 mm. Males by size 
There are fewer females.
The female has a wider frontal part of the head, and the distance between the eyes is greater than that of the male. The flight of a fly is carried out only with the help of two front membranous transparent wings, and the hind wings (haleteres) are necessary only to maintain balance.
In appearance, many types of flies are similar to the house fly, but its distinctive feature is the vein that forms a break in front of the edge of the wing. The limbs of the housefly are thin and long with suction cups for convenient movement on various surfaces. These suction cups allow her to move freely even on a vertical glass plane and on the ceiling. The fly's flight speed is very high, and it can last for several hours.
Nutrition
Despite the small antennae, the housefly has a keen sense of smell. She can smell the smell of food over long distances.
The fly feeds on everything that people eat, but prefers liquid food.Its mouthparts are not capable of biting - they only have a licking-sucking function. To do this, the fly has a flexible proboscis on its head, with which it not only sucks liquid food, but also absorbs solid foods. The fact is that the fly secretes saliva, which dissolves solids.
Reproduction and development
The housefly's favorite place to lay eggs is in rotting, moist environments such as manure and various sewage. Having chosen a suitable place, the female lays from 70 to 120 white eggs, the length of which is about 1.2 mm. The transition stage from egg to larva, depending on environmental conditions, lasts for 8–50 hours. The larva is an elongated white body without limbs, similar to a small worm 10–13 mm long, with a pointed head. It continues to live in the feces of various farm animals (horses, chickens, cows). 
After the larva has 3 molts, after 3–25 days, its shell hardens and separates from the body. Thus, it becomes a pupa and after 3 days turns into a young fly, which can produce offspring within 36 hours. The average lifespan of a house fly is 0.5–1 month, but sometimes, under particularly favorable conditions, it can live up to two months. A female can lay eggs up to 15 times throughout her life. Depending on the air temperature and other climatic factors, the total number of offspring ranges from 600 to 9,000 eggs. The breeding season of the housefly lasts from mid-April to the second half of September.
Hoverfly
Hoverflies, or syrphids, are in many ways similar to - both in external characteristics and behavior. They can also hover in flight without stopping their wings. In summer they can often be found in your garden or vegetable garden near umbelliferous or asteraceous plants. But unlike stinging wasps, hover flies are completely harmless. Its body is black and yellow striped with two transparent wings. The head is semicircular with large dark brown eyes. Adult insects feed on flower nectar. The fly got its name because of the sound, similar to the murmur of water, that it makes when hovering in flight.
Hoverfly larvae can live in various environments: in water, in wood, in anthills.
The most favorable place for hoverflies is the accumulation of aphids, since aphids are the main food for the larvae. They also feed on the eggs of some insects and spider mites.Syrphid eggs are translucent oval with a pinkish, greenish or yellowish tint. The larvae appear 2–4 days after the female lays her eggs. Their body is elongated 
wrinkled, narrowed in front and widened behind.
The larva is very lazy. Its physical activity is observed only when hunting aphids. It rises, sways from side to side and suddenly attacks the victim, immediately absorbing it. Then, in search of the next portion of food, it moves, rolling its body mass from one end to the other. The older the larva, the more voracious it becomes. As a result, during 2–3 weeks of its development, it eats up to 2,000 aphids.
An adult fly can lay 150–200 eggs at a time. In total, for the entire season (spring–summer–autumn) there are 2 to 4 generations. The hoverfly is a very useful insect for the garden, as its larvae destroy a huge number of aphids that are harmful to fruit trees. Many gardeners specifically create favorable conditions for the reproduction of this fly by planting dill, carrots, parsley and other umbrella plants in their garden.
Green (carrion)
Despite its partiality to various kinds of carrion and sewage, this fly is a very beautiful insect with a glossy emerald body and translucent smoky wings with a faint openwork pattern. Its body length is about 8 mm. The fly's eyes are large, reddish, its abdomen is round, its cheeks are white. Green flies live mainly in dirty places: on decomposing animal corpses, in manure, waste - but sometimes they can be 
meet among flowering plants with a strong aroma. They feed on organic rotting matter, where they lay their eggs.
After mating, the female lays about 180 eggs. The egg has a grayish or light yellow tint. She tries to hide them as deep as possible in carrion, where they develop within 6–48 hours to the larval stage. The length of the larvae's body varies between 10–14 mm. After 3–9 days they leave their habitat and move to the soil to pupate. The pupal stage lasts from 10 to 17 days (depending on weather conditions), after which the insect emerges to the surface as an adult fly.
