How long does the life of an ordinary fly last? How long do flies live and why do they rub their legs?

Flies cannot be called the most tenacious insects that visit a person’s home. On average they live 20-25 days. However, the environment has a great influence on the lifespan of flies. Optimal conditions for these insects are humidity up to 80% and air temperature up to 25 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, flies can live up to 80 days. However this very rare , since flies have a large number of natural enemies

. Typically, they are killed by humans and other insects within 20 days. It would seem that such a short life should have led to the complete disappearance of flies. However, these flying insects are able to reproduce quite quickly. During short life

the female lays about two thousand eggs. After about two weeks, they turn into sexually mature adults.

Another feature that allows flies to survive in critical situations is the ability to fall into a state of suspended animation. For example, this happens when the temperature drops. Under certain circumstances, insects are able to survive the entire winter like this.

1. Flies also have other distinctive characteristics: Weight . Many people are interested in how much a fly weighs. Thus, during practical experiments it was revealed that 70 adult individuals weigh only 1 gram. Thus, the weight of each fly is about 14.29 mg. If flies are left undisturbed and allowed to breed in favorable conditions
2. , each female will be able to give birth to offspring with a total weight of 75 tons. Nutrition . Flies feed on almost all organic foods. However, sweets are theirs favorite treat
3. . Insects love liquid food. But if you come across hard food, flies soften it with their saliva. After this, soft food is absorbed by a thin proboscis. To taste food, all a fly has to do is crawl on it. After all, taste buds are located on the paws. Limbs vertical surfaces. However, this is not true, because flies sit on perfectly smooth glass without any problems. The thing is that there are capillaries on the paws that secrete a sticky liquid. That is why the fly even sits on the ceiling without any problems.
4. Brain. Even though this small insect, it has a brain. Although there are no more than 300 thousand neurons here, this is enough to carry out active activity.
5. Eyes. The normal whites and pupils of a fly are not visible. The eye of a fly is covered with a kind of mesh, which divides it into a large number of sectors. Each of them is designed to view a specific area of ​​space. Then the brain connects everything seen by each sector into one single picture. Thanks to this feature, the fly sees a color picture at 360 degrees. This is due to the fact that it is quite difficult to slam it.
6. Heart. As for the heart, the fly does not have one. But there is a special organ here that is responsible for moving blood through a single artery. This is due to the fact that in flies oxygen is not delivered to the organs through the blood. Flies do not breathe through their lungs, but through their skin.
7. Dream. Annoying flies They get a person not only during the day, but also at night. It seems that these insects never sleep at all. However, like any other living organism, the body of flies needs rest, regardless of how the brain works. Scientists have found that “old” individuals sleep very little. They only need a couple of hours to rest. As for young flies that have just hatched, they sleep much longer and more soundly. Studies have also shown that flies that drank coffee get a boost of vigor and energy. The antihistamine properties of this drink affect flies in the same way as they do for humans.

Many people are sure that with the onset of autumn, flies become more aggressive and begin to bite people. However, this is a misconception. On the contrary, flies, preparing for hibernation, become more lethargic and “sleepy.” A person is bitten by another species. Externally, these insects are very similar to ordinary flies. That is why people often confuse them.

(Video: "Fly")

Like many insects, flies develop in several stages. Full cycle development has four stages:

1. Egg. At one time, the female lays about 150 eggs. To do this, insects choose food that is just beginning to deteriorate. In order not to provide flies with such an opportunity, a person must constantly monitor cleanliness and remove garbage from the apartment. The size of each egg barely reaches 1 mm.
2. Larva. After a couple of days, the egg turns into a larva. The maggot looks like a small one white worm with a transparent body. Within a week it increases significantly in size. Some people specifically breed maggots. From fans fishing This is a sought after bait. Moreover, housefly hatch small larvae that are not suitable for hooking. For these purposes, the larvae of so-called “meat” flies are used.
3. Pupae. Having gained the required mass, the larva pupates. At this stage the pupa is called a caster. Essentially, this is the same larva that has a hard shell Brown. Under favorable conditions, pupae develop within a week. If the larva is kept in the cold, it enters a state of suspended animation and therefore does not pupate. Given this feature, fishermen put maggots in the refrigerator, where the larvae can be stored for several months.
4. Imago. This last stage insect development. The pupa hatches into an adult with wings and the ability to fly. A fertilized female is capable of laying eggs every 2-3 days.

