Flies and mosquitoes belong to different orders. Order Diptera or Flies and mosquitoes (Diptera). What do flies eat

The disease occurs as a result of the ingestion of fly eggs into the human intestine along with food. There, the larva hatches and begins to develop, causing enteritis.

pusher flies

Pusher flies are small predatory insects, the distribution of which is observed in almost all parts of the planet. These flies got their name because of their bizarre behavior. Before mating during courtship, pusher males gather in flocks and begin to perform peculiar dances. In such an interesting way they attract the attention of females. In countries with a particularly warm climate, such performances can be observed throughout the summer.

In addition to a pleasant spectacle in the form of a dance, males achieve the location of females with gifts they bring. Usually these are dead small flies of other species, which the female eats after mating. But quite often, pusher males turn out to be very greedy gentlemen. In the most unceremonious way, they take away their gifts from the female in order to attract another female for mating.

The body of the pusher fly is gray-brown in color, up to 15 mm long. The belly has 5–7 annular divisions. Wings in a state of calm fit snugly to the back. The head is small, round with a long proboscis lowered down. The eyes of males are usually as close as possible to each other. In the oral apparatus of the fly, the lower and upper jaws are located in the form of four bristles. Insect larvae live in the ground.

Rather large size slender predatory flies. The body and limbs are covered with a dense layer of short hairs. For humans, ktyr flies do not pose any danger, but insects such as mosquitoes, midges, beetles and even bees, quite reasonably

I had no idea there were so many flies. There is no doubt about the harm that market flies bring, as well as meat flies (the people also call them dung flies). I did not know that they (or rather their larvae) are so tenacious! And now I see that indoors are also very dangerous! In general, it is necessary to fight flies and in no case do not let everything go on the brakes!

Flies, of course, disgusting insects. They multiply insanely fast, it is worth noticing a couple of flies in the house, in the morning there are already several small ones flying. We have a country house in the village, there is no peace from them. Once they left the yeast on the table, returned home in the evening, and there were already a bunch of larvae. And the most unpleasant thing is that they carry diseases, so you have to hang the house with fly ribbons.

And in the tundra, and in the desert, and in any other corner of the earth, insects of the Diptera order are widespread. Representatives of this family have been known to the world since the Jurassic period. Intrusive mosquitoes are probably familiar to every person firsthand.

Squad Diptera: general characteristics

Diptera are called invertebrate animals belonging to the class of insects, a characteristic feature of which is the presence of one pair of full-fledged wings and the presence of complete metamorphosis. Almost every person learns about their definition after reading the textbook "Biology". Diptera is also a detachment that unites more than one hundred and fifty families and one hundred thousand species of insects. Midges, mosquitoes, flies, horseflies are especially famous.

Scientists do not classify Diptera as social animals, but there are exceptional cases when representatives of this order form flocks. Usually these are situations due to the presence of an attractive aroma of food, the convenient location of the territory for mating or rest.

But the main proportion of dipterous insects prefers a solitary existence. Each of them goes through a certain cycle, due to which the transformation into a full-fledged individual of the Diptera order is obtained. Representatives of this order are initially at the egg stage, then they pass into the larva, followed by the pupa, and only then the imago.

At the larval stage, the body of an individual is like a worm without legs. The only protrusion on their body are non-segmented formations on the abdomen. They also have mouthparts. An adult imago is able to live only in the air space. The larvae are not picky in this regard. They are comfortable in the soil, and in the water, and in the organisms of plants and animals. Imago, included in the order Diptera, feed on nectar and pollen of plants. They are predatory and blood-sucking.

Order Diptera: reproduction

The larvae and adult representatives of this order have striking differences in the field of anatomical and physiological structure. The period of increased reproduction for a number of dipterous insects is not easy. Often, males, ready to breed, create a kind of swarm, the noise of which is able to lure many females.

The majority of Diptera are oviparous. But in nature there are flies that are ovoviviparous. In this one, it lays an egg, in which the finally formed dipteran larvae are located. After hatching, they immediately begin such a life process as nutrition.

