How many frames per second does a fly see, how many eyes does it have?

The body of a housefly or common fly is dark gray in color. Its length is approximately one centimeter. The abdomen of this insect is yellowish. She has two pairs of gray wings and a head with huge eyes. She is one of the oldest inhabitants of the Earth. Archaeologists have discovered a fossilized fly that lived on our planet 145 million years ago.

Using a microscope, you can see that the fly has two huge eyes on the sides of its head. They resemble a mosaic of hexagonal structural units. They are called facets or ommatidia. They resemble a honeycomb. "Facette" means "edges". Because of this similarity, the eyes of some insects are called compound eyes. The eyes of bees, butterflies, dragonflies and flies have a faceted structure.

The eyes of flies have a complex structure. It consists of four thousand facets that capture tiny parts of the visible image. Forming a complete picture in this insect is reminiscent of the process of putting together a puzzle. The unique structure of her brain makes it possible to process more than a hundred frames per second.

Number of eyes in a fly

Focusing on our own perception of the world around us, most of us, when answering the question: how many eyes does an ordinary fly have, will say without hesitation: two. But in fact, these dipterous insects have more visual organs than people, animals and birds.

When examining an insect with the naked eye, a person can only see 2 large oval eyes on the sides of the fly's head. Meanwhile, she has 3 more small, barely noticeable organs of vision located in the frontal part.

The large eyes are called the main eyes; they have a complex structure that provides the insect with a panoramic vision of the world. Small eyes are auxiliary, and with them the fly not only sees, but rather “focuses” for a better look at the fragments.

The sex of the insect can be determined by the distance between the main eyes. In females they are more spaced apart than in males. Because of this, in males the frontal part is almost invisible.

Room dweller

The housefly or housefly belongs to the family of true flies.
And even though the topic of our review concerns all species without exception, for convenience we will allow ourselves to consider the entire family using the example of this very familiar species of domestic parasites. The common house fly is a very unremarkable insect in appearance. It has a grey-black body coloration, with some hints of yellow on the lower abdomen. The length of an adult individual rarely exceeds 1 cm. The insect has two pairs of wings and compound eyes.

Features of the structure of the eye

The main visual organs of insects consist of many honeycomb-shaped facet cells called ommatidia. The number of these hexagons in the eye of a fly is 4,000. The cells have the shape of a cone, with the narrow end extending into the visual organ.

To understand the structure of the fly eye, it is enough to consider the structure of one ommatidium, which is a complex of 3 functional apparatuses:

1. Diopter contains:

• a convex clear lens called the lens (cornea);
• corneal cells that produce a special substance for the cornea;
• a crystalline cone that acts as a collecting lens.

Structural features

1. The receptor consists of:

• a bundle of retinal cells located under the cone;
• optic rod passing through the center of the retinal fascicle;
• optic nerves - information carriers.

1. The pigment isolation apparatus is presented:

• the main cells that produce pigment;
• side cells;
• retinal.

The first complex in the ommatidium structure refracts and directs light. The receptor site takes in visual information and transmits it to the “processing center.” The third complex gives the fly's eyes a certain color, which can be uneven or uniform. The same apparatus isolates each ommatidia from each other.

Scientific discoveries and technical discoveries

While studying the body structure of flies, scientists became interested in some of their interesting features, which they were able to use in the design of technical devices:

• The unique structure of the fly's eyes, consisting of thousands of 6-sided miniature lenses, in which the image is obtained by summing it in several projections, contributed to the creation of a new camera that can immediately take 1300 pictures of an object (its lens consists of 1327 minilenses), this invention is used in modern computers that perform high-precision calculations;
• the structure of fly eyes is also used to create lattice solar panels that can generate large amounts of electricity;
• aviation engineers, based on the structure of fly wings and halteres, which allow them to become “masters of aerobatics” among all flying insects and birds, were able to create instruments for controlling flights in aircraft, as well as measuring the speed of rockets and airliners;
• By studying the hearing capabilities of flies and the structure of their eardrums, biologists came to the conclusion that the insect is able to determine the source of sound with high accuracy - this will help in improving and developing new designs for hearing aids and microphones;
• research by geneticists of one of the species of vinegar flies helped decipher its gene code and establish a greater degree of identity with the human one, which is planned to be used in the creation of drugs for kidney diseases and leukemia;
• Scientists' plans for the future are to use the physiological characteristics of flies to detect drugs and explosives.