Wintering

With the onset of cold weather, flies prepare for winter. Having eaten well, they fall into a state of suspended animation. For several months they are able to live without food, surviving the cold. Moreover, not only adult individuals, but also larvae and pupae are capable of overwintering in a state of suspended animation. During hibernation, all life processes of the fly slow down significantly. During this period, they need practically nothing. With the onset of warm spring days, flies awaken, returning to their normal way of life.

This question in itself is wrong. The fly is an insect that is almost never left without food. If you can’t find something “tasty,” flies are able to feed on plant sap and nectar to survive. As a rule, flies living near a person’s home lay their eggs here. New individuals do not fly far, and why should they, if there is always something to profit from here.

Concerning hibernation, then in this state life processes slow down. That is why the fly is able to live like this for 5-6 months without food. Moreover, such a “hunger strike” does not cause any damage to the insect’s body.

Wine and fruit flies called "drosophila flies". A person encounters them quite often in his home. More than 1,500 species of these insects are known. Among them there are synanthropic and wild species. small insect is a frequent guest residential apartments where there are vegetables and fruits.

The favorite delicacy of fruit flies is spoiled vegetables and fruits. That is why their appearance in the home indicates that something has begun to deteriorate. It is worth noting that flies do not fly into the apartment; their eggs are brought in by people along with food. When the process of decay begins, favorable conditions are created for their development.

The adult female lays eggs on fruits and vegetables during the fruit development stage. From this we can conclude that the temperature environment- This main factor, affecting the lifespan and development of this type of fly.

So, at a temperature of 25 degrees, a fly lives about 10 days. Lowering the temperature to 18 degrees allows insects to live up to 20 days. Low temperature and the presence of rotting products are optimal conditions for development and active reproduction. At the same time, fruit flies are able to live for two months.

The housefly or housefly got its name due to the fact that it always settles next to a person. In wild nature this type insects are unlikely to be found. house fly has several subspecies. Two species live in Russia: southern and common.

Like many other insects, the life of a housefly largely depends on the environment, including air temperature. The optimal temperature is 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius. This is exactly the temperature a person tries to maintain in his home. Here an adult fly can live for about 9 weeks. Under favorable conditions, flies can live longer. Like other flies, house flies develop in four stages:

• egg;
• larva;
• chrysalis;
• imago.

People often wonder where flies come from in their apartments. in early spring. This is explained by the fact that the insect spends the winter in the home, hibernating in a secluded place.

Of course, it’s not just air temperature that affects the lifespan of a housefly. Man is actively fighting these insects. As a rule, a person destroys it earlier. Flies also have many natural enemies: birds, spiders, and other insects. This is why houseflies rarely die of natural causes.

If you conduct an informal survey on the topic “Which insect irritates people the most in summer period", then the fly will deservedly take second place in the ranking after the mosquito. This insect has been annoying all of humanity with its presence since time immemorial. But scientists have been closely monitoring it for a long time and analyzing the data obtained. Of particular interest is information about how long flies live.

At first glance, a harmless creature, but in fact it poses a certain danger in the form of diseases it carries.

Life cycle

The life cycle of a fly has several stages. They, like many species of insects, formation adult occurs in four stages:

• egg;
• larva;
• chrysalis;
• adult (imago).

Each adult female is capable of laying eggs 6-10 times throughout her life, and a clutch can contain from 50 to 150 eggs. The individual is capable of reproduction within a few days after emerging from the pupa.

Eggs and larvae

Leaving behind offspring is the main goal of all living organisms on the planet. And the housefly is no exception. But, as practice shows, the more developed a creature is, the fewer offspring it can produce during its lifetime.

Under favorable conditions, the fly begins to multiply rapidly

There is a hypothesis about the brain, the construction of which takes the most substances from the mother’s body. But since insects do not have high intelligence, their offspring can reach several thousand individuals.

This video talks about the dangers of house flies:

They lay their clutches in places where the hatched larva will not need to look for food. This is stale food or rotting garbage. It is very difficult for a person to detect the nest, since the size of one egg does not exceed 1.2 mm. Eggs white and oblong shape. The period of their full maturation takes no more than two days, after which the larvae appear.