Ilnitsa-beeweed (tenacious Ilnitsa)
This type of fly belongs to the hoverfly family. In appearance they are similar to an ordinary bee. The average length is 1.5 cm. The abdomen is dark brown in color, covered with plumage of small hairs; on the side there are large red spots with a yellowish tint. In the middle part of the fly's face there is a wide, well-developed shiny black stripe. Before our eyes - two 
vertical stripes with thick hair. The hind limbs in the lower leg area are also covered with hairs. The insect's thighs are almost black.
The larva of the bee moth is dark with a gray tint. The body of the larvae has a cylindrical shape and reaches a length of 10–20 mm. The larva breathes using a special breathing tube, which can stretch up to 100 mm in length. This organ is very important for her, since she lives in conditions of fetid liquids, garbage pits and pond sewage, and can only breathe clean air.
This insect is active from July to October. Illices feed on the nectar of various flowering plants.
Beeworm larvae can be the source of a dangerous intestinal disease found in some European countries, Africa, Australia, Chile, Argentina, India, Iran and Brazil.The disease occurs as a result of fly eggs entering the human intestines along with food. There the larva hatches and begins to develop, causing enteritis.
Pusher flies
Pusher flies are small predatory insects that are found in almost all parts of the planet. These flies received this name because of their bizarre behavior. Before mating, during courtship, male tuskers gather in flocks and begin to perform peculiar dances. In this interesting way they attract the attention of females. In countries with a particularly warm climate, such performances can be observed throughout the summer. 
In addition to the pleasant spectacle of dancing, males gain favor with females by bringing gifts. Usually these are dead small flies of other species, which the female eats after mating. But quite often male pushers turn out to be very greedy gentlemen. In the most unceremonious way, they take their gifts from the female in order to use them to attract another female for mating.
The body of the pusher fly is gray-brown in color and up to 15 mm long. The belly has 5–7 ring-shaped divisions. When at rest, the wings fit tightly to the back. The head is small and round with a long proboscis hanging down. The eyes of males are usually as close to each other as possible. In the oral apparatus of the fly there are lower and upper jaws in the form of four bristles. Insect larvae live in the ground.
Slender, predatory flies are quite large in size. The body and limbs are covered with a thick layer of short hairs. For humans, blackflies do not pose any danger, but insects such as mosquitoes, midges, beetles and even bees are quite rightly
I had no idea that there were so many flies. There is no doubt about the harm caused by market flies, as well as meat flies (popularly called dung flies). I didn’t know that they (or rather their larvae) were so tenacious! And now I see that indoor ones are also very dangerous! In general, it is imperative to fight flies and under no circumstances let everything go on the brakes!
Flies are, of course, disgusting insects. They multiply incredibly quickly, it’s worth noticing a couple of flies in the house, by the morning several small ones are already flying. We have a country house in the village, there is no peace from them there. One day we left yeast on the table, returned home in the evening, and there were already a bunch of larvae there. And the most unpleasant thing is that they carry diseases, so we have to hang fly tape around the house.
Here is an ordinary housefly flying. Agree, no one will look closely at it and find out what kind of insect is in front of him. And in vain. After all, room is a general definition. There can be completely different flies flying indoors, and some of them are even dangerous.
Flies: preliminary acquaintance
Let's start with what is noticeable even to the naked eye: the size and color of real flies. Even if you don’t delve into their varieties, one thing can be said for sure: the insects that fly around the house and annoyingly pester a person are different. That is why the housefly is just a generalization.
There are, for example, inconspicuous black individuals, the most common ones, sitting in windows and buzzing right under your ear in the morning. And there are emerald-colored ones - even somewhat dapper, shimmering in the sunlight. But such beauty is deceptive, because the green fly is another name for the blowfly, and it is the fly that most often feeds on corpses and lays its eggs in decaying flesh. On the one hand, the insect is a nurse, and on the other, its specialization is too disgusting and dangerous, although it is precisely the cadaveric species of insect that are useful.
About the housefly: who is it?
In general, the term “housefly” can be viewed in two ways, approaching it both from the position of an ordinary person who is faced with hordes of nasty insects every summer, and from the position of a biological researcher. The views will be radically different:
- From a biological point of view. The housefly is a separate species with its own description. Lives in close proximity to humans and is a constant neighbor throughout the summer. The house fly is large, but not the largest, and dark gray in color. It has a soft proboscis with which it cannot bite. Its feeding apparatus is a sucking type, designed to absorb liquid food. They are often called “sewer flies” for their special love for sewage.
- From a layman's point of view. Housefly (housefly) is any two-winged insect that lives in a human home. After all, no one will take a closer look at who exactly is in front of him: a melon fly, a cherry fly, a raspberry fly, or some other one. If it flies and lives at home, it means it is indoor. This approach is also correct, because an ordinary person will not delve into the various types of flies, of which there are about one and a half hundred species.
