Are flies dangerous to humans? It’s a good question. Flies are not generally perceived as a pest which can cause harm to people. But the fact is that many species of flies can be dangerous.
What you need to know
Are flies dangerous to humans? Here are the most common flies found in the UK and the dangers they pose.
House flies
While house flies may seem innocuous, they can actually be extremely dangerous. But why are flies dangerous to humans? The reason why is because they are able to spread over 200 known pathogens and dozens of parasites. Just a few of these diseases include things like typhoid, dysentery, and cholera. They also spread diseases such as gastroenteritis and salmonellosis.
House flies can also spread eye and skin infections. These include trachoma and epidemic conjunctivitis. When it comes to your skin they can spread yaws, cutaneous diphtheria, mycoses and even leprosy.
This happens because of their feeding and breeding habits. Flies will feed from rubbish bins where they eat rotting food and decaying flesh. They will even eat from manure piles. When doing this they pick up these pathogens and then transfer them wherever they land. This includes your food!
Another reason why flies spread diseases is because of the way they feed. Flies can only eat food which is in a liquid or semi liquid state. In order to liquefy food they first regurgitate their stomach acid onto it. When this happens their stomach acid (which contains pathogens they have previous consumed) is transferred onto this food.
In addition to this, these pathogens are transferred whenever they defecate. So are flies dangerous to humans? Obviously YES. You should take great pains to eliminate flies from your home or business otherwise you may become seriously ill.
Horse flies
Horse flies are basically a larger version of the common house fly. These flies are about an inch long. Their upper half is white with vertical black flies, while their lower half is completely black. The major difference between these two species is that horse flies can bite you.
When this happens you’ll experience a burning sensation along with some pain. Later on you should feel itchiness, inflammation and swelling in the area which has been bitten. But are flies dangerous to humans? Can these flies cause harm besides their bite? The answer is no. The worst thing they can do is bite you but that’s about it.
The reason why they are known as horse flies is because they only cause harm to horses. These flies carry a disease known as equine infectious anaemia. This is a deadly disease which causes fever, hemorrhaging and nausea in horses. So unless you have hooves you don’t have to worry. If you do get bitten then the best thing to do is clean out the wound. This will help to prevent irritation.
Fruit flies
These are the tiny flies which you may have noticed hanging around your kitchen or bathroom. While they are not known to carry serious diseases, they still transfer bacteria and germs wherever they land. This can eventually make you ill which is why it’s a good idea to get rid of fruit flies whenever you see them.
Cluster flies
Are flies dangerous to humans? While cluster flies may seem dangerous, like horse flies they do not pose a major risk. These flies are not known to carry any diseases and they do not bite. The only problem with these flies is that they are irritating but that’s about it.
