Do Flies Live in Colonies?

Insects live in colonies of ants. While most insects live solitary lives, termites, ants, and some bees live in colonies. In these colonies, members work together to build nests and find food. They may live as long as three months.

Honeybee colonies contain a queen and drones. The queen is the only female in the colony, and is the only one that can reproduce. She lays the largest number of eggs each year during the mating season. It takes about a week for the drones to reach sexual maturity.

The best way to prevent flies from breeding in your home is to get rid of their food source. This can be achieved by keeping your kitchen and other living areas clean. You can also seal off ventilation openings and cracks around windows. This will prevent breeding and help prevent further infestations.

While laboratory colonies are not exact replicas of field colonies, they offer an important snapshot of genetics and behavioral patterns. This approach is labor intensive and requires specialized facilities. It also sacrifices the ability to observe generational differences. For example, researchers in New Mexico established an on-animal colony of horn flies, but they failed to produce more than 500 eggs. The blood source was not palatable enough for the horn flies to produce eggs.

Despite their widespread presence in our homes, most flies do not reproduce indoors. Instead, they live in outdoor sites and seek shelter in buildings during cool months. However, some species may breed indoors, such as fungus gnats and vinegar/small fruit flies. They also breed in drains, in houseplant soil, and in manure. Their larvae may carry disease-causing bacteria and can even cause food poisoning.