In their 30 days of life, flies go through a major metamorphosis from egg to adult form as they fly around, stopping to eat feces or garbage every now and then. They are part of the order Diptera (which means “two wings”), like their fellow mosquitoes, and are divided into about 150,000 species, including horseflies, blowflies, fruit flies and domestica (Musca domestica), one of the most common in the world. And common boot: the flies are where the people are. They are present in both urban and rural areas. They are active during the day and sleep at night and love dirty environments, where there is decomposing organic matter (garbage, sewage, landfills, etc.). As they live in filth, flies carry dirt everywhere – when they land on food, they can contaminate it with bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms, spreading diseases such as diarrhea, cholera or typhoid fever. But not all are harmful to man. “Some are used as biological pest control agents. Others, such as Drosophila (fruit flies), are used as experimental animals in genetic studies, and there are even those that act as pollinators”, says Cláudio José Von Zuben, an entomologist at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), in Rio Claro. (SP). :-@
1. Females lay around 120 eggs (white and elongated, less than 1 millimeter long) on fermentable organic matter such as feces or garbage
2. After 8 to 24 hours, the larva, a little creature with no legs measuring about 3 millimeters, breaks out of the egg and hatches. Then she starts to eat what she sees in front of her.
3. On the third day of life, the outer layer of the larva hardens and forms a kind of cocoon. Then, it buries itself in the soil for three to six days, during which time it remains immobile and without feeding. It is the pupal stage of flies.
4. Metamorphosis is complete and the insect becomes an adult, measuring 5 to 8 millimeters in size and weighing 30 grams. It gains wings and is ready to mess with our lives for another 25 days, until it dies.
OVERVIEW
Flies have large, multifaceted eyes, made up of hundreds or even thousands of lenses, which allow them to see virtually 360 degrees. Do you understand now why it is so difficult to catch a fly? But the vision lacks focus and not much detail
SCRUBBERS
That flies are always rubbing their paws everyone knows. But the amazing thing is that they do it for the sake of hygiene! Paw hairs have scent and taste receptors, so they need to be kept clean so they can sniff out their favorite foods.
OLD FRIENDSHIP
There is evidence that flies appeared about 65 million years ago, at the time of the dinosaurs. Some scientists say that, in the beginning, they lived in the Middle East, but, companions that only they, followed men in their travels around the world.
I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO DATE
Flies reach sexual maturity as soon as they become adults. Typically, females – who are rear-mounted by males – only mate once, but store sperm to lay eggs multiple times. Over a lifetime, a single fly can lay up to 900 eggs.
Indomitable Aces
During flight, flies beat their wings 330 times per second – four times more than the hummingbird, the champion bird in this regard. They also have a second pair of wings, less developed, used for aerial maneuvers and to stabilize the flight.
LEECH
To complete the selection of pests, some flies, such as horseflies, stable flies or horn flies, ingest human or animal blood. The mouthparts of these insects have pointed modifications that sting and pierce the skin of their victims.
The menu of flies is stomach-wrenching: they are fond of feces, pus, sputum, animal corpses and decaying vegetables. They are attracted to this menu for two reasons: the strong odor and because they are what allow the full development of the larvae. Since they don’t have teeth, flies can’t ingest anything solid, but they have a few strategies for tracing their lunch:
1. The insect first sprays its saliva on the food to decompose it, forming a mush
2. It then uses its mouthparts, called the proboscis, to lick up the goroba
3. Another trick is to vomit the food and eat it again, more softened
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