Housefly: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Creepy Crawlies · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Houseflies taste with their feet. Walking over food lets them identify sugars, and they clean their legs to taste afresh.
2. A housefly handles what it sees about seven times faster than we do, so an incoming swatter looks like slow motion.
3. To land on a ceiling, a housefly flies straight at it, then makes a half roll and points all six legs at the surface.
4. A female housefly usually mates just once, then keeps the sperm to use later.
5. Over her life, a female can lay as many as 500 eggs, in batches of roughly 75 to 150.

The quiz

1. Where do houseflies have their organs of taste?

• On their legs (correct)
• On their wings
• On their antennae only
• On their eyes

Houseflies have taste organs on their legs and identify foods by walking over them.

2. How much faster than humans do houseflies process visual information?

• Twice
• About seven times (correct)
• Fifty times
• Ten times

Houseflies handle what they see about seven times faster than humans.

3. How does a housefly position its legs just before landing on a ceiling?

• Folded under its body
• Only the front two forward
• Tucked behind its wings
• All six pointed at the surface (correct)

After a half roll, the fly points all six legs at the ceiling.

4. How many times does a female housefly usually mate?

• Every day
• Once a week
• Only once (correct)
• Before every batch of eggs

She usually mates once and keeps the sperm for later.

5. How many eggs can a female housefly lay in her lifetime?

• Up to 5
• Up to 50
• Up to 500 (correct)
• Up to 50,000

Over her life, a female can lay as many as 500 eggs.

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