Flies (Common housefly: Musca domestica)

Flies are a serious nuisance and transmit diseases such as food poisoning (gastro-enteritis), dysentery, TB, typhoid and cholera – they carry bacteria, vomit digestive juices onto their food to soften and digest it, and lay their eggs in rotten material. They may also carry the eggs of parasitic intestinal worms. The adult is 6-8mm long with a wingspan of 13-155mm. The thorax is grey with dark stripes. The pupa is about 6mm long, and may be yellow, brown or black. The larva is a typical maggot, changing colour from white to cream as it grows. Adult flies live for 1-3 months, depending on the temperature. During her lifetime, an adult female may lay 400-750 eggs in moist or rotting material.

Treatment for Flies
Food and refuse should be kept sealed and protected, and good hygiene practices followed. Infestations can be treated with electric flytraps or various chemical treatments.