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House
flies are recognized as carriers of easily communicable diseases. Flies collect
pathogens on their legs and mouths when females lay eggs on decomposing organic
matter such as feces, garbage and animal corpses.
House
flies carry diseases on their legs and the small hairs that cover their bodies.
It takes only a matter of seconds for them to transfer these pathogens to food
or touched surfaces. Mature house flies also use saliva to liquefy solid
food before feeding on it. During this process, they transfer the pathogens
first collected by landing on offal.
Diseases
carried by house flies include typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Other diseases
carried by house flies include salmonella, anthrax and tuberculosis. House
flies have also been known to transmit the eggs of parasitic worms.
Facts, Identification & Control
Latin Name
Musca domestica
Appearance
Usually gray, less than 4 to 7.5 mm long with four black
stripes on the thorax.
Behavior, Diet & Habits
They prefer corners and edges or thin objects to rest on.
Indoors, they rest on floors, walls and ceilings during the day. Outdoors, they
will rest on plants, the ground, fence wires, garbage cans, etc. Night resting
places are usually near sources of food and 5 to 15 feet off the ground.
Wide variety of food, including human food, animal food and
carcasses, garbage and excrement.
Reproduction
House fly eggs are laid in almost any warm, moist material
that will supply suitable food for the larvae. The female may lay a total
of five to six batches of 75 to 100 eggs. In warm weather, eggs hatch in 12 to
24 hours.
Signs of a House Fly Infestation
The adult flies are the most common sign of activity. Larvae
also may be seen as they crawl out the breeding material to pupate. Lastly, the
pupae themselves may sometimes be observed nearby the breeding material.
More Information
House Fly 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. House flies cease
growth after emerging from their pupae.
House flies are covered with small hairs that 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.
House Fly Control
House flies can be a real nuisance when they are flying
around. But they can also transmit diseases, so it is important to get rid of
them. House fly control is not always as easy as it sounds. There is often more
involved than a fly swatter. House fly control involves several steps, and The
Orkin Man™ can help.
The first step is identification. It is easy to confuse
house flies with several other fly species, including cluster flies. The
different types of flies may look similar, but they require different control
methods. The Orkin Man™ can help with the identification.
It is very important to identify the places where the flies
have been depositing their eggs. It may be something simple like an uncovered
trash can or a bowl of pet food on the patio. However the house fly breeding
site could be something that is not obvious. The breeding site must be cleaned
up or removed. If the breeding site is not removed, the flies will continue to
be a problem.
The Orkin Man™ is trained to spot these breeding sites
during the inspection. He or she will also point out any structural issues,
like torn screens or damaged weather stripping that the flies could use to get
inside your home.
The next step is to eliminate the adult flies. Depending on
the situation, it may be necessary to use fly bait, traps or an insecticide
application.
Flies can transmit diseases. Many common
infections are transmitted by house flies. Some diseases are very serious and
even potentially deadly. Although flies can never be eradicated entirely,
reducing fly populations and limiting its contact with food in particular is an
important part of hygiene.
Life Cycle of the House Fly
It is important to understand the life cycle of the house fly (Musca
domestica) in order to prevent disease transmission. Most of us think of
maggots (one stage the house fly’s life cycle) as being more filthy than the
adult fly. However, it is the adult fly that is more likely to spread diseases
by its feeding habits and movement patterns.
- An adult female fly lays up to
120 eggs at a time, and does so up to 5 times in life.
- It prefers laying eggs on
organic material such as garbage and manure.
- The eggs hatch within hours and
the larvae(maggots) emerge.
- The maggots then burrow into
the organic material, provided that it is not too wet.
- It can take maggots anywhere
from 3 days to several weeks to develop.
- Eventually it migrates to a
suitable location where it forms into a pupa which has a
surrounding capsule.
- This capsule allows it to
transform from a maggot into an adult fly, which takes between
2 to 10 days.
- The adult fly emerges and after
a few days it is able to reproduce.
Temperature is a major factor in the fly’s life
cycle and this entire process can take between 6 to 42 days depending on
environmental temperature. A fly lives for about 2 to 3 weeks, and in cooler
temperatures it can survive for up to 3 months.
Types of Diseases
House flies mainly spread infectious
diseases. These are diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, protozoa and even
nematodes (worms like the roundworm or threadworm). There are over 100
pathogens (disease-causing organisms) that are associated with house flies.
