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Introduction
House Fly
Blow Fly
Fruit Fly
Stable Fly
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Introduction
Several kinds of non-biting flies can be found in and around farms, residences,
and food-handling establishments. These flies can be harmful to health, causing
annoyance and discomfort. All non-biting flies (Table 1) have an egg, larva
(maggot), pupa, and adult stage in their life cycle. The adult fly has 2 wings
(the hind pair is reduced to a knobbed balancing organ).
Non-biting flies are usually scavengers in nature and many are capable of transmitting
diseases to man. non-biting flies can usually be grouped according to their
habits and appearance as: house flies and their relatives; flesh flies, blow
flies and bottle flies, filter flies, and vinegar (fruit) flies.
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House Fly
The house fly, Musca domestica, is one of the most common of all insects. House
flies are world-wide in distribution and is a pest in homes, barns, poultry
houses, food processing plants, dairies, and recreation areas. They have a tremendous
breeding potential and during the warmer months can produce a generation in
less than two weeks.
Not only are house flies a nuisance, but they also can transport disease-causing
organisms. More than 100 pathogens associated with the house fly may cause disease
in humans and animals, including typhoid, cholera, bacillary dysentery, tuberculosis,
anthrax ophthalmia and infantile diarrhea, as well as parasitic worms. Pathogenic
organisms are picked up by flies from rubbish, sewage and other sources of filth,
and then transferred on their mouthparts and other body parts, through their
vomits, feces and contaminated external body parts to human and animal food.
Description
House flies are about 1/4" in length; dull gray in color; thorax marked longitudinally
with 4 dark stripes; abdomen pale and fourth wing vein is angled.
Breeding Habits
Warm organic material such as animal and poultry manure, garbage, decaying
vegetables and fruits and in piles of moist leaves and lawn clippings are also
known to be attracted to carrion.
Life Cycle
6 to 10 days
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Blowfly
The blowflies or bluebottle flies usually have a metallic blue or green color
or both on the thorax and abdomen. Blow flies are strong fliers and range many
miles from breeding places. They are abundant during the warm summer months
 .
Blowflies and bottle flies can breed on dead rodents and birds in attics or
wall voids of houses. They usually breed in meat scraps, animal excrement, and
decaying animal matter. The adult blow flies are quite active inside and are
strongly attracted to light. The mature larvae are often a problem when they
migrate from breeding areas to pupate.
Blowflies usually lay eggs on dead animals or decaying meat. Rubbish bins have
been known to produce 30,000 blowflies in one week. The life cycle usually lasts
9-21 days from egg to adult.
Description
Blowflies are about 1/2" in length with, generally, a shiny/metallic abdomen
and/or thorax.
Breeding Habits
Dead animal carcasses; decomposing meat and fish, garbage, over-ripe fruit,
decaying vegetable matter and sores on living humans.
Life Cycle
9 to 21 days
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Fruit Fly
Fruit flies are nuisance pests and contaminators of food. Fruit flies usually
breed in fruit, dirty rubbish containers, or slime in drains, feeding on yeasts
that grow on organic matter. 
Each adult lays about 500 eggs which hatch and the larvae mature to adults
in 9-12 days. These flies are readily attracted to fruit, vegetables, and soft
drink bottles and cans.
Description
About 1/8" in length, fruit flies are brownish-black to brownish-yellow in
color and have a feathery bristle on the antennae.
Breeding Habits
Fermenting or rotting fruit and vegetable material and in rubbish cans.
Life Cycle
9 to 21 days
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Stable Fly
The stable fly or dog fly is a bloodsucking fly which is of considerable importance
to people, pets and agricultural animals. Stable Flies primarily attack animals
for a blood meal, but in the absence of an animal host will also bite man. Adult
stable flies can fly up to 70 miles from their breeding sites. The stable fly
adult is similar to the house fly in si  ze and color.
The stable fly, however, has a long bayonet-like mouthpart for sucking blood.
Unlike many other species of flies, both male and female stable flies suck blood.
The stable fly can breed all year in warmer environments although peak populations
occur in the summer months. Stable fly bites are extremely painful to both man
and animal. When hungry, stable flies are quite persistent and will continue
to pursue a blood meal even after being swatted at several times. Although the
bite is painful, there is little irritation after the bite, and few people exhibit
an allergic reaction to stable fly bites.
The most practical and economical method for reducing stable fly populations
is the elimination or proper management of breeding sources. It is important
to remember that stable flies cannot develop in dry materials.
Description
Similar to the house fly in size and color however, has a long bayonet-like
mouthpart.
Breeding Habits
Soggy hay, grasses or feed, piles of moist fermenting weed or grass cuttings,
spilled green chop, peanut litter, seaweed deposits along beaches, and sometimes
in manure well-mixed with hay.
Life Cycle
22-58 days
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