Why do flies land on humans? What attracts them?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

How great it is when the sun shines outside the window, everything around blooms and turns green, and the thermometer rises higher and higher every day. But with warmth comes not only pleasant moments, but also something very annoying and unnerving for almost any person - insects. They fly into houses and cars, sit on the body. Mosquitoes, midges, bees, beetles - there are a lot of representatives of the buzzing and such annoying brotherhood, but there are also especially nasty ones among them. And here everyone at least once, but the question arose of why flies land on a person. Well, it's worth looking into!

What kind of animal is this?

Before looking for an answer to the question of why flies land on a person, you need to figure out what kind of creatures they are. They belong to the order Diptera, which also includes mosquitoes. Speaking of flies, many people imagine almost the same insect that constantly buzzes in a room or swarms over a garbage dump.

In fact, representatives of thisspecies are very diverse, live in different parts of the world, are both very dangerous to humans and completely harmless. The diet of an ordinary housefly is quite wide: fat, sweat, blood and other secretions of living beings, nectars and vegetable juices, the remains of other insects or human food. They eat with the help of an unusually shaped tongue - in the form of a proboscis, through which the fly sucks its prey.

Temporal features

Surely many have noticed that the harassment of these insects at different times of the day has different intensity. So why do flies land on people in the morning more often than, for example, in the evening? Firstly, throughout the night a person sweats and, accordingly, after sleep, a sufficiently large amount of secretions accumulate on his body, which smell so appetizing to insects. Secondly, in the dark, the flies are inactive and, like their “victims”, rest. Naturally, in the morning insects begin their vigorous activity for the purpose of food. So the answer to the question: “Why do flies stick to a person in the morning?” - trivially simple. Just like people, they just want a hearty breakfast!

Special fragrance

Sometimes the answer to the question: "Why do flies land on a person?" - lies not at all in the smell of the body, but rather the opposite. The fact is that some fragrances applied by people to the body in the form of perfumes, toilet waters or deodorants turn out to be incredibly attractive to insects.

Of course, this happens extremely rarely with products of well-known brands, sinceeminent manufacturers take care to prevent such a problem. But with perfumes of unknown brands, produced no one knows where, how and by whom, this can easily happen.

Is it dangerous?

In addition to the question of why flies land on a person, many also care about how dangerous it is. By themselves, insects that fly into rooms or annoyingly buzz in the courtyard of the house are most often not dangerous. Much more trouble for human he alth can bring the bacteria that these same flies carry.

The fact is that these Diptera are not particularly picky about the objects they land on. Therefore, a situation is absolutely real when a fly, having previously sat on a stale or unprocessed product (meat, fish) or, even worse, on the remains or waste products of some creature, can easily sit on a person. If there is a wound or scratch on the body, and the insect walks along it with its paws, infection is likely.

Another danger may be fly larvae. Having found a suitable environment, Diptera parents will gladly settle their offspring there. If these larvae enter the human body, the consequences can be very sad.

How to solve the problem

So, having figured out why flies often land on a person, it's worth thinking about how to deal with it all. Here are some simple rules to help:

• So that flies do not settle in the house and do notannoyed all households, it is worth closing windows and doors with special mosquito nets, which will also protect your home from mosquitoes and other unpleasant creatures.
• In nature or just outdoors, sprays, aerosols or creams designed to protect against insects will work well. They can be purchased at pharmacies and supermarkets. The variety of these funds is quite large, and you can choose according to individual characteristics and needs.
• Products that do not undergo heat treatment, it is better not to buy "from hand" on the street, especially in the hot season. Especially flies love dried fish and meat, sausages and sweets.
• It is better to cover babies in a stroller or a cradle for a walk with a light cloth or mesh and make sure that insects do not sit on their delicate skin.
• Maintain body hygiene, wash regularly with soap and shampoo. Of course, it will not work to completely wash off all the fat and sweat, and this cannot be done, but it is quite possible to reduce their aroma. And be sure to wear clean clothes, free of stains and food residue, because they also smell very attractive to flies.
• If insects are especially annoying, then you should try to change your perfume. Perhaps the problem is in her smell!

Incredible theories

In addition to scientifically based facts why flies always land on humans, there are various assumptions that have nothing to do with science. For example, some argue that the attractiveness to insects determines the auraperson. The worse it is, the more flies will annoy its owner.

Other people are just sure that good people are not "hunted" by Diptera and that they instinctively only pick on bad people.

There are an incredible number of such theories and reasoning, but this has not been proven by science. Therefore, you should not believe other people's speculations and various "omens" and bypass the tenth road of a person who is constantly being landed on by flies. Maybe he just smells too good.

Approaching the Buddha

Now it has become clear to many why flies love to land. People shouldn't be too concerned about this. Now we can look at this problem from an optimistic point of view and try to find at least something positive. First, insects are part of our wildlife and play a very important role in it. Without them, the planet would simply be mired in the corpses of other insects and animals, as well as in their waste products. Therefore, it is worth showing a little respect for these creatures for their hard and noble work.

And secondly, annoying buzzing and pestering can be used to your advantage. Trying to come to terms with inconvenience or overcome his irritation, a person learns to manage his emotions, control his feelings, be calmer and more peaceful, or, as representatives of some religions say, he approaches the Buddha.