Lesser House Flies

As its name implies, the lesser house fly, also called the little house fly, is noticeably smaller than the standard housefly (Musca domestica). It is approximately 5 to 6 mm in length and yellowish in coloration. The lesser house fly’s thorax hosts three black stripes.

Females are attracted to decaying fecal matter as egg-laying sites and can be a particular nuisance in chicken houses and other livestock grounds. Their eggs are white and thin, measuring 2 mm in length. Maggots develop fully within five to seven days and enter the pupal stage. , During the larval stage, they feed ravenously on the material on which the eggs were laid. Lesser house flies require a period of nine to 14 days.

Lesser houseflies move slightly faster than other species and fly in jerky, darting patterns. Lesser house fly eggs are capable of floating and can be found resting on standing water. Like common houseflies, lesser houseflies are known carriers of pathogens resulting in human ailments, including typhoid, cholera, dysentery and anthrax. They pick up pathogens from fecal matter and other decaying material, and then transfer it to humans by landing on exposed food and other surfaces.