There are also flies capable of live birth. In this case, there are two options for the outcome of events. In the first, an older larva is born, requiring a certain amount of time to feed, in the second, the larva is born in full readiness for pupation.

Diptera can also reproduce at the larval stage. This phenomenon is called pedogenesis. It is based on the maturation of approximately sixty daughter larvae in the body of paedogenetic ones. Daughter larvae emerge through breaks in the maternal integument. Reproduction in favorable conditions allows insects belonging to the order Diptera to produce up to 10 new generations per year.

External signs of adult Diptera insects

In size, an adult two-winged insect - an imago - reaches from two to five centimeters in length. Bilateral symmetry is a characteristic feature that distinguishes Diptera from other orders. The limbs on the body are located on the abdomen in the amount of three pairs. The head of dipterous insects is distinguished by a rounded shape with characteristic huge ones located on both sides.

The main proportion of such representatives has a sucking mouth apparatus. In addition to it, there are sucking-licking and piercing-sucking. In some gadflies, the oral apparatus is underdeveloped. The anterior membranous wings are attached to the mesothorax. They are better developed than the rear and are the main means of flight. A pair of rear-view wings in the process of evolution took the form of club-shaped halteres and turned into an organ of balance. Legs in the amount of three pairs extend from the chest of an insect belonging to the order Diptera. The limbs are complemented by suction cups and claws. It is their presence that allows insects to move along vertical planes.

Internal structure

In the role of the liquid medium of the organism of representatives of the order Diptera, the hemolymph acts. At its core, this substance is similar to blood in the organisms of higher animals. The order Diptera is characterized by an open circulatory system. That is, in all representatives, the hemolymph is in contact with the internal organs. On the posterior wall of the chest cavity, each member of the Diptera order has a thickened and compacted dorsal vessel. In fact, it is he who performs the functions of the heart. Tracheae are responsible for breathing in the body of insects. Gas exchange processes are carried out in the abdominal cavity. There is a huge number of tracheas in close proximity to the aorta. Diptera are also characterized by the presence of a brain.

Role in nature

One hundred thousand species of Diptera are combined into several groups:

• mosquitoes and midges;
• pachyderms and mushroom mosquitoes;
• butterflies;
• centipedes;
• lions;
• stem-eaters;
• horseflies;
• balls;
• humpbacks;
• hoverflies;
• dung and house flies;
• gadflies and tahini.

house flies

House flies belong to the family of real flies. They are the owners of a synanthropic organism, which is currently almost impossible to find in nature. An individual of this species is awake mainly during the day. The structure of the fly is distinguished by large faceted dark red eyes. In length, it usually does not exceed eight millimeters. The color of her body is gray with characteristic black longitudinal stripes on the chest. The abdomen in the lower part has a yellowish color.

The structure of the female fly is somewhat different from the males. First of all, they have increased the distance between the eyes. Secondly, females are larger in size. House flies have licking-sucking mouthparts. In this regard, they are not capable of biting through the skin and sucking blood. They only take liquids for food. In the case of the consumption of solid food, they have to first carry out the procedure of its dissolution in their own saliva.

The life span of a housefly depends on the temperature regime of its habitat. In an optimal environment, with temperatures hovering around twenty-four degrees Celsius, she is able to live up to twenty days. According to the method of reproduction, house flies are oviparous. At one time, one individual is able to lay up to one hundred and twenty eggs. Their cycle of transformation is complete.

mosquitoes

Otherwise, they are also called blood-sucking mosquitoes. They belong to the group of long-whiskers. They mostly feed on the juice and nectar of plants. In many, the mouth apparatus is also designed to pierce the skin and suck out blood. Each of these types of food is a very important source of energy for this insect.

The body of mosquitoes is thin, up to fourteen centimeters long. They also have long limbs and narrow, almost transparent wings. Their body color is gray, yellowish or brown. There is a variety of mosquitoes with a green or black belly.

The elongated abdomen is divided into ten segments. A feature of the structure of mosquitoes is that the chest is somewhat wider than the abdomen. They have a pair of claws on the tips of their paws. Mosquitoes have scaly wings and segmented antennae. The type of mouth apparatus is piercing-sucking.