Thus, the participation of mosquitoes and flies in the natural ecosystem brings more benefit than harm. And those who are afraid of being harmed by them can be advised to strictly observe the rules of hygiene in residential premises: regularly clean, throw out garbage on time, destroy incoming pests using available modern methods. This will help reduce the likelihood of harm from any flying insects.

Features of visual perception

Thanks to such a complex structure of the eyes, the fly perceives the world around it differently than humans. If bipolar vision allows a person to see the whole picture at once, in insects perception occurs differently.

The principle of the facet structure is that each ommatidia is an independent “video camera”, the angle of which includes a small viewing area. The information read by the lens is transmitted by nerve cells to the insect’s brain, where individual puzzles are put together into an overall picture.

To understand how a fly sees, it is enough to recall a child’s mosaic, consisting of individual hexagonal fragments.

The convex design of the eye allows the insect to carry out a panoramic view of space at 3600 (1800 for each eye). In this case, the fly does not perceive large objects that are at rest. Her vision only reacts to movement.

Three auxiliary eyes allow the fly to view objects in close proximity. They also react to changes in light brightness.

Even in the color palette, the world through the eyes of a fly does not look the way a person perceives it. For insects, all colors are richer and brighter. This is due to the peculiarities of refraction of rays passing through the lenses of the eyes. Flies are even able to see different shades of ultraviolet light, which is inaccessible to humans.

Difficult to slam

View of the world

We have already said that flies are color blind, and they either do not distinguish all colors, or they see objects familiar to us in other color tones. This species is also able to distinguish ultraviolet light.

It should also be said that, despite the uniqueness of their vision, these pests practically cannot see in the dark. At night, the fly sleeps because its eyes do not allow this insect to hunt in the dark.

And these pests also tend to perceive well only smaller and moving objects. An insect cannot distinguish objects as large as a person, for example. For a fly, it is nothing more than another part of the interior of the environment.

But the approach of a hand to an insect is perfectly detected by its eyes and promptly gives the necessary signal to the brain. Just like seeing any other rapidly approaching danger, it will not be difficult for these sneakers, thanks to the complex and reliable tracking system that nature has provided them with.

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Flicker frequency

speed of processing information read by the visual apparatus of a fly occurs much faster than the human brain can cope with it. Thanks to facet vision, insects are able to follow rapidly moving objects.

To understand how many frames per second a fly sees, you can compare the following information:

• a person watching a film will perceive a fused image if the film moves at 16 frames per second (the generally accepted standard is 24 frames per second);
• the fly's brain will form a clear picture at a flickering frequency of about 250-300 frames per second.

Hence the instantaneous reaction of an insect to a wave of a person’s hand.

How to protect yourself from gadfly larvae?

To avoid infection with gadfly larvae, you must follow simple rules:

• When traveling to southern countries where insects dangerous to humans live, you must take special insecticidal agents that repel flies (sprays, ointments, creams).
• Protective clothing and mosquito nets will help avoid contact with flies.
• Avoid contact with insects in nature and in other places where gadflies gather, for example, on a farm or in a village.

The larva of a gadfly can cause quite a few health problems if you do not consult a doctor promptly.

It is important to know that at the first symptoms, an examination and consultation with a doctor is necessary. Independent actions in this case are unacceptable. Human skin gadfly (Dermatobia hominis)

Human skin gadfly (Dermatobia hominis)

Gadfly happens:

Horse Gadfly

(Gasterophilus intestinalis) belongs to the most common species; its length is 13-16 mm. The color is yellow-brown, the chest is covered with protruding yellow or brownish hairs, the hairs on the abdomen are straw-yellow with an admixture of black. The wings are covered with small dark spots, and on the radial R1 vein, where the remaining R veins branch off, there is a bright black dot. Females have a long ovipositor that bends under the abdomen, and males have trochanters of the hind legs with a process.