The larvae of these winged insects are usually white and have the shape of a cone with oral cavity at the narrow end. They can grow up to 13 mm in length. They feed on the waste in which they were born and grow in size very quickly. People call them maggots and used as bait for fish. Today, maggots are specially bred for sale in fishing stores. This bait should be stored in the refrigerator to slow down the pupation process, which usually occurs after 3 molts.

Formation of pupae

The maturation process of maggots can last from 3 to 25 days. It depends on the amount of food and the warm environment. Temperature range +25…+30°С is the most favorable for rapid development larvae. Having reached the right size, the maggot crawls to a cool place and begins to form a pupa.

After passing three stages growth, the larva turns into an adult

The pupa has the same shape and size as the larva. Fishermen also use cocoons as bait and call them caster. The shell gradually hardens and turns brown.

Usually, the larva remains in the form of a caster for about a week, then an adult emerges from it. But if climatic conditions are not conducive to birth, then the fly may delay its birth. The pupa can remain in this state for quite a long time. There are cases where this condition lasted for several years.

Emergence of an adult

After full formation adult insect is born, and after three days it becomes capable of producing its own offspring. How long does he live? common fly, influenced by factors such as:

• climatic conditions;
• concentration harmful substances in the air (flies breathe through the skin);
• habitat.

The main period of activity is observed in warm time year, during cold seasons the fly hibernates

Typically, the lifespan of a common fly is about 30 days. If we add here two days as an egg, a period of 20-30 days for the larvae to mature and the time of pupation, it turns out that the complete life cycle of a fly is about 2.5-3 months.

But you need to make allowances for climate and environment, and also take into account the type of insect, because flies, like other living beings, are very different from each other.

Classification of species

It is impossible to say exactly how long a common fly lives in an apartment unless you determine its species. It is unlikely that it would occur to anyone to examine, much less determine, the type of insect. However, not all of them are the same, and some may even be beneficial. Species that prefer to live near humans:

Drosophila, just like ordinary flies, can carry a number of diseases of varying severity.

Independent control of insects in the house

In order to protect your home from these flying carriers of infection, many things have long been invented. effective ways. But preventing their appearance in a house or apartment still remains the most effective method. To prevent pests from multiplying, you should:

• install special nets on the windows that will serve as an obstacle to entry into the apartment;
• prevent the accumulation of garbage and promptly get rid of musty products;
• Maintain basic cleanliness in the house.

But sometimes there are cases when all preventive measures are observed, but it is not possible to get rid of uninvited flying guests. To solve this problem, you can use modern methods insect control:​

Any of the presented methods is quite effective in its field, but if desired, they can be combined.

If you look at it, all creatures deserve to have the opportunity to live and reproduce. No matter how much they harm a person’s comfortable existence, it is simply impossible to destroy them without disturbing the natural balance, so before you pick up a fly swatter, you should think carefully: maybe just open the window and let the insect out?

Many owners complain that flies appear in the apartment not only in summer, but also in winter. It seems that harmful insects live forever, and fighting the annoying creatures does not bring results.

In fact, the situation is somewhat different: the development cycle is quite short, the right approach to destroy pests bears fruit. To get rid of winged creatures scurrying around in residential and utility rooms, it is important to know how long flies live in an apartment and how to deal with them.

General information about insects

Harmful insects often fly into your home when open windows with the onset of warmth. Often these creatures are the first to wake up after hibernation, crawling along window sills and the kitchen table. Buzzing creatures cause irritation and hostility; an abundance of insects often indicates unsanitary conditions.

