How long does a fly live

Fly Life Cycle Females can deposit more than a hundred eggs at a time, usually in soil or food sources such as fermenting fruits or other decaying matter. How Long Do Flies Live? Problems with Flies The rapid growth in a fly lifespan means there can be multiple generations living in your kitchen or buzzing around dumpsters. Get rid of bugs fast. Select a pest service Search for:. Manage subscription.

Subscribe to the Monitor. Monitor Daily current issue. Monitor Weekly digital edition. Community Connect. People Making a Difference. Points of Progress. A Christian Science Perspective. Monitor Movie Guide. Monitor Daily. Photo Galleries. About Us. Get stories that empower and uplift daily. See our other FREE newsletters. During this part of the fly life cycle, larvae are also referred to as maggots. Maggots grow rapidly and must molt, or shed a layer of skin, before each larval stage.

Each stage takes anywhere from three days in temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit to eight weeks in cooler climates. The larval stage is followed by the pupal stage. It is during this stage that the white, characterless maggot begins to take the form of an adult fly.

The pupal stage lasts four to six days in warm temperatures. How long does a fly live? Flies are usually nowhere to be found in the colder months, or so most people think. Flies are believed to have a sub-tropical ancestry, which can explain their inability to survive the colder months outside, as they do in summer.

Some migrate and others diapause, which is a state similar to bear hibernation in nature. Most flies, along with many insects, migrate to a warmer climate. They are used to flying very long distances when the seasons change in the search for suitable habitat.

Depending on the type of fly, they can overwinter in different stages of their development:. Once the weather starts warming up, they complete their development and can come out of the water as adult flies.

In Diapause , the growth and overall development slow down to an almost complete halt. Flies do not feed and usually find a quiet, out of the way place to spend the winter before the temperatures rise and they can become active again. Depending on the type of fly you are dealing with, the lifespan can last from several weeks to a full year.

Instead of waiting for the colder months to come to see a reduction in their ranks, it may be best to call a professional.