There are common misconceptions about ‘how long do flies live?’. If you are wondering about this too then this will be a helpful guide for you. Each fly lives for about fifteen days to an extended period of 30 days. The age of each fly varies across species, for example, a house fly can live up to 28 days. Similarly, a fruit fly can live up to 24 days. Some flies can live longer in warm environments and favorable weather conditions. The survival of flies and their average age is also dependent on the availability of food and building nests. Flies will survive longer in a community of other flies.
A single fly may die sooner or quicker due to a lack of support and higher chances of being attacked by a predator. If you are thinking about whether your house flies will live for 24 days as a collective, you may be mistaken. A group of flies will quickly breed, laying hundreds of eggs around the vicinity if you are not doing anything to prevent them from increasing in number. A house is a favorable place for flies because there are a lot of food supplies, especially in areas such as your kitchen.
The eggs hatch at different times and each hatched fly will have a different life cycle as compared to older flies. So even if the initial group of flies dies in a month or so, a new group will replace it and the numbers will continue to grow.
In order to inhibit the fly life cycle, you can do a bunch of things. In addition to learning about this, let’s explore everything you need to know about flies and their life cycle.
Table of Contents
Does any fly live for 24 hours?
It is a common misconception that all flies live for 24 hours. However, that is not true. Some species can live up to 30 days or longer in the right environment. One type of species, however, does live for 24 hours. This is the mayfly. This is an iridescent-colored fly that you will notice near fruits and flowers. This fly will feed on microbes, sugar, and sweet items. You can notice the small eggs of these flies in many places as small blotches of black color. So, yes, it is safe to say that one of the fly types does live for 24 hours.
How long will a fly live in your house?
The environment of your house will determine how long a fly will live there. This means that some flies can live in your house for days and others will only survive a few hours. You will be able to see the flies flying around moist areas or warm places. If you have a humidifier or a wet heater you will notice the flies, there. Moist areas will allow them to find more microbial food and other insects.
This gives them fuel to last longer. Outdoor air is not as humid at times, this means that the inside temperature and environment of your house will elongate the life span of a fly. This in addition to the availability of sweet food, crumbs and other materials from kitchen and bathroom waste will allow these insects to live longer inside a house. With a supportive environment, the fly will last several days in between 20 – 40 days. But, if your house is dry, clean, and fumigated with insect killers then these bugs are likely to last shorter.
A home with antibacterial and cleansing practices will be too clean for a fly to survive for a long period of time. This will make the environment of your home unfavorable for the flies to live longer. Therefore, a fly will live a few hours or a few days at max in a clean house with regular insect treatments and anti-bacterial cleaning habits.
How long does it take for a fly to die in the house?
It does not like long for a lonely house fly to die in the house when on its own. Flies survive longer and die slowly in a group of other flies whether inside a home or outside. This is because they are able to support each other and strengthen their clan over time. If a fly enters your house accidentally with groceries or from any door or window then it is likely to die soon because of the stressful change in its environment and habitat. You will notice it may disappear in a day or two.
But, if your home has an adequate supply of food and the environment is as damp as it needs to be then you may notice that the fly is able to stay longer than a day and will not die. The stay will increase if the fly is female and carrying an egg. It will result in multiplication over time and you may notice an increase when supported by food supply in the number of flies rather than a decrease.
How long do house flies live without food?
Flies need minimum food to survive. If they do not get a food supply, they are likely to slow down their activity. This slows their death and increases their life span by adjusting the intake to the availability of food. They will last less than 3 days at most without any food items. But the chances of flies not getting any food are very less. Because it can eat a variety of readily available items such as food crumbs not visible to the eye, microbes, fungus and even other insects or their remains. So, the right answer to how long house flies live without food is 3 days but the right question would be what kinds of food are visible to the fly.
