There's a fly in my room. It keeps landing on me. Now, it's driving me crazy. Right, I'll try to find out if the housefly serves any purpose in Mother Nature's plan. In the meantime, get aw ... ay!
Listen to this soothing song about flying away by John Denver and Olivia Newton John, who look impossibly young.
Listen to this soothing song about flying away by John Denver and Olivia Newton John, who look impossibly young.
The facts: The average life span for a house fly in the wild is less than one month. Houseflies pass through the egg, larval and pupal stages in approximately 10 days, after which adult flies emerge and cease growth. The small hairs that cover them serve as taste organs. Their compound eyes are extremely complex: thousands of individual lenses allow them a wide field of vision.
House flies are major carriers of disease. They are known to transfer over 100 pathogens resulting in ailments, including typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera and dysentery. House flies collect these pathogens on their legs and mouths when feeding on feces, trash and other decaying material.
The purpose: Although it may be hard to imagine what use a fly might possibly have, they actually play important roles in nature. A female housefly deposits about 100-150 eggs on something that can provide food for the larvae that will hatch from the eggs. This food typically consists of decaying material, such as garbage, animal droppings or grass clippings. Then, somewhere between 8 hours and 2 days later, the maggots hatch and begin to feed.
House flies are major carriers of disease. They are known to transfer over 100 pathogens resulting in ailments, including typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera and dysentery. House flies collect these pathogens on their legs and mouths when feeding on feces, trash and other decaying material.
The purpose: Although it may be hard to imagine what use a fly might possibly have, they actually play important roles in nature. A female housefly deposits about 100-150 eggs on something that can provide food for the larvae that will hatch from the eggs. This food typically consists of decaying material, such as garbage, animal droppings or grass clippings. Then, somewhere between 8 hours and 2 days later, the maggots hatch and begin to feed.
Fly larvae are very efficient disposers of garbage and any other dead matter. Along with bacteria and other composers like worms, slugs and snails, they transform the material into other forms. Apart from disposing dead plant and animal materials or animal and human wastes, flies also serve as food for other organisms. Lizards, foraging insects and even small mammals feed on fly eggs, larvae and pupae. Fish and other aquatic organisms also feed on flies throughout their entire life cycle, as do birds and other land animals.
The fly has flown. Probably crawling over a drop of pineapple juice I spilled in the kitchen earlier. So far, I haven't been infected by one of the nasty diseases the housefly might carry on its legs. Might as well face facts: Flies like our bodies because of the salt and dead cells on our skin.
Winter suddenly seems appealing.
The fly has flown. Probably crawling over a drop of pineapple juice I spilled in the kitchen earlier. So far, I haven't been infected by one of the nasty diseases the housefly might carry on its legs. Might as well face facts: Flies like our bodies because of the salt and dead cells on our skin.
Winter suddenly seems appealing.
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