A few facts about the life of flies:

• body length – up to one and a half centimeters, some species grow up to 7.5 cm;
• pests feed on liquefied food through a thin proboscis. Taste buds are located on the paws, giving an idea of ​​the product. Flies prefer sweets: compote, jam, jam, honey, fruit juices. Pests often feed on rot accumulated in the trash can, food remnants that were not removed from the table in time;
• Unpleasant creatures have almost panoramic vision, they perfectly see objects not only in front of them. That is why it is so difficult to destroy a fly, which easily recognizes the “offender” with a slipper and quickly flies away;
• Sensitive hairs on the body and mustache sense the slightest vibrations in the air. This fact explains the disappearance of the pest shortly before the moment the fly swatter touches the place where the harmful insect was located a couple of seconds ago;
• how worse conditions, the lower the temperature, the faster the buzzing creatures die out. At unfavorable environment insects rarely live beyond 20 days;
• the optimal temperature for the life and reproduction of winged pests is from +23 C to + 35 C;. If humidity reaches 80% and temperatures remain in the specified range, flies can live up to 60–70 days;
• average duration life – 25 days. The reason is numerous enemies, for example, a person who does not want to tolerate annoying “neighbors” in the house. In the home and on fresh air there are many spiders and birds that happily eat buzzing insects;
• active reproduction saves flies from extinction: for so much short period In a lifetime, a female lays 2,000 eggs or more. 2 weeks pass and the transformation into an adult is completed. At such a rate of reproduction, the number of flies on the planet is not decreasing; the annoying pests survive in any weather conditions;
• high reproduction rate, good adaptability to various temperature conditions ensures excellent survival of eggs and adults. Timely pest control prevents the appearance of colonies harmful insects in the apartment.

When the air temperature drops, harmful insects become lethargic, barely crawl, and then hibernate. It is no coincidence that slow people are called “sleepy flies.” If there is a thaw in winter or the apartment warms up to +23 degrees, the unpleasant “neighbors” come to life. This is why flies are found in residential areas in December-January.

Reasons for appearance

Provoking factors:

• unsanitary conditions, cluttered apartment. Spilled juice, crumbs on the table, dirty plates, the habit of leaving the garbage disposal “for later”, greasy rags on the sink attract harmful insects, and not just flies;
• excess humidity combined with optimal temperature. These conditions allow buzzing pests to actively reproduce;
• food in open access. Not all housewives immediately put food in the refrigerator and bags; some store supplies in containers with loose lids. If a fly smells a treat, it will definitely get to it;
• infrequent ventilation of premises, lack of sunlight, accumulation of dust and old things. Pests easily hide in secluded corners, actively lay eggs where no one sees them and is not going to drive them out of their homes;
• warm. This factor attracts insects no less than food. Flies basking in the sun are a familiar sight. Human housing is favorable conditions for life and reproduction. That is why flies live in the apartment even in winter.

Harm and danger to humans

Unpleasant buzzing creatures near a person are not only unpleasant, but also dangerous to health. Insects crawl through garbage dumps and bins, basements, attics, rotten food waste, raw meat, do not disdain excrement. After such a “walk”, entering the home and inspecting food supplies with open packaging does not bode well for the owners.

Buzzing pests, together with particles of garbage and rot, capture the causative agents of serious diseases. Paws often contain dangerous microbes. The abundance of flies often provokes infection of household members.

How to get rid of flies in an apartment? The main thing is to remove factors that attract harmful insects. Most owners themselves provoke the entry of flies into the apartment, attracting them with an abundance of freely available food and unsanitary conditions. Basic home protection measures in the form of mosquito net sharply reduce the number of annoying “neighbors”.

Five steps for successful fly control:

• keep the kitchen and other rooms clean, put food in the refrigerator;
• take out the trash can on time;
• block entry routes: windows, ventilation grilles;
• bring indoor humidity to normal levels;
• get rid of junk, wash windows, provide access to sunlight.

After eliminating the reasons that allow buzzing pests to freely rule the apartment, it’s time to think about effective methods destroying flies. The best option- A complex approach.

Sticky traps

Adhesive tape with special composition– simple, effective remedy for catching flies and mosquitoes. Sticky traps hang it in the kitchen, in areas where insects are most concentrated. The appearance of ribbons dotted with flies is unattractive, but ready-made traps work flawlessly: the insects stick tightly to the surface, the owners can only remove and throw away the tape along with the pests.

Insecticides

Treating areas where flies accumulate gives excellent results. After disinfestation, collect dead pests and think about how to prevent reappearance unnecessary "neighbors".

Effective drugs:

• aerosols. Raptor, Dichlorvos Neo, Clean house, RAID, ARGUS, Off, MOSQUITAL;
• granules and powders. Clean house dust, Bayt Mukha, Baygon;
• crayons. Cockroach crayons, for example Mashenka, are effective against winged pests.

