Fly Facts VS Myths

Flies are an inevitable part of life as they play a role in the ecosystem, but let’s be honest: no one wants them buzzing around food, drinks, or customers. While we respect flies for their place in nature, they don’t belong in homes, restaurants, or workplaces. There’s a lot of misinformation about these pests, leading to frustration and ineffective solutions. In this article, we’ll dive into some surprising fly facts vs myths, helping you understand these insects better. But more importantly, how to keep them out of your space. 

Let’s start with the fly facts

1. Flies can taste with their feet. Flies have an array of taste receptors on each of their feet, allowing them to sample food by simply landing on it. 
2. Houseflies beat their wings around 200 times per second. This is a lot faster than most insects. This agility is what makes them particularly hard to swat. Additionally, this is what makes a housefly’s iconic buzzing sound. 
3. Flies have almost 360 degree vision. They have what are called compound eyes. Compound eyes are thousands of individual lenses that work together to create a mosaic-like image. This is another contributor to flies’ agility. 
4. A Housefly can lay up to 500 eggs in its lifetime. This is why a fly infestation can occur so quickly. 
5. Flies can survive without food or water for three days, making them quite resilient. 
6. Some flies are pollinators. Whilst they pollinate far less than bees, certain fly specimens play a role in pollinating plants. 
7. Flies clean themselves constantly. When they rub their evil little hands together, they are actually cleaning themselves.
8. Flies use the wind to navigate. They use the air currents to find food and breeding sites. Specific neurons in fruit flies fire according to wind direction, helping them form a neural map of their surroundings.
9. Flies have been around for over 65 million years, they were around with the dinosaurs!
10. Flies can see in slow motion. Thanks again to their compound eyes.
11. Flies digest food OUTSIDE of their body. They regurgitate digestive enzymes onto food to break it down into a liquid before eating it. Yuck. 
12. A housefly can fly up to 24 k/ph. They average around 8k/ph but when threatened they can really pump the gas!

How many of these fly facts vs myths have you heard before?

Okay, let’s review some fly facts vs myths!

1. Flies only live for 24 hours. Incorrect!! Some fly specifics can live up to 30 days. However on average most flies live about 20 days. 
2. Flies are harmless because they don’t bite. Double wrong! Some flies, like the Horsefly do bite, but they’re not the ones to be worried about. Whilst Australian flies are only harmful because they carry certain bacteria’s, some species of fly are extremely dangerous. Such as the Tsetse fly, which carries African Sleeping Sickness. 
3. Flies are only attracted to food. Flies are actually attracted to lots of things, such as decaying organic matter, moisture, feces, certain scents and even carbon dioxide. 
4. A clean house/ restaurant won’t have flies. This is a huge misconception. Whilst a clean environment can help, flies will still be attracted by other things in most cases. 
5. Flies are useless and annoying. Whilst they are a bit annoying, flies actually play a very valuable role in our ecosystem. Click here to read more. 
6. Spraying insecticide solves your fly problem instantly. Whilst this effectively eliminates visible flies it does not address larvae or eggs, leading to recurrent problems. 
7. Flies are attracted to light. Some flies, like Moth Flies, are drawn to light, most priorities food, odors and decaying matter. 

Understanding fly facts vs myths is essential to keeping them out of your space. If you are having issues with flies contact us today on 0439375944 or email us at info@theflylady.com.au.