House Fly Life Span
The house fly can be classified into two groups. It is a generic term that applies to the common housefly, the lesser house fly and fruit flies, all of whom may enter a dwelling. It can also refer specifically to the common housefly, Musca domestica Linnaeus. The house fly life span is explained below.
The common housefly is distributed throughout the world and is a very successful breed. Its success can be attributed to a number of factors including its adaptability and resourcefulness.
Otherwise known as a housefly, the Musca domestica Linnaeus is seen anywhere — in places and spots where there are rotting food and/or manure.
Oftentimes house flies will pick up a scent most from afar and try to seek its source. Until then, they keep on flying.
Flies are just as opportunistic when laying eggs. Rather than prepare an area for their eggs, they simply find a wet and warm area where there is some food and lay their eggs there.
Freshly laid manure is a perfect place. The cream-white eggs are laid in clusters of between 75 and 100 eggs. Within 24 hours of being laid, they will hatch into larvae (maggots).
The larvae are completely self-sufficient – another sign of this breed’s robustness and adaptability. After a few days, the larvae will move to drier areas (or the medium they were hatched into may dry out anyway).
They will then pupate and from the puparium will emerge a mini version of a fly. After about an hour, the young fly will mate if possible and then take off and start its life as a flying adult.
This, of course, is when the trouble starts.
The amount of houseflies at any given time is largely governed by temperature. A fly’s functions, including breeding, will slow as the temperature cools. It thrives and multiplies rapidly in warm to hot temperatures but doesn’t like the temperature to be too hot.
This is one of the many attributes they share with humans. Alarmingly, house flies share some other human characteristics such as the inability to see in the dark and a liking for sweet and fatty foods.
That last point may explain why they are so keen to visit our kitchens. They are less fussy than we are. They will have no problem with visiting our trash and rubbish tips looking for discarded food.
Flies often take advantage of reliable sources of food and are eternally curious – just like us.
Although they are not curious in the intellectual sense the way that we are, they do tend to explore. This behavior is simply their way of getting their next feed. They will fly around until something comes up.
Flies are responsible for spreading disease – sometimes very serious diseases. There is a universal need to keep them away from our food and food preparation areas.
A business that prepares and produces food has a legal duty in most jurisdictions to ensure cleanliness, and of course, pest control measures are taken to deal with house flies to avoid infestation.
