One ORDER of 'Diptera', please

Shooo, fly, don't bother me! From the order, diptera (meaning "two-wings"), the fly is a common annoyance to many people. We swat them away without a thought, but what would happen if we took the time to examine these pesky insects a little further?

Under a microscope, you would see a body built for flight with 3 definite segments: head, thorax and halteres.

When a fly lands on a food source, they will typically spit or drool on the food before they ingest it.

Fly larvae are called maggots and they can be very disgusting. You will see maggots on rotting meat or decaying bodies. BUT, you may also see maggots in hospitals used on patients with necrosis (a condition in which skin cells die prematurely). The maggots will feed on the decaying skin tissue and "undo" the necrosis process, essentially.

So, there is more to a fly then meets the eye! However, they are still vastly over populated and (in my opinion) could still stand to be killed!! So swat away, my friends; UNLESS you can catch a fly, keep it alive, and bring it into class. If you do this, we will do some examining of our own.