House Fly

Musca domestica

colour: Dark grey
Legs: Six
Shape: Small oval
Size: 1/4 of an inch
Antennae: Yes
Flight: Yes

House flies get their name from being the most common fly found around homes and are also quite prevalent in food service-related establishments such as groceries and restaurants. Adult house flies can grow to one-quarter of an inch long and usually live between 15 and 25 days.

Habits
They are only able to feed on liquids but have the ability to turn many solid foods into a liquid for them to eat. House flies taste with their feet, which are 10 million times more sensitive to sugar than the human tongue. They tend to stay within 1-2 miles of where they were born; however, they have been known to migrate up to 20 miles to find food.

Threats
These insects have been known to carry over 100 different kinds of disease-causing germs.

Prevention
House flies can be controlled through vigilant sanitation. Remove trash regularly and use well-sealing garbage receptacles. Clean up pet waste immediately. Use fine mesh screens on doors and windows to prevent fly entry. It is essential to eliminate the sources of breeding activity for any species of fly, where the majority of the problem activity is almost always attributable to.