Unlike other insects, such as mosquitoes or ticks, these pathogens do not
specifically require an insect vector. The house fly plays no specific role in
the life cycle of these pathogens. The fly is simply a carrier in some
instances.
Diarrheal illnesses are some of the more
common diseases spread by house flies. This includes bacteria such as E.coli, Shigella, Campylobacter, Enterococcus and
related bacteria which commonly cause diarrheal illnesses and are found in the stool
of people with these illnesses. Some of the diseases spread by house flies
include:
- Anthrax
- Cholera
- Conjunctivitis (epidemic)
- Diptheria
(cutaneous)
- Dysentery
- Food poisoning/gastroenteritis
- Leprosy
- Poliomyelitis
- Trachoma
- Tuberculosis
- Typhoid
fever
- Yaws
It is evident that flies can spread many
infectious diseases indiscriminately. Fortunately, these diseases are not
frequently spread by flies. Other routes are usually more common and effective
for transmission.
How do flies spread disease?
The house fly is able to spread disease
through several routes. It does not bite like the horse fly or tsetse fly in
order to inject the pathogen into a person. Instead disease-causing agents are
spread on its body, in its mouth parts or through its vomitus and feces. House
flies feed indiscriminately on a wide range of organic matter, from feces to
food (fruits, vegetables and meat). It is through this contact with the item it
is feeding upon and even direct contact with people that disease-causing agents
are acquired and passed on.
The infective dose for each pathogen varies
greatly. Sometimes just a few microbes are required to cause serious disease.
The contaminated matter containing these microbes, and even just the microbes
itself, that are acquired from one source may adhere to the fly or be passed
out in its vomitus and feces. The contaminated matter and microbes are then
passed onto food once the fly lands and/or feeds on it. The situation is
further exacerbated if the food is not refrigerated allowing the inoculation
dose of microbes to multiply before the food is eaten.
Prevention of Housefly Diseases
Extensive measures to control fly populations
does not seem like a concern for the average urban dweller in a developed
nation. However, it is important to do so even though strong insecticides for
mass spraying, dumping toxic materials in potential breeding sites and
widespread distribution of fly traps are not usually necessary. Simple
measures in the home front can prevent flies from causing serious diseases.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), four strategies should be
implemented:
- reducing
or eliminating breeding sites for flies,
- reducing
sources that attract flies from other areas,
- preventing
contact between flies and disease-causing agents,
- protecting
food, eating utensils and people from making contact with flies.
Breeding Sites
Although sewage is not a problem for urban
dwellers in developed nations, animal feces (dung) can still be an issue, especially
with livestock. Pet excrement that is not properly disposed of can serve as
breeding sites and attract flies. It may not always be possible to clean out
all remnants of pet feces, especially in a carpeted home. Regular washing of
the carpets and use of domestic insecticides over the area can help
significantly.
The same applies for organic matter that is
not discarded by the proper channels. Garbage disposal units have played a
significant role in preventing fruit, vegetable and food leftovers from posing
a threat in regular rubbish bins. When not available, organic matter should be
sealed tightly in rubbish bags before disposing. Compost heaps in the garden,
especially where manure is used, can also serve as another attraction source
and breeding site for flies. If so, alternatives should be found.
Contact Between Flies and Pathogens
A houseful only needs a few seconds to make
contact with a source of pathogens in order for it to transport it elsewhere.
Feces is one of the substances that are laden with a wide range of microbes,
especially if it was passed from a person who was ill. Modern toilets have
eliminated this risk to a large degree in developed nations. However, soiled
baby diapers are still a risk if not discarded properly.
Older people who are debilitated, like the
infirm, may also be a source and caregivers need to ensure that any excreta is
cleaned as soon as possible. Adult diapers may be useful in this regard but it
has to be disposed of accordingly. Open wounds and sores and infected eyes can
also serve as another source.
Contact With People, Food and Eating Utensils
House flies cannot be completely eradicated.
Even the best efforts in the home will be reduce fly populations but it can
quickly return. In order to prevent diseases, the fly’s contact with people,
food and eating utensils should therefore be prevented or interrupted.
Self-closing doors and nets/screens over doors and windows are very effective
in preventing flies from entering the home.
Even electric fans blowing air over a doorway
can impede flies from entering the home. When these measures are unable to stop
flies entirely, then aerosol sprays and fly traps may be alternatives. The
insecticide sprays kills some flies and repel others. Traps will attract flies
more so than food in the home and eventually kill them.
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