Important! When disinfesting premises, safety measures are required: respirator, old thick overalls, medical gloves, plastic glasses for eye protection. It is prohibited to smoke, drink, or eat during treatment with insecticides. After spraying the aerosols and working solution, close the apartment and leave certain time. Upon return, ventilate the room and wash surfaces with soap.

Homemade baits

How to make:

• method number 1. Combine sugar (100 g) and any sweet syrup - a quarter cup. Cut strips of thick paper, make a hole, secure strong thread. Grease the cardboard with thick sugar and wait until the trap dries. Use as prepared adhesive tape;
• method No. 2. Pour 250 ml into a 0.5 liter jar apple cider vinegar, stretch the film on top, make several small holes so that insects can get inside. Instead of film, a plastic or tin lid is suitable. Harmful insects are attracted to the smell of vinegar and will certainly get inside. Place a trap jar in the kitchen.

Bright aromas

Pungent odors that repel harmful insects will help drive annoying “neighbors” out of your home. Safe method without the use of toxic drugs, it is suitable if there are children and pets at home, but flies have settled in the apartment. How to effectively combat buzzing pests using aromatic ingredients?

It's simple:

• first way. Dry the peels removed from an orange, tangerine or lemon, place them on the table, in kitchen cabinets. The smell of citrus fruits repels not only flies, but also;
• second way. Cut a lemon or orange in half, insert clove buds (spice), place the aromatic composition on kitchen table. After a while, the buzzing will stop and the insects will leave the room;
• third way. Place bouquets of flowers in the kitchen and other rooms where flies live. aromatic herbs. Many insects cannot tolerate the smell of wormwood, lavender, mint, bay leaf, thyme. Basil and eucalyptus with rich aroma also repel winged pests. Every two to three months, new bouquets should appear in place of the old ones, then the bright smell of plant components will be most effective;
• fourth way. Onion juice is good at repelling insects. A product that brings tears to the owners is suitable as a last resort if other aromas do not work. Grind several onions with a blender, squeeze out the juice, pour into saucers, place containers in areas where houseflies crawl. A sharp, unpleasant smell quickly drives insects out of the apartment, provided that the factors that attract pests are eliminated;
• fifth way. Pour 2 liters into a bowl warm water, add 10 drops of lavender ether, wipe the windows, kitchen table, cabinet doors, and other surfaces in the kitchen with the solution. The aroma of lavender repels various flying and crawling insects.

• cleanliness in the apartment;
• no rotten food waste;
• order on the dining table;
• storing food in closed containers or in the refrigerator;
• acceptable air humidity in residential and utility rooms;
• lack of trash;
• lots of light, clean windows;
• bouquets of fragrant plants in vases and cabinets to repel harmful insects;
• mosquito nets on windows;
• protective grilles with small cells on the ventilation openings;
• when purchasing, pay attention to vegetables and fruits: often adult individuals hide among the tops or leaves and end up home after a visit to the supermarket or market.

If there are buzzing insects in your apartment, it is important to know how to properly deal with unpleasant “neighbors”. It must be remembered that flies do not live long, but reproduce quickly. Usage traditional methods, traps and chemicals, eliminating the factors that attract annoying creatures will definitely give results.

More useful tips on how to get rid of flies in an apartment in the following video:

Attention! Only today!

Their original habitat was the steppes of Central Asia. Now they have settled after man throughout the planet, and their life is closely connected with his home. Since the housefly is a distributor of dangerous viral and bacterial infections, we need to know as much as possible about it. This article will help you find the answer to the question of how long flies live and what are their characteristics.

Life cycle of a fly

In one clutch the females of this dipteran insect about 150 eggs. But in the absence of nutritional deficiency, egg laying resumes every 2-4 days. The total fertility of a female per season is 600, and in warm climates 2000 eggs. If all the offspring of one fly survived, it could exceed five trillion individuals.

Flies are an integral part of the planet’s food chain and should not be perceived only as a threat, we must remember that ultimately our lives depend on them.

The life cycle of a fly consists of stages characteristic of insects with complete metamorphosis. The lifespan of a fly is 1-2 months, and the duration of each stage ranges from 8 hours to 20 days.

Let's look at the development of the fly sequentially.

