9 Surprising Facts about Houseflies

The buzzing, the hovering, and the sheer persistence are a few things that infuriate people about houseflies. Never mind the myriad health risks associated with them. Utah Houseflies are pests with the sole purpose to cause discomfort. But besides their day job of being unrelenting pests, some facts about houseflies are quite interesting and even incredulous.

The following discusses some true facts about these annoying house flies:

Their Feet Have Taste Receptors

House flies have certain receptors on their feet called “Chemosensilla” which allows them to taste whatever they land on, be it feces, rotten food, or your lunch. They share this similarity with butterflies, but let’s be honest, you would rather have a butterfly land on your food than a housefly land on your food, right?

They Can See Behind Them

Ever wondered why it is such a daunting task to spat a fly? That is because they see a step ahead of you. House flies can see behind them as they have a nearly 360-degree field of view. Their eyes are static, unlike ours, and they are compound eyes, which mean they can see a variety of things at the same time. This special sight also helps the male flies to spot potential female mates and lock on to them. Creepy, but interesting!

They Drink Their Food

Imagine slurping down your hot dog or French fries, strange right? That is how houseflies consume all food; they do not have any chewing mouthparts, so that is how they eat, by slurping it like liquid. The method is actually quite interesting. They spew digestive juices on the food they land, which breaks it into small forms, and then they use their mouthparts called “Proboscis” to drink the food.

House Flies Poop A Lot

And they do it anywhere. As previously stated, houseflies have a liquid diet, this means that digestion is pretty much done very quickly. The result is they poop very often, as often as whenever they land on anything.

They Do Not Live Very Long

Houseflies have a short lifespan of around 30 days. In other words, a housefly grows old and dies in just a month. That is not very long. Be that as it may, they live to their fullest in this short life, they lay up to 500 eggs in this short time, and they still have time to bother people. Fascinating!

They Walk Upside Down

If you were to live for only 30 days, you would probably like to walk however you like. The answer lies in their anatomy. House flies have two-foot pads called “Pulvilli” on each foot. The Pulvilli contains tiny hairs that produce sticky substances, which gives the housefly a good grip to walk against gravity.

They Give Birth In Unconventional Places

Houseflies lay their eggs in unconventional places like feces, rotten meat, and other rotten foods. As nauseating as this may be, houseflies have a reasonable explanation for this. And that is so that their larvae will have food immediately after they hatch.

They Transmit Diseases

When their breeding ground of choice is feces and rotten food, it’s easy for them to carry harmful bacteria and virus as well. And with the ability to poop every time they land on something, they use that opportunity to deposit these harmful organisms into them. After learning all these true facts about houseflies, think twice about letting them anywhere near you or your food!

With these new or not so new facts about houseflies, Are you fascinated by them? Or are you getting a new can of bug spray? The latter is highly recommended.

Call the Experts

When you notice you have a problem with houseflies, give the experts a call at Beeline Pest Control Utah at (801) 544-9200.