Flies

( Latin: Order Diptera)

Flies belong to the two-winged superfamily that with more than 80,000 different species includes all flies and mosquitoes. The two-winged family have one pair of wings. Almost all other insects have two pairs. The small, club-shaped bodies behind the wings of flies and mosquitoes are during escape very active. The wings are similar in function to the rear pair of wings of the other insects. This means that they have no elytrons. The flies that play a role in food have soft probosces.

Flies have complete metamorphosis (see Fig. 3.5). The larvae, known as maggots have no legs. Nor is the maggot’s head visible. The head is very small and averted into the body. Pupation occurs in a capsule, a pupa, which is formed by the exoskeleton of the previous larval stage. Some flies are attracted to food, carrion, excrement and other waste, which means there will always be a risk of them contaminating food with undesirable micro-organisms.

Mosquitoes and flies

Mosquitoes and flies make up the insect order, which is called dipterans (Diptera). They have, in contrast to most other insects, only one pair of wings. The second pair of wings is small, knobbed structures modified from the hind wings. These are called halteres and are help the insect balance during flight.

The larvae are legless maggots that live in water or damp places. About 60,000 different kinds of mosquitoes and flies are known.