Flies are amongst the most commonly found pests all over the world. In Australia, more than ten thousand species of flies are found. However, only a small percentage of them have a harmful nature. Some of the commonly found harmful flies in Australia include house fly, fruit fly, bush fly, blow fly, and fungus gnat.
Though they appear to be innocuous and don’t pose any direct physical risk to us, flies are considered to be extremely dangerous pests. Flies are responsible for spreading more than 200 different types of parasites and pathogens to humans as they regularly come in contact with rotting food, decaying animal flesh, faecal matter, trash cans, etc.
Staying safe from flies can become much easier by gaining some knowledge about them. It is important to note that flies merely do whatever comes naturally to them, without any deliberate intention to harm us. Therefore, if we are able to gather some knowledge about their behaviour, that knowledge can be used against them.
Common Flies in Australia:
Flies belong to the insect order Diptera. Unlike all other flying insects which have four wings, flies only have one pair of wings. House flies, bush flies, blow flies, stable flies, and sand flies are the most commonly found flies in Australia.
- House Flies (Musca domestica): It is said that house flies arrived in Australia with early European settlers. The adults have a length of about 5-7 mm with reddish eyes. The body colour is greyish on top and yellowish underneath, with four black stripes on the thorax. They have a creamy coloured larva that can be up to 10 mm in length.
- Bush Flies (Musca vetustissima): These are the irritating tiny flies that often get into our eyes during the summer season. The appearance of the adult is similar to that of house flies, with a length of 4 – 6 mm. Unlike house flies, however, they have two black stripes on the thorax.
- Blow flies (Calliphora): These flies are bristly and large, and tend to be drawn to our kitchens while cooking meat. In Australia, about 70 different species belonging to the genus Calliphoraare found. Typically, these flies are hairy, robust, and large. The size of these flies is almost twice compared to that of house flies.
- Stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans): These blood sucking flies bite domestic animals and people, and are also associated with livestock. They are identical to house flies in size. However, on the abdomen, they have a chequer board pattern. These are also known as March flies and deliver a painful bite.
- Biting Midges or sand flies (Culicoides): These tiny blood sucking flies torment people outdoors at dawn or dusk. These flies are so tiny that we often fail to see them. More than 150 sand fly species are found in Australia. They are about 1 – 3 mm in length and often have spotted wings.
Symptoms Indicating the Presence of Flies:
- Appearance of maggots in compost bins and kitchen tidies
- Fly droppings on benches and window sills
- Bite marks on pet ears and human skins
- A smell resembling decomposed carcasses.
- Appearance of flies circling over animal droppings.
If you notice any of these symptoms, please get in touch us at Vectothor without wasting any time. We have a range of environment friendly fly light traps designed specifically for commercial establishments.
