Order: Diptera

Family: Muscidae

House flies get their name because they are the most common fly found in and around homes. They are found throughout the United States and the world. The house fly is important to control because of its potential to carry disease organisms.

Description: Adult House flies are approximately 1/8-1/4 inch long. The adult male fly is typically smaller than the female. Their dull-grey body is accentuated by two stripes on the face.

Biology: The adult female house fly will lay her eggs in moist materials in clusters of 20-50, and during her lifetime will generally lay between 350-900 eggs. The eggs hatch within 24 hours, and the larvae (maggots) matures within just one week. At this point in their life cycle, the larvae seek dry places to pupate. Depending on temperature and humidity, this stage can take anywhere from 3 days to 4 weeks. The entire life cycle can take as little as 6 days depending on environmental conditions. Therefore, there can be as many as 12 generations during one summer.

Habits: House flies feed on a variety of materials, from excrement to human food. House flies always excrete and regurgitate every time they are at rest. Since they are known to harbor over 100 different kinds of disease causing pathogens, it is important to control any house fly population.