How long does an ordinary fly live in an apartment: the life expectancy of an annoying two-winged "neighbor"

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At the moment, there are a large number of varieties of flies. One of the most popular is the housefly. Every person who lives in a climate that is more or less acceptable to them knows it. Each variety has its own characteristics, its own life cycle, as well as its lifespan.

Life cycle of flies

The life cycle of flies depends directly on the variety. Many individuals have their own individual characteristics. They live in their favorite places, and also eat the appropriate diet. Of course, it is unlikely to be found in the area. The Arctic Ocean.

If we consider an ordinary housefly, then it can live no more than 45 days. Its life cycle consists of four components.

Eggs
The stage is the first position of all. An individual is born inside the female. She bears the eggs for a small amount of time. In total, a healthy adult can lay about 100 eggs at a time. Over a lifetime, this number can reach 2000 thousand pieces. Depending on the species, females lay eggs individually. The most popular variety sits on the tissue of dead animals or their waste, the eggs come out and begin to feed.
fly larva
In this state, the insect actively feeds on various tissues or glands. It is quite active and gaining its vitality.
Pupa
In this stage, the body is reconstructed. Complete rebuilding of organs and tissues to become an adult. This stage can last for a week, and in some varieties it can be up to 25 days. The rate of development is also highly dependent on climatic conditions. Under ideal conditions, the fly develops much faster.
Adult
Once the reconstruction ends, then there is the pupal stage. The last stage of the life cycle is coming. The individual hatches out and begins its vigorous activity.

In addition, some species of insects may go through a shorter stage of the life cycle. A healthy and adult individual is immediately born in the egg. The considered species of flies do not have such a feature. This is done due to their individual structure of the body.

If not for the great natural selection that each individual goes through, then over the summer, the insect around the world in total weight could reach 80 thousand tons. That's over a trillion. The entire planet could be covered with a small layer of these creatures.

Duration of the main stages of development

The very first stage is the egg. Once every two or three days, a healthy individual is able to lay about 150 pieces. The fly lives no more than a month all its life. During this time, the breeding stage does not exceed 7 times. The minimum possible number is 4 times. For everything, about 2000 thousand eggs can come out. This stage directly depends on the climatic conditions in which the adult female lives. The number of eggs depends on how the predators around and the person react. With a strong impact on them, fertility can be significantly reduced. After the laying has occurred, after a day or even less, headless, not yet formed larvae or maggots are born.
The next position is called the larval stage. After the egg splits, the larva comes out. She almost immediately begins to take food in order to nourish her new body strongly enough. After a day or a little more, the larvae begin to molt for the first time in their lives. Within another week, the larva molts a couple more times. When molting occurs, the larva gradually begins to develop. After about 10 days have passed, there will be a transformation into the next life stage of the development of the life cycle.
The next stage of the life cycle is called the pupa. There is nothing special going on here. The body of the fly begins to rebuild under the adult. The larva is wrapped in a special substance and slowly reborn. Humans, as well as various predators, can pose a danger to them. Often, this life cycle option is not even brought into the stage. It depends on different features. This stage lasts approximately three days. If the natural and all other conditions are close to ideal, then the period can be almost halved.
The next stage of the life cycle is an adult or in another way it is called an imago. In this step, the complete transformation of the pupa into an adult capable individual takes place. The fly is not born very big and will grow over time. After that, all life cycles will be repeated again. As a rule, after a few days, the fly can carry out its first eggs. Gestation takes place inside the abdomen.

Features of wintering flies

Different individuals have a similar wintering. All insects, when the temperature drops below 20 degrees, go into sleep mode. This is done in order to preserve its appearance. At too low a temperature, organisms die out.
In hibernation, they go into deep soil, where the temperature at least slightly reaches the norm. In hibernation, insect species do not reproduce. The only options they have are when the weather conditions are too bad. All insects need to reproduce in order to maintain their species.
Under too low temperature conditions, flies can become active in deep basements, where there is little dampness and a more or less acceptable temperature. They do it all in order to preserve and multiply as much as possible.
House flies can stay for the winter in the underground, cellar. At low temperature conditions, their activity begins to decline sharply. The speed of movement deteriorates, the reaction drops to low levels, reproduction slows down by almost two or even three times. After the temperature range rises, the pests slowly wake up. 

How much does a fly weigh (imago)

Weight directly depends on the type of fly. On average, indoor varieties can reach a length of up to 1 centimeter. This may indicate that the weight of the fly is between 0,12 and 0,17 grams. Of course, you can find even more weight or less. Many factors can affect the height and weight of insects. The average range is 0,6 to 0,8 millimeters. There are also larger individuals that can exceed the standard size by two or three times.

Necrophages are one of the larger species. They feed on animal waste, but mostly any type of meat.

