# A few questions about the fly. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478 "2010-09-20T23:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/1 "2010-09-20T23:03:22Z")
This is on behalf of my 7 year old niece. Late Sunday afternoon we were outside at a family barbecue. The flies were terrible and I reassured my niece they’d go away after dark. Bad move on my part. Question 1. Where do they go at night. \<1st shoulder shrug from me\> Question 2. Where do they live? \ Question 3 Who is their mother? I hesitated here. Should I tell her they grow out of maggots? At least that’s what I’ve heard. Question 4 Are they eating when they land on my food? Once again, should I tell her they are laying maggot eggs? My uncle cred needs a boost. She’ll ask again next time I see her. 😃 Finally two questions from me… Is it true the American fly is one of the few that don’t bite? I’ve heard the Canadians and Aussies suffer from a large fly population that bites. If true, I’m glad American horse flies are only found in localized areas with horses or cattle. I hate getting bitten by those critters. :mad: Finally, why do flies disappear at night? ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/2 "2010-09-20T23:20:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Question 1. Where do they go at night. They just go kind of dormant. They land on something and sit till it warms up. Their metabolisms are hugely driven by ambient temperatures. > [@](#): > > Question 2. Where do they live? Wherever their senses tell them the good eating is. > [@](#): > > Question 3 Who is their mother? I hesitated here. Should I tell her they grow out of maggots? Correct, and I dont think they actually need to mate. > [@](#): > > Question 4 Are they eating when they land on my food? Once again, should I tell her they are laying maggot eggs? I would. I actually ate some porkchops that sat on the grill for a few hours. Then I noticed the seasoning was wiggling. Yuuck. > [@](#): > > Is it true the American fly is one of the few that don’t bite? > > I’ve heard the Canadians and Aussies suffer from a large fly population that bites. There are species of flies that bite and they appear in the states as far as I know. Here in Canada our flies cannot overwinter so they actually colonize yearly from farther south. I’ve never been bitten: no huge population of biting flies here. > [@](#): > > If true, I’m glad American horse flies are only found in localized areas with horses or cattle. I hate getting bitten by those critters. :mad: We have the same horse flies. > [@](#): > > Finally, why do flies disappear at night? A) you cant see them, they are dark. B) they are barely active, sluggish. Unlike moths they dont congregate around light sources. Unlike mosquitos, they dont home in on the CO2 exhaled by humans. So they are there, you just dont notice. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/3 "2010-09-20T23:26:14Z")
As a Doper, you have an obligation to try to tell her the truth, and as an uncle, you have an obligation to try to gross her out. When they land on her food, they’re regurgitating a small amount of liquid to dissolve the surface of the food, then slurping that back up to feed (incidentally, they taste the food with their feet). And when thinking about the composition of this liquid, remember all the other things flies like to eat. They’ll do this pretty much every time they land on food, but they’ll only lay eggs if they’re undisturbed (and, of course, if they’re female and have already mated). They’ll generally lay their eggs in high-protein foods like meat, though they’ll also eat sugary foods. The eggs, if they lay them, hatch into maggots, and the maggots turn into adult flies in much the same way that caterpillars turn into butterflies. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/4 "2010-09-20T23:55:45Z")
Are there fly cocoons, then? What do they look like? And if there are male and females, how could they reproduce asexually? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/5 "2010-09-21T04:30:47Z")
Thanks, I’ll pass the information along to my niece. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/6 "2010-09-21T04:43:58Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Are there fly cocoons, then? What do they look like? Flies larvae usually just make pupae without enclosing them in cocoons. [House fly pupae](http://www.mantisplace.com/images/houseflypupae300.jpg) > [@](#): > > And if there are male and females, how could they reproduce asexually? Who says they reproduce asexually? Most flies, in particular the ones that bother people, reproduce by mating between males and females. Some insects, such as aphids, may reproduce asexually for several generations, but they normally then produce a generation with both males and females and reproduce sexually. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/7 "2010-09-21T04:48:04Z")
I am dissappointed that this thread isn’t about the movie ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/8 "2010-09-21T06:58:28Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > Are there fly cocoons, then? What do they look like?And if there are male and females, how could they reproduce asexually? > > Who says they reproduce asexually? Most flies, in particular the ones that bother people, reproduce by mating between males and females. > > Some insects, such as aphids, may reproduce asexually for several generations, but they normally then produce a generation with both males and females and reproduce sexually. **FuzzyOgre** erroneously did. > [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > Correct, and I dont think they actually need to mate. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/9 "2010-09-21T13:37:36Z")
