Are flies beneficial insects or pests? Read this and you'll understand

The fly is a small insect, with more than 4000 known species worldwide, and we only encounter a few of them in daily life, so are flies beneficial insects or pests?

1. Are flies beneficial insects or pests

There are many kinds of flies. The flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), latrine flies (Fannia), and blow flies (Calliphoridae) commonly seen in our daily life are pests. They feed on a wide range of things, contaminate food, carry bacteria, and spread many diseases, posing a huge threat to human and livestock health. But flies such as the shore fly and the hoverfly are beneficial insects. The former preys on Culex mosquitoes, and the latter preys on aphids, which benefits humans.

2. The living habits of flies

The ones mainly encountered in daily life are flesh flies, latrine flies, blow flies and the like. They feed on a wide range of substances and have strong environmental adaptability, able to survive and reproduce in many dirty and harsh environments. The larvae are necrophagous, mainly breeding in foul-smelling, decaying matter such as animal carcasses and garbage piles, and can also reproduce in feces. Adults are most sensitive to rank-smelling fish and meat. The breeding period is very long, and the female fly likes to lay eggs in festering sores, wounds, decaying animal carcasses and other such places.

3. How to keep flies away from your life

1. Keep the home clean and tidy, with no piles of rotting garbage.

2. Disinfect often; you can fumigate the room with vinegar.

3. If bought food is not finished, either throw it out or keep it refrigerated in the fridge; do not leave it out for a long time, as flies can easily crawl on and feed on it.

4. If flies get into your home, you can keep flypaper, a fly swatter or insecticide on hand.

5. When cooking bought meat, it must be sterilized at high temperature. Flies are especially active in summer, so pay even more attention to food hygiene.

The flies commonly seen in our daily life are pests and pose a considerable threat to our health. Everyone should pay attention to hygiene when eating and drinking, and promptly dispose of food that flies have crawled on.