Fly Life Cycle

The speed at which flies reproduce is not fixed and therefore varies tremendously depending on the suitability of the environmental conditions at that point in time. They are capable of reproducing in 8-12 days during warmer weather. Flies need warmth and moisture with a food source; the laying house gives them all these things conducive to rapid reproduction and population increases.

Managing the environment to make it as hostile as possible to the house fly (Musca domestica) will reduce the risk of large fly populations establishing in the first place. Providing control with biological methods, such as predator wasps, goes a long way to avoiding using excessive amounts of chemicals and becoming frustrated with the number of flies living in and around your site.

Flies are irritating to those working in the layer house and more so they are capable of carrying many diseases transmissible to man and poultry to list a few:

• Salmonella
• Campylobacter
• E coli
• Pasteurella

Complaints from the general public of fly nuisance are becoming more frequent, posing a risk of potential persecution to poultry site owners. As a result of this, recording fly populations and showing a prevention and control programme is in place, certainly shows you are being proactive in keeping fly populations on your site to a minimum.