Flies are the typical “Australian Salute” and a prominent Summer fixture.
Flies can regularly be found anywhere in Australia and are attracted to different environments suited to their natural habits and lifecycle.
Here swats what:
- The most common flies found throughout Australia are BUSH and BLOW flies but are not the only species to be found.
- Additional fly species that are common pests in Australia are the Blow Fly, Bush Fly, Cluster Fly, Drain Fly, Fermentation Fly, Flesh Fly, Fruit Fly, House Fly, Lacewings, March or Horse Fly.
- Mosquitos are a breed of fly.
- There are about 30,000 species of fly in Australia, and the main contact is with four groups: the bush fly, house fly, blowfly, and the mosquito.
- A flies lifecycle lasts three weeks, from egg to maggot (two weeks) to fly.
- Adult House Flies usually live only 15 to 25 days but may live longer in cooler climates. They lay many hundreds of eggs and their larvae (maggots) develop in organic material.
- Each fly can lay 100 eggs.
- Flies have two wings plus two small “paddles” that give them extreme aerial agility and balance.
- Their brains and nervous systems are perfectly adapted to dodging predators. In the time it takes your brain to command your arm to swat a fly, the fly has already seen you coming, reacted, and got away clean SO don’t bother trying to swat them.
- In most species, only the females annoy us as they seek out humans because they are starving for protein, which they need to make eggs. The sweat on our bodies is a great source they are desperate to suck up.
- Blow flies are easily distinguished by the loud buzzing of their wings.
- Flies are only active during the day and are typically most annoying mid-morning.
- The common house fly doesn’t bite but does pose a health risk due to contamination.
- The March Fly, also known as the Horse Fly are often large and agile in flight, and the females bite to obtain blood that can be very painful.
Flies by Irene Gough
Flies! Flies!
Half a hundred tries
To swim in the soup
And dance on the pies.
I spray them and shout at them
You’d think that they would know
They haven’t any welcome,
And I wish they’d go!
