Flies

The housefly ( Musca domestica) is a flyof the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It possibly originated in the Middle East, and spread around the worldas a commensalof humans. Adults are gray to black, with four dark, longitudinal lines on the thorax, slightly hairy bodies, and a single pair of membranous wings. They have red compound eyes, set farther apart in the slightly larger female. The female housefly usually mates only once and stores the sperm for later use. It lays batches of about 100 eggs on decaying organic matter such as food waste, carrion, or feces. These soon hatch into legless white larvae, known as maggots. After two to five days of development, these metamorphose into reddish-brown pupae, about 8 millimeters (3⁄8 inch) long. Adult flies normally live for two to four weeks, but can hibernate during the winter. The adults feed on a variety of liquid or semi-liquid substances, as well as solid materials which have been softened by their saliva. They can carry pathogens on their bodies and in their feces, contaminate food, and contribute to the transfer of food-born illness while, in numbers, they can be physically annoying. For these reasons, they are considered pest. Sho-Me Pest can effectively treat and help prevent reoccurrence with variety of different treatment options.

Close-up of a fly on a leaf.