How to deal with flies in an apartment, and why the insect “rubs its legs”

The rate of reproduction of dipteran insects is amazing. The flies that emerge from pupae in April become ubiquitous by autumn. But the rate of reproduction is much higher than one might imagine. If one pair is allowed to mate unhindered, by autumn there will be 5,598,720 million flies on the globe. If it were not for insectivorous birds and mammals, there would be nothing on Earth except these insects. Of no less interest is the fact of how long flies live. This indicator depends on a number of factors.

Lifespan of the common fly

Sometimes it seems that flies are indestructible and live longer than the Serpent Gorynych. As soon as the sun warms up, you can immediately hear its buzzing. Such a nuisance can happen if a fly from the last autumn brood remains to overwinter not far from the dwelling. It is not for nothing that this insect received the name Musca domestica or house fly; it can only survive in proximity to humans. Although, most often it is a person who ends the life cycle of the common fly.

At different latitudes, the lifespan of a housefly can vary. The optimal conditions that guarantee maximum life of the fly are:

• humidity about 80%;
• temperature above 23 °C.

In such cases, with sufficient nutrition and the absence of dangers, the fly can live for more than 2 months. Well, how long a fly lives in an apartment depends on the owner of the home; usually this time does not exceed three weeks.

Vinegar

10. Table vinegar can be an emergency remedy. After dissolving two or three tablespoons in a liter of water, you need to wipe the tables and window sills in the room.

The product also works outdoors. It helps a lot if you need to set the table outdoors.

Advantages:

• efficiency;
• safety for humans;
• ease of use.

Flaws:

• validity period is limited (2-3 hours);
• Vinegar has an unpleasant odor to humans.

The scabies mite in humans causes a disease called scabies, the symptoms of which are itching and scabies. The gadfly is an insect whose larvae develop in living flesh. Read a full description of this insect here.

If puppies become infected with lice eaters, they will eat very little and drink a lot. Read about other signs of infection here.

Stages of fly development

An adult insect, already 36 hours after the end of the pupation stage, is ready for reproduction. The life cycle of a fly is divided into 4 stages:

• egg;
• larva;
• chrysalis;
• imago or adult individual.

A flying, domestic pest can lay 100-150 eggs in one clutch. The number of fly clutches depends on the climate and the abundance of food; in favorable conditions they can appear every 3-4 days. The total number of eggs during the life cycle of a fly can reach 2000. The very small size of the eggs does not allow the clutch to be seen, so cleanliness in the house is the key to the health of its inhabitants. Eggs are laid in a suitable environment - warm, nutritious, moist and inaccessible to light. Egg incubation time is 1-2 days.

Larvae emerge from the eggs, begin to actively feed and increase in size by almost 800 times. The rate of development of larvae depends on the nutritional value of the substrate in which they find themselves. The process takes 1-3 weeks; it is at this stage that light is harmful to the fly embryo. Therefore, maggots crawl deeper into the substrate and experience three molts.

Before pupation, the larva moves to a dry place and forms a cocoon. In a hard, brown cocoon, the transformation of the larva into an insect begins. After 5-6 days, an adult is born from the pupa, the fly cannot fly for some time, its wings are still wet and weak. Well, how many days a fly will live will depend on its caution.

The imago or adult fly is a small insect, usually 6-8 mm. The insect's abdomen is yellowish, and there are 4 dark stripes on the chest. Huge compound eyes provide her with a 360° view.

Solutions

Killing flies using a variety of solutions is also quite popular.

For example, mix formalin (1 tablespoon), sweet water (5 spoons) and milk (3 spoons). Pour the resulting poison for flies into saucers and place on the windowsills. Place a piece of fresh bread on each saucer to attract insects. Bread soaked in poison will cause the death of flies in just a few minutes.

Advantages: effective and cheap.

Flaws:

• the product is dangerous for pets and children;
• Frequent replacement of the solution is required - the milk turns sour and begins to smell unpleasant.

House fly feeding

The common fly has no jaws; its mouthparts are a split proboscis. Through it, saliva is released onto solid residues, and after the food softens, it is absorbed. That is why it is impossible to get a bite from such an insect. The fly prefers semi-liquid or rotten food.

