House Fly
Musca domestica
This house fly was found along the Hassayampa River near Palo Verde in Maricopa Co., Arizona, USA. Aug 2010.
Muscidae -- House Fly Family
House flies have been trailing human beings since time immemorial seeking garbage, feces and animal waste. Their presence in the Sonoran Desert is largely dependent on human activies especially animal agriculture.
Close association with humans, their animals, and their excrements means that house flies may carry bacteria, fungi and occasionally viruses from person to person or between animals and people. Window screens on homes and businesses and diligent control of the physical environment - garbage and water - can keep these pests largely under control. Natural, biological controls for flies for intense agricultural settings have been achieved successsfully.