Flies are insects with wings and they are often classed as dirty. In fact, the fly keeps itself clean; the reputation as dirty comes from the diseases they carry.
Flies are known to carry in excess of 60 diseases, some of which can make you seriously ill, and others that can actually kill you.
These diseases include typhoid fever, dysentery, tuberculosis, anthrax, cholera, yaws, and tularemia. The fly lands on a surface, such as the food you are preparing. Sensors in its feet tell it that the surface is edible. In response to this, it will spit acid onto the surface, (your food).
After a few moments, the acid will have dissolved part of the food, allowing the fly to suck it back up. They have to suck food as they have no teeth. The problem is that the other surfaces they land on, such as rotting food, and animal waste, can be full of bacteria.
These bacteria are carried on the feet of the fly and in their bloodstream. The bacteria can contaminate your food when the fly lands and when it spits acid. The fact that the fly will also leave its own waste products on your food should be enough to persuade you not to eat food that flies have been on.
But disease is not the only thing that a fly can bring to your food.
Because they have landed on many different surfaces the flies will have all sorts of debris attached to the tiny hairs on their legs. This material, from rotting food, animals and waste products, can be left on your food after the fly moves on. You won’t be able to see the materials but they will be there.
If that’s not bad enough, flies will also lay eggs in the food they land on. Of course, this is not an instant process; they will need to be on your food for a short period of time.
If they do lay eggs, the maggots will appear within a few days and start eating the food. They look horrible, cause you to waste the food, and they could be carrying the same disease as their parent.
Take The Right Precautions
You need to keep flies out of your home for your own safety.
Step one is visiting Vectothor and getting an electronic fly killer. This will help to destroy any that do come in your home.
You should also add fly netting to your doors and windows; especially if you leave them open a lot. Even if you don’t leave them open you need the netting to prevent flies coming in when you enter or leave your home.
It is also important to keep your home clean and free of food debris. A single crumb could feed a fly for a month. As well as making sure surfaces are clean and the floor is vacuumed; you should also make sure that all waste is in a sealed bin. You don’t want to create a temptation for the flies.