But today we will change our view and try to understand the diverse and interesting world of these insects.
Pest flies that live nearby
Among the insects there are garden pests: melon fly, raspberry fly, cherry fly, onion fly and cabbage fly. They should not be confused with Drosophila fruit flies, which, although they are close relatives, do not cause direct harm, as they feed on rotten fruits and berries.
This is interesting! Any fruit fly, unlike a fly, is a unique object of biological research: its genome largely coincides with the human genome. Most of our diseases have an analogue among these seemingly useless small insects. This is why the fruit fly is a valuable subject to study.
Another pest that is dangerous on a larger scale is called the Hessian fly. Its larvae feed on cereals, preferring wheat and rye. The Hessian fly is more like a mosquito; it is not without reason that it is called the “bread mosquito.” According to legend, it came to our country with fodder brought by Hessian mercenaries back in 1776. It has taken root, become familiar, and causes enormous damage to domestic agriculture. The Hessian fly is dangerous because if the attack is not stopped in time, it can easily ruin the entire cereal harvest.
The forest pest is the fungus fly. Her children are the worms we all know, hopelessly spoiling boletus, boletus, russula, etc.
These insects are harmful and dangerous, but there are even worse ones. Let's get to know the bloodthirsty flies that bite.
Flies that bite: are they dangerous?
Among the flies there are poisonous and biting ones. Of the former, the most popular is the tse tse fly (African fly). Everyone has heard about it, at least in passing. Lives in the hot climate of Africa, settling near swamps and marshy places. It feeds on the blood of cattle, but will not miss the opportunity to bite a person. And if this happens, the victim will become ill with a deadly disease that destroys the central nervous system and immunity.
Tsetse fly
African fly is the common name for the entire genus, which includes 23 species. Everyone is dangerous and nothing good will come from meeting such an enemy. Externally, the tsetse is more similar to a horsefly than a housefly: it also folds its wings on top of each other and has a characteristic stinging proboscis. Living in the wild, it bites small animals, moving closer to humans - livestock and people. The disease carried by the African fly is called "sleeping sickness" and causes paralysis and death.
However, among the ordinary ones there are those that bite. You will be surprised, but it is not the usual housefly that attacks, but its bloodthirsty counterpart - the zhigalka. Externally, the species are no different, except for the structure of the proboscis, but no one will pay attention to this.
This is interesting! Throughout the summer, zhigalki live near livestock. These are blood-sucking flies: they bite cows, sheep, pigs and other domestic animals without touching humans. With the onset of cold weather, biting pests move into apartments and attack people in search of food. That is why it is popularly believed that by autumn flies “get wild”, become angry before they die and begin to bite.
The zhigalka is one of the most unpleasant species, because along with the bites it can introduce an infection, causing sepsis to develop. She is also a carrier of anthrax. And if the definition “poisonous” does not suit her, then “dangerous” certainly does.
Another unpleasant representative of the fly tribe is the Wohlfarth fly, which is the causative agent of myiasis in livestock and humans: it lays larvae directly on the skin, after which they penetrate inside the body and cause extensive inflammatory foci. The Wohlfarth fly mainly attacks sheep and goats.
Deer bloodsucker
Until now, getting acquainted with the world of flies, we have seen only the negative. Is there anything positive about these insects? Let's answer this question too.
Flies that are beneficial: do they exist?
Sewers are the best place for insects to live. Fly larvae are hard at work here, destroying waste products. Considering that feces are the source of many infections, this is useful and necessary work. That is why it cannot be said that the dung fly is a useless pest.
Now about carrion flies, or blow flies. There are a lot of them. In addition to the well-known green fly, there is a blue meat fly and a striped fly (also known as a gray meat fly). Most are viviparous, laying maggots directly into dead flesh. They are considered orderlies. By the way, the gray one is a big fly; it is larger than many of its relatives and immediately catches your eye.
There are also fly predators. For example, ktyr is a fly that destroys mosquitoes and midges. It is not at all dangerous for humans, but small gnats noticeably suffer from this assistant. The hoverfly is a cute creature, not similar in appearance to its relatives. It has very predatory larvae that feed on small soft insects, mainly aphids. Adults resemble wasps in appearance. The photo shows how attractive hoverflies are. Close to them is the wasp fly.
Spanish fly - a poisonous beetle
But what about the Spanish fly, which many have heard about. The insect has its own interesting history. It is believed to cause strong sexual arousal. Surprisingly, the Spanish fly has nothing in common with flies. This is a beetle, and it has a very beautiful emerald, iridescent color. The Spanish fly belongs to the blister family: when attacked, it secretes a liquid that greatly irritates the surface tissues. The insect smells like mice. On its basis, the drug “Spanish Fly” is produced, which is still considered an aphrodisiac. The product was also used to enhance potency, but it turned out that it had a bad effect on the kidneys and liver. Currently, Spanish Fly is one of the most famous drugs that cause sexual desire.
