What Are Flies Doing When They Rub Their Hands?

PDF download Download Article
Spilling the secret about these common household pests
PDF download Download Article

Have you ever wondered why flies stop to rub their tiny hands together? While this gesture may look villainous, these pesky pests actually have a good reason for it. Want to learn more about flies and their behavior? Keep reading for fun info as well as tips on managing flies around your home.

Things You Should Know

  • Flies rub their hands to clean off their taste receptors. These receptors are all over their bodies, including their legs and wings.
  • Flies spread disease by landing on feces or trash, picking up bacteria, and then flying around with it.
  • To manage flies, throw away garbage outside in a sealed container and keep the inside of your home clean.
Section 1 of 4:

Why Flies Rub Their Limbs Together

PDF download Download Article
  1. We often think of flies as gross, dirty pests, so it may come as a surprise to learn that they’re actually cleaning themselves. Flies have small sensors all over their bodies that carry taste receptors. When flies walk around, these sensors can get clogged with dirt, dust, and food particles. So when a fly rubs its little hands together, it’s getting ready to taste its next delicious meal. [1]
    • These receptors are on the outside of a fly's body to tell whether food is good before they eat it. Imagine holding your hand up to a hamburger and tasting it before you put it in your mouth—that’s exactly what flies are doing!
    • Flies have taste receptors all over their bodies, including on their wings and legs.
    2. Advertisement
Section 2 of 4:

How Flies Carry Disease

PDF download Download Article
  1. If flies are constantly cleaning themselves, you might be wondering how they manage to spread diseases to animals and humans. Unfortunately, a fly’s favorite meal is feces. When they land on their food to eat, they often pick up bacteria that they then spread to other areas when they land again. [2]
    • Depending on the area, flies can carry diseases like cholera, salmonella, tuberculosis, typhoid, and more.
    • That’s why it’s always important to get rid of flies and not eat any food that a fly has landed on.
Section 3 of 4:

Do flies throw up when they land on food?

PDF download Download Article
  1. It’s not necessarily “throwing up” as we might vomit, but it is a type of saliva that helps dissolve the food a fly lands on. Since flies don’t have teeth, they use their mouths to suck up the saliva and bits of dissolved food so they can eat it properly. [3]
    • Most of the time, flies don’t suck up all of their saliva-and-dissolved-food combo, leaving bits of it behind wherever they go.
    2. Advertisement
Section 4 of 4:

Managing Flies

PDF download Download Article
  1. It’s no surprise that flies love eating garbage. If you notice flies in your home, get rid of them by taking out the trash and putting it into a sealed dumpster outside. Wipe down countertops, sweep up floors, and clean out sinks to make sure there are no food scraps left behind. [4]
    • House flies tend to congregate around rotted food, but other flies, like fruit flies, like fresh food. Keep fruit flies away by sealing up food in airtight containers.
  2. Sometimes, flies just wander inside your home by accident. If you love keeping the doors and windows open during the summer, install screens so that bugs and pests can’t get in. [5]
    • Check out other areas of your home that might be letting flies in. Surprisingly, experts note that most flies get in through the attic. [6]
  3. Besides food and trash, flies are also attracted to animal poop outside. If your animal does their business outside your home, pick up their feces and throw it into a sealed trash bag. That way, the flies won’t have any reason to visit. [7]
    • Plus, picking up animal waste is a great way to keep your yard and grass looking great.
  4. If your fly problem just won’t buzz off, use sticky traps or light traps to solve it. Hang these traps up outside your home where flies tend to congregate, like underneath a covered patio. Clean the traps regularly as dead flies accumulate. [8]
    • Many flies hibernate over the winter, so you’ll probably see more flies in and around your home during the warmer months.
    5. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Survive an Encounter with a Crocodile or Alligator
      Sand Flea Bites: Treatment, Prevention, & More
      How to
      Survive a Tiger Attack
      How to
      Survive a Wolf Attack
      How to
      Prevent or Survive a Monkey Attack
      How to
      Kill Leeches
      How to
      Treat Sandfly Bites
      How to
      Stop a Goose Attack
      How to
      Identify a Rabid Animal
      How to
      Survive a Leopard Attack
      How to
      Avoid or Escape a Bull
      How to
      Survive a Shark Attack
      What Does a Deer Tick Look Like?
      How to
      Protect Yourself from Dogs While Walking
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-houseflies-winter-hibernation-1.5834157
      2. ↑ https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/flies/house_fly.htm#damage
      3. ↑ https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/01/04/should-i-throw-away-food-once-a-fly-has-landed-on-it-.html
      4. ↑ https://www.food-safety.com/articles/7159-houseflies-and-food-safety-what-you-need-to-know
      5. ↑ https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/flies/house_fly.htm
      6. ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-houseflies-winter-hibernation-1.5834157
      7. ↑ https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/flies/house_fly.htm
      8. ↑ https://www.food-safety.com/articles/7159-houseflies-and-food-safety-what-you-need-to-know

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 22,994 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Anonymous

        Feb 21

        "I never thought how flys could be so dangerous!"
      Share your story
      If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission .

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement