How dirty is a fly?
They spend far more of their time in rotting animal and plant waste. Among this waste can be a range of pathogens and parasites. House flies don't bite. Unlike mosquitoes that transmit pathogens of human health importance in their saliva, house flies transmit pathogens on their feet and body.
Introduction. House flies are not the neatest of insects. They visit such places as dumps, sewers, and garbage heaps. They feed on fecal matter, discharges from wounds and sores, sputum, and all sorts of moist decaying matter such as spoiled fish, eggs and meat.
They can carry more than 1 million bacteria on their bodies and can transfer these to contaminate surfaces and food. The common housefly can transmit the pathogens that cause shigellosis, typhoid fever, E. coli, and cholera.
Phorid flies are small in size but can mechanically spread bacteria to food and food-contact surfaces from the outdoors, Krejci said. Frequently found around garbage, drains, damp organic waste, and rotting produce, phorid flies also can bring pathogens into a facility after breeding in dead animals.
"They're actually very clean, most insects," said Dr Maggie Hardy, from the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience. "(They're) very fastidious about their cleanliness, so they are in fact quite, quite pristine when they land on you and bite you."
When it comes to germs, both of these pests carry plenty around. However, flies tend to have twice as many germs as cockroaches, which makes them an even bigger health hazard at dining establishments.
Roaches: How They Get Clean - YouTube
Insects are said to have small brains, which might even be microscopic in nature. The fly brain is very simple in comparison to a human brain (which is capable of executing detailed and intricate thoughts). The brain of this insect is said to contain around 100,000 neurons.
Not all species of flies compost equally. The most effective composters are the blowflies, flesh flies, bush flies and soldier flies. Think of it this way: if we lived in a world without flies, our streets and parks would be full of dead animals, rotting leaves and logs and nasty surprises left by dogs.
House flies, for example, can spread diseases such as food poisoning and dysentery. Flies, including stable flies and mosquitoes (which are also classified as flies, or Diptera), can inflict painful bites while feeding on the blood of humans and other animals, and some species transmit disease.
Will eating a fly make you sick?
Pritt, for the most part, eating a bug isn't cause for worry. In general, your body will digest arthropods, which include arachnids like spiders, mites, and ticks, and insects such as gnats, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, and bedbugs, “just like any other food,” she says.
From poop to plate
Among this waste can be a range of pathogens and parasites. House flies don't bite. Unlike mosquitoes that transmit pathogens of human health importance in their saliva, house flies transmit pathogens on their feet and body.
They Carry Diseases
Cockroaches are known to carry at least 30 different types of bacteria. According to the WHO, these diseases include typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea. Breathing in the air infested by cockroaches is enough to inhale any of the bacteria they carry.
Flies are the most common and dirtiest of the restaurant pests. These small bugs can carry billions of harmful microorganisms, including E. coli and Salmonella, which can lead to serious illnesses in humans.
What happens if I accidentally eat a fly's egg? Nothing will happen to you if you eat a fly egg.
House flies, for example, can spread diseases such as food poisoning and dysentery. Flies, including stable flies and mosquitoes (which are also classified as flies, or Diptera), can inflict painful bites while feeding on the blood of humans and other animals, and some species transmit disease.
Pritt, for the most part, eating a bug isn't cause for worry. In general, your body will digest arthropods, which include arachnids like spiders, mites, and ticks, and insects such as gnats, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, and bedbugs, “just like any other food,” she says.
Roaches: How They Get Clean - YouTube
The house fly is known to carry pathogens that can cause serious and life-threatening diseases in humans and animals. Over 100 pathogens including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites (protozoans and metazoans) have been associated with the insect [8, 9].