A distinctive feature of the female is a long proboscis with piercing bristles. Each insect of this species has a tubular lower lip. It is behind it that the oral apparatus is hidden. Also on this lip are several jaws that allow the mosquito to cut a hole in the skin. After eruption, he plunges his proboscis into the hole, through which he sucks blood. In their development, all mosquitoes go through a complete life cycle from egg to adult.

horseflies

Horseflies occupy an important place in the Diptera family. Biologists refer them to the suborder of short-whiskers. In appearance, they are similar to flies, only larger. They have a fleshy trunk with sharp and hard piercing-cutting stylets. The antennae of horseflies stick out forward and consist of four segments. Their eyes are large and colorful. The composition of the oral apparatus includes mandibles, jaws, upper lip and subglottis and lower lip with sweeping lobes.

Like most Diptera, horseflies are oviparous. At the egg stage, they are long and gray, black or brown in color. Turning into larvae, they lighten and become spindle-shaped. Horsefly pupae are very similar to butterfly pupae. The main distribution medium is grazing areas.

The female adult of this insect usually feeds on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Males prefer plant nectar. At one time, the female is able to lay up to one thousand eggs. Horseflies spend most of their lives in the air, flying over various terrain and objects.

Gadflies

An important characteristic feature of adults is the lack of nutritional requirements. The fact is that they, being a larva, accumulate the necessary amount of nutrients, the consumption of which occurs at the adult stage. Usually adults live from three to twenty days. During its existence, it loses up to a third of its weight.

Mating of gadflies occurs annually in the same places. After the male fertilizes the female, she immediately goes in search of an animal suitable for laying eggs. Most preferable for them is the area of ​​the soft wall of the abdomen, the groin and the front of the thigh of the animal. There are gastric, subcutaneous and abdominal gadflies. The most vulnerable are horses, goats, sheep, donkeys and cattle.

Butterflies

Butterflies, or two-winged butterflies, belong to the suborder of long-whiskers. In fact, these are small mosquitoes, ranging in size from one to four millimeters. In their appearance, they are very reminiscent of miniature and neat butterflies. In total there are almost three thousand species. There are butterflies in all corners of the globe. Their main diversity is seen in the CIS countries. Butterfly larvae prefer to live in rotting plant remains. Some of them prefer the aquatic environment.

The head of an adult butterfly is decorated with antennae and two eyes. Its small wings are about two millimeters long. The whole body, including the wings, has a light hairy covering. Butterflies are characterized by a steel or silver color. They rarely use their wings. The main way of movement is movement with the help of gusts of wind.

In total, an adult individual of this two-winged insect lives for two or three weeks. In the course of her life, she usually does not eat at all. To attract a male for mating, moths are able to secrete a special attracting secret. It is worth noting that a similar secret is able to allocate spider-bolads. This property allows him to attract male moths, which very often get bogged down in his web.

A butterfly can lay 100 eggs at once. And in just two days, a larva hatches from each egg. Butterfly larvae have a very important positive feature - they are able to eat mucous formations in the inside of sewer pipes. This is how they cleanse them. Butterfly adults enter apartments through cracks in the floor, holes in sewers, clogged drains and risers. Apartments with high humidity are the most comfortable for them.

Mosquitoes are the hardiest insects. They are found in cold regions in northern Canada and Siberia, at the North Pole. And in the equatorial jungle, they also feel at home.

Many insects hear with the help of hairs. For example, thousands of small hairs grow on the antennae of a male mosquito. They vibrate from sounds, vibrations are transmitted to the central nervous system. In the same way, cockroaches hear, whose “sound-receiving” hairs are located on the abdomen. The caterpillar is covered with hairs, it "hears" with its whole body.

Flies and bees do not have special organs on their bodies for buzzing. These sounds are made by the wings at high speed moving up and down, back and forth.

Butterflies, like bees, pollinate flowers. They flutter from plant to plant, carrying pollen on the hairs of their legs, thus carrying out cross-pollination.

Every year, scientists discover between 7,000 and 10,000 new insect species - and they believe that at least 1 million more have not been found.

Insects perceive a wider range of light than humans. Many insects can see ultraviolet rays, and many species of beetles see infrared. However, they cannot focus their eyes, and can only clearly distinguish objects at a distance of a few centimeters. The eye lens in most insects has the form of a convex hexagon - facets, and the number of such lenses can be quite large (for example, in a dragonfly, the eye consists of 30,000 facets). This means that insects do not perceive the whole object as a whole, as people do. Each facet reflects its part of the object. People would take this picture as a mosaic. In addition, insects do not have eyelids, their eyes are always open.

The housefly carries germs up to 15 miles (24 km) from a source of pollution.

Spiders are not insects. They belong to the class of arachnids (Arachnid) - they have eight legs (in insects - six), do not have wings and antennae. Scorpions and ticks also belong to arachnids.

The bombardier beetle, defending itself, fires a series of shots with a mixture of chemicals. The release is accompanied by a loud sound and a reddish, unpleasant-smelling cloud.

Bees have five eyes. Three small eyes on the top of the head and two large ones in front.

A queen bee can lay up to 3,000 eggs a day.

Ants stretch when they wake up. Also, the ants are very human in yawning before taking on a task for the day.

In September 1951, seventeen-month-old Mark Bennett of Vancouver was stung 447 times by wasps and survived. He was discharged from the hospital after 20 days of treatment.

A cockroach can live for several more weeks with its head torn off.

The common housefly cannot survive in Alaska. Too cold. Those who get there by accident on a ship or plane die without offspring. Mosquitoes, on the other hand, love cold weather. Individual specimens have been found near the North Pole.

Bumblebees don't die when they sting - they can sting more. The entire swarm, except for the queen, dies at the end of each summer in its nest. Every year the colony of these insects is updated.

The auditory organs of the cicada are located on the abdomen. In a cricket, they are on their knees, more precisely in oval cuts on their front legs.

In terms of the number of currently known species (more than 80,000), this order ranks fourth in the class of insects, second only to beetles, butterflies and hymenoptera. Diptera include various mosquitoes and flies, which play a significant role in nature and human economy (mainly negative). Diptera are very widely distributed, both horizontally and vertically: they live in tropical, temperate and subpolar countries, in lowlands, plains and mountains. Diptera of these insects is apparent. In fact, they also have a second pair of wings, but it is underdeveloped and has become a special organ - the haltere, which performs an important function in flight. The halteres are especially well seen in the centipedes. Diptera are also characterized by the absence of true legs in larvae, and in some groups the larvae also lack a head. A relatively rare phenomenon of winglessness is observed in chione mosquitoes, in bloodsucking flies (sheep fleece), in flies living in anthills (wingless only females), in termite flies (rudimentary wings). The ability to fly is better developed in flies than in mosquitoes. Some flies (for example, blue carrion flies and hoverflies) are migratory. In 1953, Hilary and Tenzing discovered hover flies in the Himalayan mountains at an altitude of about 4 thousand meters, flying over the ridge along with butterflies. The mouthparts of Diptera are adapted to receive liquid food and are modified in various ways, forming either sucking lobes (in flies) or a piercing proboscis (in mosquitoes).

Diptera have well-developed organs of vision in the form of a pair of large compound eyes and, in addition, 2-3 simple ocelli (not in all). The eyes are better developed in carnivorous dipterans (for example, in ktyrs), which is associated with the need not only to see the prey, but also to fix its location before it is captured. A high degree of perfection has been achieved in the eyes of male mosquitoes from the family of papilids and aximiids: in them, each eye is, as it were, divided into two parts, of which the upper one consists of large facets, and the lower one consists of small ones. Such a structure contributes to the differentiation of the perception of the environment. The location of the eyes of the diopsid flies, which live in our Caucasus and Siberia, is remarkable. Their eyes sit on the ends of long stalks diverging to the side, providing the insect with a wide spatial view, which makes it easier for it to navigate in the air. The function of such eyes is reminiscent of the operation of an artillery rangefinder, which once again indicates the possibility of the coincidence of the principles of construction of technical devices with the structure of animal organs of a similar application. Of great importance for the technical improvement of photographic equipment was the study of the structure and functions of fly eyes by bionics, which made it possible to reproduce the cellular structure of the fly's eye and create a special device from 1329 small lenses combined into one flat disk. This device gives multiple images and is designed to reproduce the most accurate microscopic circuits in electronic computers.

The olfactory organs of Diptera are antennas covered with special tubercles capable of capturing various odors, reacting to a huge number of a wide variety of substances. Many Diptera pick up the slightest odor from great distances, finding suitable food or a place to lay eggs. So, for example, flies smell carrion from afar and flock to it. However, they can be deceived and attracted to the similar smell of the so-called stinky gum or the smell of flowers that have a putrid smell. Female mosquitoes flock to the smell of stagnant polluted water, where they lay their eggs. A substance isolated from such water, in negligible concentrations, is capable of attracting mosquitoes, which indicates their subtle sense of smell. As you know, female mosquitoes for the normal development of eggs must suck on the blood of animals or humans. They search for their prey by the smell brought by the wind, and in search of food they fly from 3 to 20 km. Having found a suitable object for bloodsucking, they signal this to other females with the help of a squeak of a certain tone.

In Diptera, sounds are produced during flight by the vibration of the wings and can serve as a means of communication. So, for example, males catch the sound of a flying female by the vibrations of her wings at a speed of 350 strokes per second in some species, and 500-550 in others. The receivers of sounds are the Johnston organs located on the antennas and the hairs on the antennas, vibrating like a tuning fork in unison with the perceived vibrations. One way to fight mosquitoes is to lure them to a certain place by playing a tape-recorded mosquito squeak. In the future, small ultrasonic installations will be able to free large areas from mosquitoes and other harmful insects, and humans from the installation of expensive drainage channels in the places of the brood of these bloodsuckers. In recent years, it has been found that mosquitoes communicate with each other using electromagnetic waves of the millimeter range within a radius of up to 15 m. Moreover, each type of mosquito is characterized by a certain wavelength, at which clear signals are given.

The hairs covering certain parts of the body of Diptera (as in other insects) perform the functions of various sensory organs. Some of them are hygroreceptors that capture the degree of atmospheric moisture, others are thermoreceptors that respond to thermal effects, others are tangoreceptors that perceive touch, etc. The Canadian scientist Wright found that mosquitoes find a person by three factors that attract them: by exhaled carbon dioxide gas, released moisture and heat radiation. From this came the idea of ​​creating a mosquito trap that produces all three factors. Such a trap was made from a tin shaped like a mushroom. A candle is placed in the leg of the mushroom, and a small bath of water is placed in the hat. Heat and carbon dioxide are produced by a burning candle, and water vapor is produced by heated water. The lid of the trap is covered with a poisonous substance or Velcro. Mosquitoes sit on the lid and die on it. Schoolchildren themselves can make such a trap and check its effect in practice.

Diptera expediently react to weather changes, being living barometers. So, for example, flies fly into the premises before a bad weather, and on the roads - into the cabs of cars. Pusher flies form dancing flocks on warm summer evenings, usually on the eve of good weather. These flocks usually stay in narrow spaces (over a puddle, over a path with wet ground, or around a tree branch). Such accumulations in moist air are regarded as mating dances performed by Diptera in favorable atmospheric conditions. Horseflies raincoats are activated in cloudy weather before rain. Midge mosquitoes in calm weather at sunset or sunrise usually form swarms, flying in the crowns of trees or over grass and shrubs.

In addition to the organs signaling changes in meteorological conditions, in Diptera, dense receptors on the paws of flies deserve attention, with the help of which they determine the quality of food and its edibility. Experiments have shown that flies easily distinguish sweet greed from unsweetened water, and their threshold for distinguishing between sweets is 20 times lower than that of humans. Diptera, like other invertebrates, are able to perceive slight changes in the magnetic field and orient themselves in accordance with the direction of its lines of force. There is an opinion according to which periodically changing electromagnetic fields of different frequencies give biological processes an unusual rhythm, distorting normal information processes. From this it is clear that animals are forced to behave in such a way as to avoid negative consequences every time when the magnetic field changes.

