House Flies (Musca Domestica) House flies are one of the most common insects that plague man. They are often a nuisance in residential homes as well as commercial areas. They are the biggest problem in restaurants and commercial kitchens.
Aside from their nuisance factor, house flies carry numerous diseases and germs. They contaminate food by landing on it. They are known to be carriers of typhoid fever, cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, tuberculosis, anthrax, and parasitic worms.
House flies breed in fresh horse manure, garbage, human excretion, cow manure, and rotting vegetable matter. Their larvae are small white maggots, which pupate and emerge into flies. Their life cycle under the right conditions is complete in six days with 10-12 generations per summer. To give an idea as to how rapidly flies can propagate, according to entomologist Hodges, "A pair of flies beginning operations in April may be progenitors, if all were to live, of 191,010,000,000,000,000,000, flies by August. Allowing 1/8 of a cubic inch to each fly, this number would cover the earth 47 feet deep."
The fly is an enemy because it is one of the biggest disease carriers in existence. Moist, warm, decaying material protected by sunlight is favored for fly eggs to hatch and in only 8 short hours for fly larvae or maggots to grow. An uncovered garbage can is an ideal breeding place.
Flies feed and reproduce on filth, decaying matter, and water.
Flies are tranmitters of disease primarily because they feed on human and animal wastes. The dangerous bacteria present in these wastes stick to the mouth, footpads and hairs of flies and may then be deposited in feed intended for animal consumption.
Fly feces, which contain disease-bearing organisms, can also contaminate human food. Flies defecate every four to five minutes. And since flies have no teeth and must take their nourishment in liquid form, they spit on solid food and let it dissolve before consuming it. Fly spittle, or vomitus, is swarming with bacteria and contaminates food and areas where food is stored.
Did you know?
- A fly can infect food by merely landing on it.
- Flies can enter a building that has openings not much larger than the head of a pin.
- Although they rarely travel very far from where they are hatched, flies may be lured to the sources of attractive odors. Flies may also be carried long distances by air current.
- One female fly can produce thousands of offspring in a single breeding season.
- Flies have favorite resting places. They are especially fond of places protected from the wind and on edges such as garbage can rims and electric wires
- Flies carry bacteria that can cause many diseases known and unknown to man.
- One fly can carry over 33 million disease-causing microorganisms on the inner and outer surfaces of its body.
- There are over 87,000 different fly species.
- The fly is one of the fastest flying insects.
- A fly's vision is sharp for only 24 to 36 inches.
- One successful hatch can result in well over 2 million flies.
- One season can breed as much as 25 generations.
The health and well-being of your family is in your hands! So why would you put up with disease-carrying flies around your home?
ACT NOW. By simply using THE TRAP you can eliminate the problem SAFELY and ECONOMICALLY.
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Facts About Flies
