# Why are flies attracted to people?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 11, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830 "2020-08-11T19:16:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2020, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/1 "2020-08-11T19:16:38Z")
What’s the deal with these flies who keeping coming back at people, who need to shoo them away again and again? What are the flies after?
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### Author:  [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/2 "2020-08-11T19:21:02Z")
I guess it would depend upon the specific species of fly to work out what they are after, some might want blood, sweat salt, some are attracted by the colour of your clothes others just group around and hover above your head so maybe the rising heat from your body provides some lift.
If you attract some flies then others might want to congregate to check each other out
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### Author:  [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/3 "2020-08-11T19:23:08Z")
People are warm, they smell, they move around, put off gases and they’re everywhere.
Why wouldn’t they be attracted to people?
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/4 "2020-08-11T19:59:40Z")
[Why do flies sit on humans?](https://www.thestatesman.com/supplements/8thday/flies-sit-humans-1502661301.html#:~:text=o%20They%20are%20attracted%20to,an%20important%20food%20for%20flies.)
- They are attracted to carbon dioxide which human beings breathe out.
- They are attracted to the heat of the warm body, to sweat and salt, and the more the person sweats the more flies they attract.
- Flies feed on dead cells and open wounds.
- Oil is an important food for flies. Oily hair is an attractant.
- Less hairy skin gives the fly spaces to vomit. A fly vomits on solid food to liquefy it. The house flies taste with their feet so if there is food on the skin, and space to liquefy it, they will land there.
- Some of the body odours are more attractive to flies than others. This is apart from the quantity of carbon dioxide that is emitted.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [August 11, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/5 "2020-08-11T23:01:14Z")
And a healthy dose of confirmation bias.
You don’t notice them what they’re being obnoxious to a banana or walking around on your dresser for 10 minutes.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2020, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/6 "2020-08-12T12:09:43Z")
Stench is important, which is why flies are attracted to and pollinate the Amorphophallus flowers\* in my garden.
\*they have an aroma of rotting meat.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/7 "2020-08-12T13:56:16Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> flies are attracted to and pollinate the Amorphophallus flowers\* in my garden.
Where are you that you can grow them outside?
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### Author:  [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/8 "2020-08-12T16:09:19Z")
I do not know if this applies to flies in general, but in Australia I was told the flies there are looking for moisture. So they’ll try to go in your eyes, mouth, and nose in search of moisture. If you’ve ever been to the Australia Outback, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
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### Author:  [@ThisIsTheEnd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisIsTheEnd)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2020, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/9 "2020-08-12T22:08:17Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#):
>
> What are the flies after?
Attention.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/10 "2020-08-13T12:56:43Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> > [@Jackmannii](#):
> >
> > flies are attracted to and pollinate the Amorphophallus flowers\* in my garden.
>
> Where are you that you can grow them outside?
I’ve been growing A. konjac in central Ohio up against a south-facing house wall. Moved a few to the new place in Kentucky (zone 6b). Fun plants.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/11 "2020-08-13T14:13:14Z")
Also, it’s a bit like folks lining up for days for the latest iPhone. If you die, they want to be first in line.
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### Author:  [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/12 "2020-08-13T14:23:31Z")
Houseflies are in the livestock world called face flies or filth flies. They breed in shit, carrion, or open wounds, and feed off the body excretions of animals. If you watch quadrupeds, without any form of relief in summer, their eyes and mouths are covered with flies. They don’t bite, although there are plenty of other flies that do.
If you want to experience first hand what flies want, just tie your hands behind your back and sit down in a place without a breeze.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/13 "2020-08-13T15:04:02Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> I’ve been growing A. konjac in central Ohio up against a south-facing house wall. Moved a few to the new place in Kentucky (zone 6b). Fun plants.
. Thanks
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### Author:  [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)
#### Post date: [August 13, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/14 "2020-08-13T15:18:59Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#):
>
> If you want to experience first hand what flies want, just tie your hands behind your back and sit down in a place without a breeze.
Um … Nah, that’s okay, I believe you. LOL
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2020, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/15 "2020-10-08T18:04:10Z")
Bumped because a fly seems to have been attracted to VP Pence at the debate last night. Which aspect of Mr Pence’s person was that fly attracted to?
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### Author:  [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2020, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/16 "2020-10-08T18:20:08Z")
I suspect he uses sugar water to get that concrete hair style.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2020, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/17 "2020-10-08T18:38:07Z")
> [@snowthx](#):
>
> Bumped because a fly seems to have been attracted to VP Pence at the debate last night. Which aspect of Mr Pence’s person was that fly attracted to?
> [@EinsteinsHund](#):
>
> I suspect he uses sugar water to get that concrete hair style.
**Moderator Note**
Since we have no way of answering this factually, and there are plenty of other threads to speculate on this, I’m going to rule this out of GQ territory.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-flies-attracted-to-people/917830/18 "2020-10-08T19:37:10Z")
Oops. You are right. I should not have gone there, here. Apologies.