When the temperature drops below zero, flies go into suspended animation. According to observations, in a state of suspended animation and without food, an insect can last up to six months. An increase in temperature causes it to revive and actively search for food. The sudden appearance of an insect in early spring involuntarily leads to the thought - how many years does a fly live?

The fly's feeding method may pose a risk to human health. The paws and abdomen, framed by hairs, absorb many dangerous substances and pathogenic bacteria. In addition, microorganisms located in the insect’s stomach survive and are transferred with its saliva to unharvested food. The list of dangerous diseases carried by flies is not small. Therefore, no matter how long a fly lives in an apartment, there is a danger of it transmitting various types of infections.

Tansy

Tansy is an ancient remedy for repelling flies. Fresh bouquets can and should be placed in the house in the summer. And dried flowers purchased at a pharmacy can be used at any time of the year. As you know, flies overwinter indoors and continue to bother you even in late autumn.

The flowers should be crushed into powder and applied in a thin layer on narrow strips of paper, previously greased with office glue. Dried paper is hung near windows and doors.

Advantages:

• the product is safe for people;
• easy to make.

Flaws:

• requires frequent replacement - the smell of tansy disappears in drafts;
• tapes look ugly in a residential building.

Where and how do mosquitoes winter?

It is known that female mosquitoes can live on average from 114 to 119 days, taking into account the fact that the conditions for their existence will be favorable, namely: the air temperature should be kept within 10-15 ° C. The higher the air temperature, the shorter the life of the mosquito. Male mosquitoes, regardless of external factors, live only about 19 days. It should be noted that female mosquitoes can live exactly as long as the warm season lasts.

But there are also types of mosquitoes that hibernate. Mosquitoes live in water in winter, which is where their life begins. In winter, mosquitoes live in other forms, in eggs, larvae and pupae. The female lays her eggs in reservoirs with stagnant water, where they develop further. From the moment of birth until the mosquito becomes an adult capable of flying, only nine to fourteen days pass. Adults spend their entire lives, namely summer and autumn, on land. Then all the male mosquitoes die, and the female mosquitoes (and not all of them) go to reservoirs to wait out the winter, and in the spring to lay eggs to give birth to a new life.

How to get rid of flies in a wooden house using ultrasound?

Currently, ultrasonic devices are very often used to get rid of flies. They are effective and do not contain any chemicals. You will get rid of flies quickly and safely. High sound waves, which humans cannot even hear (they are, of course, safe for our ears), are destructive to insects. This high-pitched sound is too unpleasant for flies; when they hear it, they immediately fly as far as possible from the source. Ultrasound will not work outdoors, but will do the job perfectly in a wooden house.

Now you know how to quickly and effectively get rid of flies that bring dirt and disease into our home. Do not allow annoying insects into your cozy home!

Survival in the cold

Insects are creatures that depend on the sun's heat. When cold weather sets in, they try to hide in cracks where they can spend the winter. The colder the winter, the fewer individuals will survive. Usually either larvae or pupae overwinter in the ground. For most flies the situation is similar. An adult insect rarely survives winter. The crude expression “they die like autumn flies” has a basis: dipterans die during cold weather. And not only from frost, but also from infection with mold.

The insect cannot sleep for the winter. It falls into a torpor, from which it can emerge even in the middle of winter. The sun's rays only need to heat it up. This explains the appearance of single individuals in apartments even in the middle of winter. But such a “winter” fly is doomed to die.

On a note!

In winter, large flies that are less sensitive to cold usually wake up.

Most species live in natural conditions and the main problem for people in apartments is caused by ordinary flies. They are either house or indoor. When considering the development cycles of flies, it is better to focus on this type of insect, since it is unlikely that anyone is interested in the distant and infertile tsetse or the hunchback bee living in the apiary.

Habitat

Diptera have occupied almost all food niches in nature. Among them you can find insects that feed on:

• carrion (meat);
• nectar;
• decomposing organic matter (manure, compost and rotting fruit);
• blood.

But they all have one thing in common. Adult insects need liquid food, but maggots can live and feed only in a moist environment.

