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House Fly Facts

The average life span for a housefly in the wild is approximately one month. They can survive longer indoors, where temperatures are consistently moderate. Houseflies pass through the egg, larval and pupal stages in approximately 10 days, after which adult flies emerge. Houseflies cease growth after emerging from their pupae.

Houseflies are covered with small hairs that serve as taste organs. Their compound eyes are extremely complex: thousands of individual lenses allow them to see 360-degrees at a time.

Houseflies are major carriers of disease. They are known to transfer over 100 pathogens, including typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera and malaria. Houseflies collect these pathogens on their legs and mouths when feeding on feces, trash and other decaying material.

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