How Do Flies Affect Humans? Why Do Flies Exist?

Flies affect humans by carrying and transferring pathogens. After all, flies land on faeces and garbage regularly. Pathogens from those surfaces can then be carried on to your food sources and the things you use to eat and drink. Some of those pathogens may cause the following diseases:

• Typhoid fever
• Dysentery
• Cholera
• Poliomyelitis
• Tuberculosis

Aside from harming human health, the presence of flies can also result to significant financial losses and complete shutdown of businesses. For example, fly infestation in restaurants and cafes will turn away customers. Another example is in the food production and processing facilities. The presence of too many flies will compromise the quality of the goods.

Why do flies exist? What’s their purpose?

Given the harm brought by flies, it’s reasonable to ask why do they exist? Even with rigorous pest management programs, why do flies still persist? Let’s answer these questions that puzzle human minds for decades.

First, flies actually have a role in the natural ecosystem. These flying creatures aid in decomposition of rotting organic matter. Somehow, they make decomposition more manageable for microbes. In addition, most other animals won’t rely on decaying matter as their food source.

Moreover, the flies are still a vital part of the food chain. Adult flies are food sources for frogs and many reptiles. Flies lay their eggs and the hatchling maggots might be the food sources of other insects.

Without many types of fly, there will be fewer food sources for many creatures. As a result, the population of these creatures (and the animals higher in the food chain) will decrease or even face extinction. It’s helpful to think twice before you attempt to swat a fly.

In other words, flies are vital in the natural ecosystem but these creatures are pests in human societies whether urban or rural. Flies still feed on decaying organic matter but they also transmit the pathogens that come from those sources.

How to control number of flies

Flies have undergone complex biological evolution. They have continued to exist and persist because of their evolved mechanism for survival.

Good news is scientists have already developed light traps that tap into flies’ biological tendencies. For instance, here at Vectothor we’ve developed light traps that emit continuous UV-A light. This was found to yield more results because the light traps closely mimic nature (which disarms flies’ biological defences).

Contact us today here at Vectothor if you want a more effective fly management program for your business (e.g. office, shop, restaurant, kitchen, food production area, industrial environment). We’ll provide excellent recommendations specific for your application.