The adult lives without food for about 2 days in hot weather. When the temperature drops, metabolic processes slow down, and the insect is able to survive without food for several weeks.

flies

Interesting!

Maggots live longer due to accumulated nutrients. But this is the experience of fishermen who store larvae in the refrigerator. Under unfavorable circumstances, maggots pupate at an early stage of development. It is unlikely that such a pupa will turn into a full-fledged insect.

Morphologically related species

In terms of appearance (morphology) of the adult, Fannia scalaris is close to the described species. It differs from the small housefly in that the abdomen of males is ash-gray, without light translucent spots on the sides. In addition, the longitudinal median stripe and posterior margins of the tergites are black, the mesonotum is black, the median coxae have two thick, hook-shaped setae in the apical part. The middle tibiae of males have a trapezoidal large tubercle in the middle part, the middle tibiae of the male have a tuft of thick setae below.[2]

In addition to the species described, Fannia leucosticte is often found, also similar in appearance to the small housefly (Fannia canicularis).[2]

Control measures

Preventive actions

To prevent the appearance and spread of small houseflies, the following measures are used:

• Timely removal of household waste;
• Asphalting areas for garbage containers;
• Concreting floors and equipping drains for liquid sewage on poultry and livestock farms;
• Installation of equipment for flushing sewage with water;
• Screening windows in the warm season;
• Compliance with sanitary rules in food enterprises.[3]

Morphology

Imago. The fly is medium in size – 5-7 mm. Orbits and cheekbones covered with a silvery-white coating. The antennae are black. The mesonotum is covered with a brownish-gray coating, with three more or less distinct dark longitudinal stripes. Acrosticheal setae are arranged in two rows, with several small setae between them.

The legs are black, the knees of the fore legs are brownish-yellow, the hind tibiae have two anteroventral and two dorsal setae. The wings are transparent.[7]

Sexual dimorphism. Individuals of different sexes differ in the structure of their genital organs.

Male. The eyes are separated by a dark, narrow frontal stripe. The abdomen is black; on the second and third tergites there is a large lateral yellow translucent spot. The entire abdomen is covered with a yellowish-gray coating with a black longitudinal stripe. Middle tibiae with very short erect setae on the ventral side; hind tibiae with five anterior dorsal setae.

Female. The abdomen is yellowish at the base and side.[7]

The egg is cigar-shaped. The outer shell has a cellular sculpture. White color. Thin lamellar lobes are developed on the sides of the egg. The sizes depend little on the size of the fly. The fewer eggs a fly lays, the larger their size.[7]

The larva is worm-shaped with a pointed anterior end. Three molts occur. At the end of development, the body length is 7-8.5 mm, the width at the middle is 2-2.2 mm.

• First age. The spiracles on the anterior chest and oral hooks are absent. Posterior spiracles with one opening.
• Second age. Spiracles appear on the sides of the first thoracic segment. Posterior spiracles with two spiracular slits.
• Third age. The larva is brown, flat. There are thin, long projections on the sides and slightly short projections on the ventral and dorsal sides. The cuticle is dense, with a sharp structure. The fourth to seventh abdominal segments have six small tufts of setae arranged in a row, and two in the form of long columns. The cuticle of the abdominal segments has a finely scaly and finely tuberculate structure.[7]

The pupa (puparium) is the detached and hardened cuticle of the third instar larva. It contains a real fly pupa. The color is dark, the external structure of the puparia is similar to the third instar larva. Between the first and second abdominal segments there are pupal horns - the pupal thoracic spiracles.[7]

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Doll

The pupation process is carried out at an ambient temperature of +20-25 degrees, while the humidity should be from 20 to 40%, since the pupa does not tolerate high humidity. Therefore, such conditions are considered optimal for its development, which takes at least three days. The maximum permissible temperature for this stage of the insect is +43 degrees.

Flies that emerge from the puparia leave the soil, but do not immediately rise into the air. They sit motionless for about a minute, after which they begin to move quickly, pausing. Normal fly activity begins after 1.5-2 hours. Females emerge from clutches later than males - on average, by 12-24 hours. At the same time, the gender ratio is the same.