> [@naita](#): > > > [@Colibri](#): > > > > Who says they reproduce asexually? Most flies, in particular the ones that bother people, reproduce by mating between males and females. > > > > Some insects, such as aphids, may reproduce asexually for several generations, but they normally then produce a generation with both males and females and reproduce sexually. > > **FuzzyOgre** erroneously did. > > > [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > > > Correct, and I dont think they actually need to mate. to be fair, technically what Fuzzy said was “I don’t think they actually need to mate”, not “I don’t think they actually need to mate _in order to reproduce_”, so there could be lots of flies in convents or such 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/10 "2010-09-21T13:54:37Z")
> [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > Here in Canada our flies cannot overwinter so they actually colonize yearly from farther south. I’ve never been bitten: no huge population of biting flies here. Excuse me? _Excuse me?!!_ No biting flies in Canada? During the summer we have not only mosquitoes, but blackflies, deerflies, horseflies… some of them don’t just puncture the skin when they bite; they take a chunk of flesh when they leave! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/11 "2010-09-21T14:34:13Z")
The US also has all of those [biting flies](http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbitingflies.htm). And mosquitoes are in the same order as flies, so they count as Dipterous biters, as well. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/12 "2010-09-21T14:45:36Z")
Interesting article. I had no idea there were so many types of biting fly. I don’t recall encountering any except the horse fly. I’ve heard of the Aussie salute. I was doing my version of it the other night at the barbecue. > **[Aussie salute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aussie_salute)** > > The Aussie salute, otherwise known as the Barcoo salute (named after the region around Barcoo River, Queensland), is the gesture commonly deployed all across Australia to deter bush flies (Musca vetustissima) from the human face. > The movement responds to the fly found in Australia, the bush fly. The Musca vetustissima is attracted to such fluids as saliva, tears and sweat, resulting in them often hovering around human faces. With things such as cork hats popularized to help keep off the fly, t... ---
**Author:** ![FuzzyOgre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@FuzzyOgre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuzzyOgre)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/13 "2010-09-21T15:34:47Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > > [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > > > Here in Canada our flies cannot overwinter so they actually colonize yearly from farther south. I’ve never been bitten: no huge population of biting flies here. > > Excuse me? _Excuse me?!!_ No biting flies in Canada? > > During the summer we have not only mosquitoes, but blackflies, deerflies, horseflies… some of them don’t just puncture the skin when they bite; they take a chunk of flesh when they leave! Excuse you. I did not proclaim NO biting flies, just not a huge population of them. No more than the states in any case. What I said is that _I_ have never been bitten(in 38 years). Are they common enough that you need to take preventive measures to avoid them? I’m guessing not. And mosquitoes are neither flies, nor particular to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/14 "2010-09-21T16:40:52Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > > [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > > > Here in Canada our flies cannot overwinter so they actually colonize yearly from farther south. I’ve never been bitten: no huge population of biting flies here. > > Excuse me? _Excuse me?!!_ No biting flies in Canada? I’ll just let [Wade Hemsworth](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjLBXb1kgMo&feature=related)respond. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/15 "2010-09-21T17:31:31Z")
Apropos of not a lot, my “favorite” [North American Biting Fly](http://amazingnature.us/insects/western_horse_fly.html). Those big-ass fuckers can actually draw blood and they _hurt_. I’m normally quite blase about stinging and biting insects, but I’ll actually squeal like a little girl and do a little dance to avoid being nailed by one. They even have the absurdly appropriate scientific name of [_Tabanus **punctifer** _](http://www.flickr.com/photos/margarethebrummermann/3294840699/). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-fly/554478/16 "2010-09-21T18:04:22Z")
> [@FuzzyOgre](#): > > And mosquitoes are neither flies, nor particular to Canada. I beg to differ that mosquitos aren’t flies. They are both of the same order: Diptera. According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly), > [@](#): > > Diptera is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species of **mosquitoes** , gnats, midges and others, although under half of these (about 120,000 species) have been described. It is one of the major insect orders both in terms of ecological and human (medical and economic) importance. The Diptera, **in particular the mosquitoes (Culicidae)**, are of great importance as disease transmitters, acting as vectors for malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever, encephalitis and other infectious diseases. (bolding mine) To say that mosquitoes aren’t flies is akin to saying that human beings aren’t apes.