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FLIES. CHARACTERISTICS Y NUISANCES.

Flies are a plague that has affected humans for thousands of years. Some suck blood and others feed upon carrion.

The latter of these are more widely spread worldwide.  Commonly known as rubbish or house flies, they have evolved to live in association with man.
 

They are usually found around and inside the structures of homes, factories etc.
 

They may be:

a) Troublesome by their constant presence,

b) Efficient mechanical disease vectors.

Pathogenic organisms are picked up by flies in rubbish, drains and other sources of dirt; they then transfer it on their mouth parts and other parts of their body, through their vomit or their faeces onto the food of animals and humans.

Although they are attracted to a wide variety of foodstuffs, house flies have mouth parts that only let them ingest liquids. Solids are liquefied using regurgitated saliva. The food is swallowed through their mouth parts and passes to the digestive tract.

They are mainly to be found in: flats, inside walls and ceilings, electric cables and plants. Usually, their resting places at night are close to food sources and are at a distance of 2-3 metres from the floor.

Among the most dangerous organisms found in flying insects are the following:

•  Klebsiella. These bacteria are frequently the cause of many respiratory diseases and urinary tract infections. They have been found as much on the fly's external cuticle as in their digestive system.

• Campylobacter. These bacteria have been proved to be the causal agent of much gastroenteritis.

• Streptococci. This is often found in intestinal and skin infections.  They are also carried by flying insects.

• Chlamydia. These are parasites that can cause several human disorders and there is more and more evidence that flies can transmit them.

There are also many fungi such as Candida sp, Mucor sp, Aspergillus sp, etc. that cause diseases and investigation shows that flies are carriers of all of them. 

Food poisoning can be got with a tiny dose of bacteria. In these cases, the illness has normally been spread by flying insects, a fact that is little understood or appreciated.

Source: Desma, SA and Bayer Environmental Science, division de Bayer CropScience.

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