FLIES
Common houseflies can be 6-8mm long with a grey thorax and 4 longitudinal stripes along this.
Eggs can be laid on any vegetable or animal matter providing it is not too dry and can hatch between 8 hours to 3 days. The larva is white and legless turning to a waxy ivory yellow in colour and more commonly known as the maggot. Pupation follows usually taking place in the soil and this period will vary from 3 to 28 days depending on the temperature. Adult Flies can exist in broods from June but are more numerous in August and September.
Houseflies can transmit diseases when feeding on liquefiable solid food, which may be moist, putrefying material or food stored for human consumption. Flies liquefy food by regurgitating digestive juices and their stomach contents onto the food substance. However flies may also carry disease on their bodies and transfer these when in contact with other surfaces.
Blue Bottle flies are larger than the common house fly and they have a shiny blue body dusted with white on the abdomen. They are also know as blowflies because they 'blow' their eggs onto exposed meat.
Creamy white eggs are laid on the flesh of dead animals and can hatch between 18-48 hours. The small larvae known as maggots feed on the flesh of the animal. The pupal stage lasts from 9-12 days, the pupa are a cylindrical in shape and dull red-brown.
The normal habitat of Blue Bottle flies is outside. Females may enter houses in search of food unlike the common house fly they may frequent cool dark places such as larders and can be distinguished by their loud buzzing noise.