The lifespan of a fly depends on the species

The lifespan of all insects and other living organisms on Earth depends on many factors. They will be discussed below. One reason is the type of insect. Some live much longer, due to their structure and other important features of the body. Below are the most common types of insects.

common fly
The common fly lives no more than a month. This is due to the fact that it has its own specific body structure. All people know her like a housefly. Outwardly, it can be distinguished from other varieties. It has an average size among all its relatives. Approximately this figure is no more than one centimeter. You can confuse her with someone else, but most often this does not happen. In an apartment, such an individual can last even longer. Due to the presence of a wonderful climate, a large supply of food and the absence of predators, the insect is able to live a little longer than it should. The disadvantage for them will be the inability to give offspring. In the limited conditions of the apartment, there will be one fly. If relatives are added to it, then in a warm apartment with their descendants, they will be able to live almost indefinitely.
Meat and carrion
Their main distinguishing feature is that they eat any kind of meat. Sometimes they may prefer already rotten meat. The life span of these individuals can vary from 40 to 70 days. They are most active in the spring, they attack cattle and other animals. Meat species are slightly inferior in size to carrion species. Their lifespan is very short and is about 5 days. These types of flies are among the most dangerous for humans. This is due to the fact that they feed on various rotten animal waste. And these animals during their lifetime could be carriers of dangerous diseases. Carrion or meat flies feed on them, after which they become carriers of the disease that the animal was sick with.
Ktyr
Among all the variety, they are among the largest. Their structure can be very different. Some are filamentous, while others are more rounded. Due to their filamentous form, their sizes can reach 85 millimeters, which is a large figure among their populations.
Sciarides
Sciarids can be easily confused with Drosophila. They are very similar and have the same dimensions. They start up most often in greenhouses, feed on flowers and plants. Their lifespan does not exceed two weeks. Like Drosophila, they are one of the smallest varieties.
Drosophila
In another way, these insects are also called wine flies. They got this nickname for their diet. They prefer to eat horticultural crops, mostly grapes or something similar. Among all their relatives, they are almost the smallest in size. The average figure does not exceed half a centimeter.

What factors affect the lifespan of a fly

The lifespan of all insects and other living organisms on Earth depends on many factors.

Weather

Any living organism depends on the ambient temperature. Some varieties can easily survive the heat, but can not stand the extreme cold, and vice versa. Fly species prefer a warm climate where they can safely breed and lead an active lifestyle. Average temperature conditions should not exceed 45 degrees, and also be at least 10 degrees. When temperatures drop, flies begin to die, and also hibernate.

Predators or humans

An important factor in the population of insects. The fewer predators there are, the more the population will grow. Man is relative. Its presence and supply of nutrients, on the one hand, helps the population to develop, and on the other hand, a person destroys insects.

Enough food

It all depends on the type of flies. For example, the housefly feeds on breadcrumbs and other food debris from humans.

Natural selection

The number of individuals is also one of the factors influencing life expectancy. If there are too many individuals, then there will be a division of food and a shortage. In other words, it is called natural selection. Strong individuals are born, they survive, and if a weak one is born, it dies almost immediately. Some flies die from predators, accidental deaths, and so on. Without natural selection, these insects would cover the entire Earth, just a year after existing in this mode.

weather change

A sharp change in temperature conditions greatly affects the population and life expectancy of flies. With a sharp change in climate, they do not have time to hide in a warm room, which leads to a decrease in life span.

Ideal conditions

Affect the life span of flies in a good way. They can live almost one and a half times longer than they should. Almost any creature under ideal conditions increases its lifespan.

How long does a fly live without food and water

There are an incredibly huge number of different individuals in the world. They have their own individual body structure. It is almost impossible to imagine that the fly was left without food. After all, they take everything that is around them for food. Finding food is not difficult for them.
Their food ranges from human pizza to animal waste and rotten meat. If, however, the fly is deliberately isolated from the outside world, left without the possibility of any food, then it will be able to live in such conditions for no more than a day. This is due to the fact that the energy inside the insects will end one way or another, and there will be nowhere to take it from.
Another thing is when the flies are in a state of hibernation. Here they do not require a large amount of food, the diet is reduced immediately after entering sleep mode. The flies do not move and do not spend a lot of energy on flights and other movements, thanks to this, the reserves inside begin to be saved.

How many flies live in an apartment: the maximum possible life span of an insect

The lifespan of a fly in an apartment is highly dependent on its variety. Some individuals, as already mentioned, can live no more than one week.

If we talk about the well-known housefly, then it will be able to live in an apartment even longer than its due date. It is generally accepted that the maximum lifespan is 28 days.

This is due to the fact that the fly is in ideal conditions for itself. The air temperature is observed, the amount of food is unlimited. The only disadvantage in this situation for them is the inability to reproduce. An insect can live under ideal conditions for no more than 40 days.

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