LESSER HOUSE FLY

Identification, Facts, & Control

Latin Name

Fannia cancularis

Appearance

1/3in long slender, Hovers and is jerky in flight

The little house fly which is also called the lesser house fly (Fannia canicularis) is the fly that hovers in the air in the shade of a garage, porch, patio, etc., never seeming to land anywhere. It is a pest mainly because of its presence outside. However, when produced in great numbers, it can be a pest in residences, restaurants . and food processing establishments. It is the number one fly produced in chicken manure and can reach untold numbers in the neighborhood of a chicken ranch. It is also produced in pigeon and dog manure as well as, in most decomposing organic material.

The larvae of this fly does not look like the typical maggot of the house fly but rather, it is brownish, flat and boat shaped somewhat like a carpet beetle larva and has "spines" on its dorsal and lateral aspects. Anyone looking for a typical fly maggot would probably not recognize the lesser house fly larva. The biology of this fly is similar to the biology of the common house fly.

Click on a species of flies below to learn further information.

House Flies