Diptera belong to insects with complete metamorphosis, but with one feature that others do not have, namely: in higher flies, pupae are placed in special false cocoons - puparia, formed from the larval skin with a compaction of its shell. Puparia protect pupae from damage, which increases their survival. Their role, therefore, is similar to real cocoons of butterflies and other insects, created by interweaving arachnoid filaments (silk-releasing fibers), but by origin, puparia are organs that are not homologous, but convergent. This is an example of how the same task of protecting the pupa from enemies and adverse influences in different groups of insects was solved by the action of natural selection by various means.

In the reproduction of some Diptera (mosquitoes of the genus Miastor), a phenomenon of pedogenesis, rare among insects, is observed (reproduction at the larval stage). In most Diptera, the larvae hatch from eggs and develop in the environment where the eggs were laid. Moreover, in each species, the females lay their eggs where the future larvae will be, surrounded by their food. In some Diptera, the survival rate of species is increased due to live births (for example, in bloodsucking flies and tachin flies). Their larvae emerge from the eggs and remain inside the mother's body, feeding on the secretions of special glands. Having completed development under the protection of the mother's body, they go outside and immediately pupate in the soil or on the animal's body (depending on the species). In manure flies, the larvae are born almost as adults, thereby, as it were, they are eliminated from dangerous competition with other inhabitants of the manure.

Success in the struggle for existence also brings care for the offspring, which is manifested not only at the egg stage, but also at the larval stage. For example, in gray blowflies, the larvae are ejected from the body of the female directly onto the substrate that serves them as food, namely: into ulcers, wounds, on the mucous membrane of the eye, nostrils and other parts of the body of animals. Something similar is also observed in nasopharyngeal gadflies, the larvae of which are splashed by the female into the nasal cavity of deer, sheep and other mammals. It should be noted that the highest manifestation of care for offspring is in the green carrion frog-eating fly, in which the female with mature eggs sacrifices herself in favor of the future young generation. She crawls around the frog until it is eaten by it. In the stomach of a frog, larvae emerge from the eggs of the fly, which penetrate the intestines, and from there into the nasal cavity of the host, where they complete their development.

Adult forms, using the nutrients obtained from the larvae, often switch to independent nutrition, usually causing some harm to the human economy. But some Diptera are beneficial (see more on this below). Among Diptera, there are few forms with bright coloration and attractive appearance. More than others, only buzzer flies, which feed on the nectar of flowering plants, have an elegant appearance. Green and blue carrion flies are distinguished by a metallic sheen.

Some types of hoverflies are characterized by mimicry. For their resemblance to stinging hymenoptera, these flies received the appropriate names: wasp hoverfly, bumblebee-shaped bumblebee, bee-bee elm, etc. Interestingly, one species of flies was found to imitate wasps in buzzing. They stay among the wasps and reproduce the same sounds as the wasps. Flies that are mimics tend to stick to the same habitats as the insects they mimic. So, for example, bumblebees visit the nests of bumblebees, and bees are found on inflorescences along with bees. Humpback flies, resembling ants, live in anthills.

Sexual dimorphism in Diptera is weakly expressed. In flies, for example, sexual dimorphism manifests itself more often in the size of the eyes. In rare cases, the difference between a male and a female is the unequal color of the body or its external structure. So, for example, in a garden midge, the male is black, and the female is red-brown, in a fly of the genus Platifor, the male is winged, and the female is wingless, flat, like a cockroach.

Chemical methods of dealing with harmful Diptera do not always give positive results. Unnecessarily intensive and indiscriminate use of insecticides leads to the fact that a person artificially eliminates individuals sensitive to the drug used and at the same time promotes the reproduction of individuals resistant to it. This is due to the presence in the population of Diptera, which are immune to the poison of certain substances. The well-known entomologist J. Georgiou (USA) cites data on resistance to DDT that exists among anopheles mosquitoes and house flies, and their immunity acquires a wide spectrum, including various types of insecticides and even growth hormone analogues, which usually have a disastrous effect on insects, causing them to the body is seriously impaired. The problem of combating harmful insects, in particular Diptera, is one of the most complex. It requires for its implementation a strict account of the interrelations that exist in nature.