There are a huge variety of flies, and they are all different. We talked about only a few species, including the melon fly, African fly, cabbage fly, zhigalka and others. There is also an insect called the cicada, which is often confused with the heroine of the story. And it’s clear why. The cicada looks like a fly, although in fact it is not one. This is a beautiful, large insect that can sing. The chirping of the cicada can be heard both at night and during the day. She prefers hot climates. Belongs to the order Hemiptera. And although the cicada resembles a fly, it leads a completely different lifestyle.
In addition to those listed, there are many more types of insects. For example, Swedish fly, red fly, mangrove fly, earth flies, black soldier fly and others. These constant, close companions of man have left their mark even in culture: the phraseological unit “white flies”, denoting falling snowflakes, is directly related to insects and is quite poetic. We think it’s worth reconsidering your squeamish attitude and getting to know them better. And perhaps you will discover a lot of interesting things.
The fly (Musca) got its name from the ancient Slavic word “mus”, meaning “gray”. Diptera insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda, class Insectae, order Diptera.
Fly - description and characteristics
The body length of a fly can be from a few millimeters to 2 cm. The insect has a pair of membranous wings, a rather large head, endowed with an oral organ - a proboscis, designed for sucking up liquid food. The fly's body consists of three parts: head, abdomen and chest, ending with three pairs of legs. Each leg of a fly is divided into five segments. One part is the foot, with two sharp claws and sticky pads. This feature allows the fly to quickly move along the ceiling and any vertical surfaces.
The eyes of a fly are a unique organ. Thanks to several thousand hexagonal facets, the fly has a circular field of vision, so its huge eyes can easily simultaneously see everything that happens to the side and even behind. The organ of smell is the antennae, which can recognize odors at great distances.
Types of flies, names and photographs
There are 3,650 species of flies in the world, some of which are particularly common:
- indoor(house) fly
a gray insect native to the Asian steppes. Distributed everywhere, most often near human habitation. Externally, many species are similar to the house fly, but it is distinguished by a special break at the edge of the wings. Under favorable conditions, the insect can live up to 2 months;
- hoverfly (syrphid)
looks and habits similar to . The insect is distinguished by a black and yellow striped body and transparent wings. The hoverfly feeds on the nectar of flowering plants and is absolutely harmless. The fly got its name from the murmuring sound made by its wings when hovering;
- green(carrion) fly
An insect with a shiny emerald body that lives near sewage and carrion. To avoid being eaten after mating, the male fly first offers the female some food;
- common milkweed (tenacious) or bee-shaped milkweed
considered a subspecies of hover flies. A large insect, up to 1.5 cm long, with a dark-colored body covered with hairy pubescence. Beeworm larvae that enter the human body can cause serious intestinal disorders;
- ktyr
a large predatory fly that poses a danger to midges, as well as similar flies. Killing various dangerous insects with a sharp sting and poison, tyri flies bring significant benefits to humanity;
- Tsetse fly
inhabitant of the African continent. The main source of nutrition for this dangerous predator is the blood of wild mammals, as well as livestock and people. Tsetse flies are carriers of trypanosomes, which cause an incurable disease that destroys the immune and nervous systems and leads to death.
Tsetse fly. Alan R Walker, CC BY-SA 3.0
Where do flies live?
Flies live on all continents except Antarctica, near animal burrows and human habitation. This heat-loving insect cannot tolerate sub-zero temperatures: already at +8, the laid eggs of flies die.
What do flies eat?
Flies are omnivorous insects and can feed on any organic food. The flies pre-soak solid food with saliva. Sweet liquids and foods are especially preferred. Some types of flies are true “gourmets” and eat exclusively onions or. Pyophyllides (cheese flies) reproduce only inside the head of cheese.
Reproduction of flies
With the exception of some viviparous species, most flies lay eggs. Males attract females with a low buzzing sound. 2-3 days after mating, the female fly is ready to lay eggs in any food or organic waste.
One clutch contains approximately 150 eggs. During its existence, a female fly can lay up to 3 thousand eggs. After a day, fly larvae and maggots appear.
This stage of development lasts about a week, during which time the larva increases in size up to 800 times.
The larval stage enters pupation and continues for another week. An adult fly, which does not change its size throughout its life, is born 12-14 days after laying eggs.
For the first 2-3 days, until the wings become stronger, the insect can only crawl. The average lifespan of a fly is 3 weeks.