1. Egg. The female lays eggs in manure, rotting organic matter or kitchen waste, eight days after fertilization. In this case, the ambient temperature cannot be lower than 17°C. In favorable conditions, the development of the egg is not delayed for long; it lasts no more than two days.
2. Larva. Worm-shaped, 2 mm long, like other higher flies, do not have a head and true legs. They are white, and their body shape is oblong with a pointed end towards the head. Their type of nutrition is called extraintestinal. With the help of digestive enzymes, the larva liquefies nutrients and only then absorbs them. The entire colony of one clutch swarms in the environment they have liquefied and uses food sparingly, cleaning up our waste.
3. Doll. The larva pupates in a dry and shaded place, 1-2 weeks later, after three consecutive moults. Its shell hardens and turns brown. For five days, all the tissues of the larva inside the cocoon dissolve and rebuild, becoming the structures of an adult insect.
4. Adult insect. The imago is able to begin reproduction already 36 hours after emerging from the cocoon shell. The length of its gray body is from 6 to 8 mm, the dorsal part of which is decorated with four longitudinal black stripes. The fly's abdomen is yellowish, and its head is crowned with two huge compound eyes. The size of females is larger than males and the distance between their eyes is significantly greater than that of representatives of the opposite sex. House flies do not bite; their mouthparts are of the licking-sucking type, mainly derived only from the lower lip. They eat everything, but only in liquid form. Solid food is dissolved with saliva before consumption.

Lifespan

In adulthood, the life of a fly next to a person lasts up to two months, although its average duration in nature is only 6 days.

Factors influencing the lifespan of an insect:

• Ambient temperature. The optimal temperature for its comfortable existence is 23-25°C. At -12°C, most flies die very quickly, and at +8°C, the eggs they lay die. If it were not for humans, these insects would not be able to live in our climate. winter temperate latitudes flies most often survive in livestock pens, where the temperature is about 12°C, and with the onset of spring they begin to multiply intensively;
• A huge number of enemies. We already know how long flies live if they are lucky enough to escape from predators. But they are subject to death from riders, wasps, ground beetles, spiders, frogs, birds, humans, some plants, etc. Therefore, in nature they rarely live up to 10 days;
• Availability of food. How long can a fly live without food? Throughout the winter, falling into suspended animation, they do not receive nutrients and live quietly until the warm season. In an active state, they will always find something to profit from.

Karl Lineaeus said about these insects: “Three flies can eat the corpse of a horse as quickly as a lion...” When fighting flies, you need to promptly remove rotting remains and sewage, suitable for the development of their larvae. Adult dipterans are destroyed using Velcro and insecticides.

Instructions

External features
The housefly's body length is usually up to 1.5 cm (in its largest relatives, the length can reach up to 7.5 cm). The eyes of the house fly consist of 4,000 hexagonal lenses, thanks to which it has almost panoramic vision. In addition, the structure of her eyes allows her to view objects located in opposite directions at the same time. The fly's whiskers, as well as other hairs located on its body, have unsurpassed sensitivity to vibrations and air fluctuations. This is what very often saves individuals from the fly swatter of their home. The fly feeds through its proboscis, with which it is able to absorb only food that has been previously liquefied with the help of gastric juice.

Lifespan of house flies
The development of the fly occurs in three stages - pupa, larva, imago, the duration of the periods is no more than 20 days. The lifespan of a housefly, along with other insects, is short. It can range from several days to 1.5 months. On average, their lifespan is about 3 weeks. This is provided that the person does not kill on his own.

The lifespan of a fly is significantly influenced by temperature conditions environment. Flies are able to survive from 8 to 45°C. The most suitable temperature for their life is 21-24 °C, which often corresponds to the temperature in apartments and houses. Flies are also prolonged when they fall into. In this condition they can survive the winter.

Continuation of the family line
Despite such a short and dangerous life, flies have a tremendous ability to produce offspring. One female lays up to 2000 eggs in her short life. But it is worth noting that not all eggs subsequently produce flies, and not all of them will survive until they can produce further offspring. The period of development of fly larvae does not exceed 25 days, after which it pupates, and no later than three days a fly is born, capable of reproduction within 36 hours. Thus, it turns out that within one year there are approximately 20 generations of this insect.