With the onset of spring, some insects, especially flies, begin to show an unhealthy interest in people and their homes. They annoy with a nasty buzzing above the ear, and in autumn they try to land on the body with enviable regularity. Entomologists have several versions of why flies land on a person and what is the reason for such insistence.
Information about flies
The house fly (lat. Musca domestica) is distributed all over the world, except for the polar regions. The way of life of an insect is closely related to a person and his home. Being neighbors with people, they found a warm shelter and an inexhaustible source of food. Flies are omnivorous. They can feast on rotten meat or fruit on the garbage can, eat leftovers from the human table. Insects lead a daytime lifestyle, and with the onset of dusk they quiet down.
Flies are carriers of various infectious diseases:
- cholera;
- typhoid;
- dysentery;
- diphtheria
They also spread helminth eggs, intestinal and tubercle bacilli.
Version of entomologists
According to entomological scientists, the main reasons why this insect likes to land on a person are warmth and food. Insects spend a lot of energy during flight. The same thing happens during egg laying. In this connection, there is a need for nutrients and protein, which these creatures find on the human body.
Annoying insects are attracted not only by the smell, but also by particles of exfoliated skin, fat or sweat, and salt. The fly carefully examines the human body with its paws (it is on them that the taste buds are located) and, having discovered “deposits” of food, begin to eat. It dissolves with saliva particles of sweat and sebaceous secretions, which contain potassium, calcium, protein and phosphoric acid.
The peculiarities of the structure of the oral apparatus (the insect’s mouth is adapted only for the absorption of liquid or jelly food) greatly facilitates the process of absorbing food with the help of the tongue, which is divided into two separate channels, through each of which food is absorbed.
The second reason for “stickiness”, especially in the morning, is the heat coming from a person. Cold-blooded insects use external heat sources for heating. They do not have memory and after a few seconds after being driven from the nesting place, they return to the body again.
Harmless or predatory
Many have noticed that with the onset of autumn, flies begin to become “wilder” towards humans, and with the onset of the first cold weather, the aggression increases several times. It turns out that not all flies are harmless: there are real vampires among them.
One of these biting flies is the autumn firefly, which is almost no different from its counterparts. The fly only likes to feast on human blood, which serves as its main food.
The proboscis of the lighter is pointed, along its edges there are serrations resembling the teeth of a saw. With the help of these teeth, the fly penetrates the upper layer of the epidermis and injects a poisonous liquid into the wound, which slows down blood clotting and absorbs blood drops.
The bite of a lighter is quite painful. An insect together with saliva can carry a very dangerous infection, namely:
- trypanosomiasis;
- anthrax;
- poliomyelitis;
- typhus.
And this is far from the entire list of diseases with which a fly can “reward” a person.
Solution for the problem
Having understood the reasons why flies stick to a person, you should think about how to avoid this contact. A few simple methods will help in this:
- Windows and doors should be closed with a mosquito net, also protect the home from mosquitoes and other uninvited winged guests.
- On the street or during a picnic, aerosols or special creams designed to destroy gnats and flies will save you from pesky dipterans. All protective means can be purchased at a pharmacy. Their choice is quite large, so you can choose protection based on individual needs. All products are available without a prescription.
- You should not buy products on the open market that do not undergo heat treatment (homemade sausages, dried fish, cheese). This is especially true in the heat.
- Pregnant and small children who are in a crib or stroller should be covered with a net or a light fabric. It is also necessary to ensure that flies do not bite the baby.
- Hygiene should be monitored regularly. Of course, it will not be possible to completely wash off the secretion of fat, but it is possible to reduce the smell.
- Clothes should be clean, without stains and food residues attractive to flies. It is also worth thinking about changing the perfume: perhaps the insects liked the smell of perfume or toilet water.
- You can buy special sticky trap tapes or fumigators. Also, for protection, you should place bunches of tansy on the windowsills.
- You can wipe the kitchen table with vinegar: then not a single insect will sit on it.
- If there is a large concentration of dipterans, you can sprinkle black pepper mixed with sugar in different places of the house.
- Saccharin is a powerful poison for flies. It should be mixed with a small amount of honey, spread on a newspaper and put on the windowsill.
- One of the effective methods is the use of essential oils, for example, clove, lavender, peppermint, lemongrass, eucalyptus.
- In private houses where there are many pets, their waste places should be cleaned more often. Toilets are better sprinkled with bleach. Drainage pits must be tightly closed with lids.
Interesting conjectures and facts
In addition to scientifically proven facts, there are also various assumptions about why flies pester people.
For example, some believe that the human aura attracts pesky insects. The more negative it is, the more flies will attack its owner. Others are sure that two-winged hunters choose only negative personalities as “victims” and ignore positive ones. In fact, this can be explained scientifically: when we are in a negative mood, sweating increases and the smell of sweat is stronger due to the release of hormones from strong emotions, which in turn attracts the attention of insects.
And there is also a myth that flies cannot distinguish between a living organism and an inanimate object. But scientists have proven that this is not the case. Insects are much smarter than people think. For this reason, huge flesh flies (except for the autumn period) ignore people and bother only rotten pieces of meat and animal corpses. Vegetarian flies, for which human skin is a source of sustenance, never confuse it with, for example, a kitchen table.
Positive moments
You can consider the problem with flies from another point of view. For example, there are the following positive points:
- Insects are part of living nature and play an important role in it. Without them, the earth would be bogged down in the remains of other insects, animals and their excrement.
- Diptera are natural barometers: if they buzz loudly and fuss around the room, you should expect a thunderstorm.
Based on this, flies and all other insects should be treated a little more tolerantly. And yet, if there are too many of them in the house, the district should be checked for unregistered garbage.
Pesky insects have lived next to people for centuries. In order for them to bother you less, it is necessary to observe elementary sanitary standards.