Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
10 Buzzing Fly Facts
Giant eyes. Incredible rate of reproduction. Talented fliers. What don't flies have? Find out what all the "buzz" is about with our interesting fly facts.
1. A female housefly can lay over 2,000 eggs in just one month. The eggs only take 10 days to develop. The warmer the weather, the faster flies grow.
2. Flies’ eyes have thousands of tiny lenses called ommatidia. These eyes allow flies to see 360 degrees at once.
3. Flies are some of the fastest insects on the planet. The horsefly can fly up to 55 mph. Usain Bolt can only run 28 mph.
4. A housefly’s feet are 10 million times more sensitive to sugar than a human tongue.
5. There is a fly with a golden rear named Scaptia (Plinthina) beyoncae, after Beyonce.
Photo Credit: Bryan Lessard/Scienceimage
6. While dragonflies, caddisflies, and mayflies may seem like flies, their wing structures are different, and they are not considered true flies!
7. When a fly lands on a food source, like your lunch, it vomits. The acids in the vomit dissolve food so the fly’s mouthparts can sponge up the mass.
8. Houseflies transmit at least 65 serious diseases, including fever, dysentery, leprosy, cholera, yaws, stomach ulcers, and typhoid fever.
9. Flies account for an estimated 10–15% of all the known animals on Earth.
10. Without flies, there would be no chocolate. A tiny midge fly is the only known pollinator of the cocoa plant.
For more interesting Fly facts, check out our article here: factretriever.com/fly-facts
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more facts about the world and beyond: youtube.com/@FactRetriever
10 Buzzing Fly Facts
Giant eyes. Incredible rate of reproduction. Talented fliers. What don't flies have? Find out what all the "buzz" is about with our interesting fly facts.
1. A female housefly can lay over 2,000 eggs in just one month. The eggs only take 10 days to develop. The warmer the weather, the faster flies grow.
2. Flies’ eyes have thousands of tiny lenses called ommatidia. These eyes allow flies to see 360 degrees at once.
3. Flies are some of the fastest insects on the planet. The horsefly can fly up to 55 mph. Usain Bolt can only run 28 mph.
4. A housefly’s feet are 10 million times more sensitive to sugar than a human tongue.
5. There is a fly with a golden rear named Scaptia (Plinthina) beyoncae, after Beyonce.
Photo Credit: Bryan Lessard/Scienceimage
6. While dragonflies, caddisflies, and mayflies may seem like flies, their wing structures are different, and they are not considered true flies!
7. When a fly lands on a food source, like your lunch, it vomits. The acids in the vomit dissolve food so the fly’s mouthparts can sponge up the mass.
8. Houseflies transmit at least 65 serious diseases, including fever, dysentery, leprosy, cholera, yaws, stomach ulcers, and typhoid fever.
9. Flies account for an estimated 10–15% of all the known animals on Earth.
10. Without flies, there would be no chocolate. A tiny midge fly is the only known pollinator of the cocoa plant.
For more interesting Fly facts, check out our article here: factretriever.com/fly-facts
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more facts about the world and beyond: youtube.com/@FactRetriever
