A female fly uses a superlong proboscis tipped with a bladed cutting organ to surgically remove the victim's head. The fly then drags the head away and either feeds on the goo and brain or lays an egg inside.
No matter how they lost their heads, flies can still walk and fly for days and weeks. A fly's brain is in their back which means they can continue to live.
Fruit flies synchronize the movements of their heads and bodies to stabilize their vision and fly. Fruit flies synchronize the movements of their heads and bodies to stabilize their vision and fly effectively, according to Penn State researchers who utilized virtual-reality flight simulators.
Citronella Candles/Smoke
Citronella candles are known for their great qualities as a mosquito repellent, but they have also shown that they are equally effective for getting rid of flies as well. Flies absolutely hate smoke, add to this the scent of the citronella candle and they will soon disperse.
Their wings beat over a short arc of about 90 degrees, but ridiculously fast, at around 230 beats per second. Fruit flies, in comparison, are 80 times smaller than honeybees, but flap their wings only 200 times a second.
While there is some variation in the structure and function of the dorsal vessel across insect species, flies generally possess a single dorsal vessel.
What is the Lifespan of a Fly? Houseflies pass through four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The life expectancy of a housefly is generally 15 to 30 days and depends upon temperature and living conditions.
Flies cannot fly off at an angle and have to fly straight upwards before being able to head off in another direction. This leaves them vulnerable for the first few inches of their flight and easier to trap. Another weakness is the fly's inability to respond when confronted with two threats at the same time.
Afraid of shadows
The flies looked startled and, if flying, increased their speed. Occasionally the flies froze in place, a defensive behaviour also observed in the fear responses of rodents. The shadows even caused hungry flies to leave a food source, when that was presented during another phase of the experiment.
Cinnamon – use cinnamon as an air freshner, as flies hate the smell! Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.
Houseflies are scavengers . The human body, like some of their favourite food sources —faeces, food and rotting flesh —radiates a sense of warmth and nourishment.
What attracts flies to sit on humans? Flies are attracted to carbon dioxide which human beings breathe out. Flies feed on dead cells and open wounds. Oily hair is an attractant.
Houseflies LOVE the scent of food, garbage, feces, and other smelly things like your pet's food bowl. They're also attracted to your body if you have a layer of natural oils and salt or dead skin cells built up.
A female fly uses a superlong proboscis tipped with a bladed cutting organ to surgically remove the victim's head. The fly then drags the head away and either feeds on the goo and brain or lays an egg inside.
Why is it so hard to swat a fly? Scientists say they found that halteres — dumbbell-shaped evolutionary remnants of wings — are the reason why houseflies can takeoff quickly from any surface.
Q. Can a fly play dead? A. Some species of fly are adapted to feign dropping dead as a way to avoid a threat, and several other insects and spiders also show this behavior, though the common housefly is much more likely to use its lightning-fast reflexes and fly away instead.
The flies, they found, receive pain messages via sensory neurons in their ventral nerve cord, the insect equivalent of a spinal cord. Along this nerve cord are inhibitory neurons that act as gatekeepers, allowing pain signals through or blocking them based on context.
When trying to figure out why flies are angry, research showed that Drosophila produces a pheromone, and this chemical messenger promotes aggression, directly linked to specific neurons in the fly's antenna.
In fact, there's mounting evidence that insects can experience a remarkable range of feelings. They can be literally buzzing with delight at pleasant surprises, or sink into depression when bad things happen that are out of their control.
Well studies have shown that the color yellow is the number one color that repels flies. Unfortunately you would need to completely surround your home in yellow light bulbs for it to have any real effect.
A housefly will likely die on its own from stress.
The interior of a home can be disorienting and stressful to a housefly, says Dave. If you've ever seen a fly bouncing on a window trying to escape, that's what will eventually cause its death.
As gross as it may sound, the answer is yes – a dead fly can turn into a maggot. This is because flies lay their eggs in decaying matter, such as dead animals or food, and the larvae that hatch from these eggs are maggots.
After emergence, the adult flies disperse, sometimes covering tens of kilometres in search of a host animal. Both male and female adult flies feed on blood, as soon as six hours after emergence. The adult flies live for about three to four weeks, with extreme heat (over 35°C) reducing their lifespan to just two weeks.
In an initial study monitoring average sleep duration of flies, the team found some individuals that naturally slept for as little as 5-15 minutes per day, compared to a normal range of several hours a day.
Before sunset, a sleepy fly will try and find a safe place to rest. Some favourite places are on the undersides of leaves, twigs, and branches, or even in tall grass or under rocks. They need a comfortable place to sleep that will shelter them from the cold, rain and wind.