Average house fly lifespan
The average house fly lifespan is noted to be less than 28 days. A single fly will die sooner, a group of flies will die faster, and insecticides will reduce its life, but the availability of food will extend its life. But chances are if you have a house fly inside your house, you do have enough food supply in the form of other microorganisms and insects that it will feast on. Rarely a fly will die naturally, and you will be left with no flies. Sometimes the house flies can find corners where they hide away, and you are not able to see them. This makes their stay longer as you will not know about their presence and not do anything too crucial either.
Fly stages of life
Each fly species has a similar number of stages of life. These include the formation of an egg, the formation of the egg into larvae, the larvae then hatch into pupae which then turn into a fully grown fly. You will notice this across the different types and sizes of flies. Even though a fly will live from one day to a maximum of 40 days it lays over 500 eggs in its lifetime. Not all the eggs will fertilize and not all of the flies will lay eggs depending on their gender though. Each one of these stages can quickly move to the next stage because of the shortage of flies.
The life expectancy of a fly
The life expectancy of a fly can be between 20-25 days. This means that a fly can live for anywhere between 20 and 25 days. It may be more if the conditions are favorable for the fly to live on.
Excellent nourishment may enhance the life expectancy of the fly. It may be linked to the predators around the flies as well. This includes different larger insects, reptiles, and even other animals. You may notice that flies increase in humid summers and spring seasons. Their life expectancy and living quality is improved in these seasons due to warm and moist temperatures. The temperature allows them to breed easily, stay hydrated and thrive on microbial overgrowths in many cases.
Some flies are also linked to their clan and their ability to find food. These flies tend to live longer. In many cases flies’ day within days, this is due to a lack of adaptation to change habitats, seasons, or environments.
How long does the fly last?
The short answer to how long does a fly last is anywhere in between one day to several weeks. The exact explanation will depend on the species. Some flies are very sensitive to their environment and community members. These will not last long after being misplaced, or accidentally ending up in a changing environment.
Other flies may contact insecticide and thus do not last minutes before dying. Some fly species are by nature not very long-lasting, these insects may die within 24 hours. In other cases, such as that some fruit flies may live for many weeks. House flies tend to live under a month. The lasting period will be directly linked to the availability of food around them.
How long does it take for a fly to die indoors?
A fly may take a week to die indoors. This is because there is a lack of food supplies indoors as compared to habitat rich outdoors. Although indoor temperatures may be warm and humid, which can add to the quality of life flies have indoors, they are much more likely to come in contact with insecticides and thus will die in a week’s time. A direct spray of insecticide may cause them to die instantly though.
Where do flies go at night?
Flies do not go anywhere at night. They hide in their zones when there is a higher chance of an attack by a reptile which is normally in the dark, so they do hide from them. However, flies do not hide from human beings at night. In fact, if your lights are on, they would rather come out and fly around the house even at night.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do kill houseflies with ease?
You need to aim at the fly directly and spray insecticide. Be sure to cover your own mouth. Try to avoid skin contact with the spray. The spray will kill the flies directly and quickly in an instant. Using herbs and flowers can do the trick too, people have tried using tea tree oil and lavender oil to resent the flies indoors.
How do I get rid of flies without waiting for them to die naturally?
Make sure you have fly traps on your doors, and you use antibacterial items in the house to prevent the development of an insect-favoring ecosystem. This will help in eliminating them permanently. You could fumigate the entire house from time to time as well to get rid of this problem. It works for a limited time as long as the scent lasts for them to stay repelled.
Conclusion
An average fly therefore may die within 24 hours or a few days when it’s alone in your house and the cause of death is natural. If you are looking to get rid of them you can speed up the process by cleaning, fumigating, and using natural remedies to remove them from your house. Having an air conditioner will speed up the death of a house fly and make it last less than 2-3 hours depending on the age of the fly and species. The longest it can last is two weeks without an air conditioner in cold weather and if you do not have a heater or heating system in place. If you do have a heater, without a humidifier it will die in 4-5 days because of dry air which curtails its survival by reducing food availability and longevity of the flies.