The Life Cycle of Flies

Eggs – Female house flies can lay between 75 to 150 eggs per batch and will lay between five or six batches in her lifetime. Eggs take 8 to 20 hours to hatch and reach the larval stage.

Larvae – Once the flies hatch, they are called maggots. The larval stage takes between two weeks to a month or more in cooler conditions. During this time, maggots grow rapidly and shed a layer of skin before each of the three larval stages. At the end of the third stage, the maggots will transform into pupae.

Vector Facts

The Life Cycle of Flies

Pupae – The pupae is formed from the last layer of larval skin. At first it will be yellow and darken to red, brown and then black as the pupae develops. This stage takes between 2 to 20 or more days depending on the temperature.

Adult – Once flies become adults, they typically live between 15 to 25 days depending on the temperature. Adult flies spend the majority of their lives within a mile or two of their habitats.

Fly Facts

Did you know that flies live off a liquid based diet? Flies use a proboscis, a long strawlike appendage to suck up their food after dissolving the food they land on. Flies, like butterflies, also use their feet to taste food. When they land, their taste receptors (chemonsensilla) on their lower legs and feet kick into action.

Vector Facts

What’s a Vector? What does Vector Control Do?

A vector is any mosquito or fly capable of transmitting a pathogen that causes disease in humans or animals.

Vector Control is the process of actively reducing the number of flies and mosquitoes in Clackamas County. Comprehensive vector control can use one or more approaches that target different environments and life stages of vectors.