At the same time, Diptera, being objects of attack from numerous enemies, are an essential link in the food chains of various animals. The enemies of Diptera primarily include insectivorous birds, especially swallows, swifts, nightjars, and from mammals - bats, from insects - dragonflies. In the water, mosquito larvae and pupae are eaten by fish, dragonfly larvae, water bugs and beetles, as well as an insectivorous plant - pemphigus. In peat bogs, small flies, midges and mosquitoes are caught by other insectivorous plants - sundew and diryanka. It has been established that, for example, sundew catches up to 17 mosquitoes in 1 hour.

The fly (Musca) got its name from the Old Slavic word “mus”, meaning “gray”. Diptera belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, class Insects, order Diptera.

Fly - description and characteristics

The body length of a fly can be from a few millimeters to 2 cm. The insect has a pair of membranous wings, a rather large head, endowed with a mouth organ - a proboscis, designed to absorb liquid food. The body of the fly consists of three parts: the head, abdomen and chest, ending in three pairs of legs. Each leg of a fly is divided into five segments. One part is a foot, with two sharp claws and sticky pads. This feature allows the fly to move briskly along the ceiling and any vertical surfaces.

The fly's eyes are a unique organ. Thanks to several thousand hexagonal facets, the fly has a circular field of view, so its huge eyes can easily simultaneously see everything that happens to the side and even behind. The olfactory organ is the antennae, capable of recognizing odors at a great distance.

Types of flies, names and photos

There are 3,650 species of fly worldwide, some of which are particularly common:

• room(house) fly

gray insect, native to the Asian steppes. It is distributed everywhere, most often near human habitation. Outwardly, many species are similar to the house fly, but it is distinguished by a special break at the edge of the wings. Under favorable conditions, the insect can live up to 2 months;

• hoverfly (syrphid)

similar in appearance and habits to. The insect is distinguished by a black and yellow striped body and transparent wings. The hoverfly feeds on the nectar of flowering plants, it is absolutely harmless. The name of the fly was due to the murmuring sound made by the wings when hovering;

• green(carrion) fly

An insect with a shiny emerald body that lives near sewage and carrion. In order not to be eaten after mating, the male fly brings some food to the female;

• common silt (tenacious) or bee silt

considered a subspecies of hover flies. A large insect, up to 1.5 cm long, with a dark body covered with hairy pubescence. The larvae of the bee elnitsa that have entered the human body can cause serious intestinal disorders;

• ktyr

a large predatory fly that poses a danger to midges, as well as flies of this kind. Killing various dangerous insects with a sharp sting and poison, ktyri flies bring significant benefits to mankind;

• tsetse fly

inhabitant of the African continent. The main source of nutrition for this dangerous predator is the blood of wild mammals, as well as livestock and people. Tsetse flies are carriers of trypanosomes, which provoke an incurable disease that destroys the immune and nervous systems and leads to death.

Tsetse fly. Alan R Walker, CC BY-SA 3.0

Where do flies live?

Flies live on all continents except Antarctica, near animal burrows and human dwellings. This heat-loving insect does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures: already at +8, the laid eggs of flies die.

What do flies eat?

Flies are omnivorous insects and can eat any organic food. The solid food of the fly is pre-soaked with saliva. Sweet liquids and foods are especially preferred. Some types of flies are true "gourmets" and eat only onions or. Pyophilids (cheese flies) breed only inside the head of cheese.

fly breeding

With the exception of some viviparous species, most flies lay eggs. Males lure females with a soft buzz. 2-3 days after mating, the female fly is ready to lay eggs in any food or organic waste.

One clutch contains approximately 150 eggs. During its existence, the female fly is able to lay up to 3 thousand eggs. A day later, fly larvae, maggots appear.

This stage of development lasts about a week, during this period the larva increases in size up to 800 times.

The larval stage passes into pupation and continues for another week. An adult fly, which does not change its size throughout its life, is born 12-14 days after laying eggs.

The first 2-3 days, until the wings are strong, the insect can only crawl. The average lifespan of a fly is 3 weeks.