Flies

More than 100 pathogens are associated with the house fly including: Salmonella, Staphylococcus, E. coli and Shigella. These pathogens can cause disease in humans and animals, including: typhoid fever, cholera, bacillary dysentery, hepatitis, ophthalmia, polio, tuberculosis and infantile diarrhea. Sanitation is critical to controlling these pests, but accurate identification is essential for successful fly control.

Here are some other things you should know about flies and fly control:

Depending on the species, the life expectancy of a fly is eight days to two months, or in some cases, up to a year.

Flies belong to the Order Diptera, meaning two wings. There are 16,000 species of flies in North America.

Flies plague every part of the world except the polar ice caps.

One pair of flies can produce more than 1 million offspring in as little as six to eight weeks.

As many as 33 million microorganisms may flourish in a single fly’s gut, while a half-billion more swarm over its body and legs.

Flies spread diseases readily because they move quickly from rotting, disease-laden garbage to exposed exposed human foods and utensils.

Because they only have two wings, flies land often and therefore can deposit thousands of bacteria each time they land.

For every fly seen, there are an estimated 19 more hidden from view. This means humans don’t even see most of the flies present at an infestation.