Gasterophilus intestinalis (larva)

(photo from www.diptera.info)

Ready to pupate, they come out along with the droppings and complete their metamorphosis on the ground. Sometimes the first stage larvae penetrate under the skin of a person and, moving in it, cause a “creeping disease” (poricozha). But they cannot fully develop on humans and soon die. Their growth rate depends on the ambient temperature and the condition of the animal itself. Worldwide distribution. Found anywhere there are horses or donkeys.

Life cycle

Gadflies lay eggs in the host's body or sometimes spread them in another way, for example, with an ordinary housefly.

The eggs are laid directly into the animal's skin, where the larvae hatch from the eggs: the animal's high body temperature causes the eggs to mature after contact with the body. Some species of botflies also live in the digestive tract, as skin irritation caused by the larva causes the animal to lick the area, whereby the larva enters the mouth and is swallowed.

Myiases can be caused by the penetration of a larva into the skin (or folds of skin) on a host animal.

Mature larvae fall out of the host and complete the stage of transformation into a pupa already on the ground.

Gadflies are a constant source of difficulty in equestrian sports for people caring for horses, as botflies lay eggs on the inside of horses' legs, on the tibia, on the knees, and sometimes on the throat or nose, depending on the type of botfly. These eggs, like small, yellow blobs, should be removed promptly during the insect breeding season (late summer and early fall) to avoid infecting the horse. When a horse rubs its nose against its legs, the eggs fall into the mouth, and from there into the intestines, where the larva grows and moves into the skin. When the larvae are ripe, the horse develops a tumor the size of a thumbnail; the tumor is not painful, but if it appears in the place where the saddle or bridle is put on, the horse will be unable to work until the wound caused by the appearance of young gadflies heals. In addition, the larva moving to the surface of the skin can cause sores in the mouth, abdominal ulcers and blockage of the intestinal (anal) opening, leading to colic.

Removing eggs

(which cling to the owner's hair) is complicated by the fact that the bone and tendons are located directly under the skin on the tibia: the eggs must be removed with a sharp knife (or blade) or rough sandpaper.
In addition, eggs must be detected in a timely manner before they are ripe. During their maturation, there is a possibility of human infection. Prevention
against larvae can be carried out by spraying with several types of preparations, including dichlorvos, ivermectin and chlorophos.

Scientific classification Kingdom

: Animals
Type
: Arthropods
Class
: Insects
Order
: Diptera
Suborder
: Short-whiskered
Infraorder
: Muscomorpha
Superfamily
: Gadflies
Family
: Gadfly (Gasterophilidae)

Many Russians have encountered these large flies that live in damp rural areas, but few people know that horseflies and gadflies can be deadly to humans.

Modern scientific developments

Recently, compound eyes have been a subject of study and delight for scientists. After all, such organs of vision, due to their original structure, provide the basis for scientific inventions and research in the world of modern optics. The main advantages are a wide overview of the space, the development of artificial facets, used mainly in miniature, compact, secret surveillance systems.

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Harm to animals

The danger of moose fly for animals

Hunters counted up to 300 individuals on the body of one deer. The pest is able to stick tightly to the fur and cannot be torn off even with teeth.

• The bite of an elk fly causes pain, discomfort, and after a while inflammation of the affected area, swelling, and itching.
• Animals react painfully to the attack of parasites, sleep poorly, and lose strength.
• In domestic cows, the amount of milk decreases, and beef breeds of cattle lose weight.
• The tick-like fly is especially dangerous for young animals. If the infection is severe, calves become ill, are delayed in development, and even die.
• The wool comes in clumps and takes on a sloppy appearance. The wounds often become infected and begin to fester.
• During the day, the female feeds about 20 times and drinks about 1.5 ml of blood in one procedure. With severe infection, young animals die from anemia, adults become weak and sickly.

clothes moth

Moths are ubiquitous throughout the world. Damaged clothing made of wool or silk is a distinctive feature of the caterpillars of this inconspicuous moth. At sunset or at night, when you turn on the light, you can sometimes see a small butterfly fluttering around the apartment. These are, as a rule, males who do not pose any particular danger and do not have chewed mouthparts. Females lay eggs in the folds of clothing made from natural materials. This requires three conditions: absence of drafts, humidity and comfortable temperature. Therefore, closets with winter clothes, which are rarely opened in summer, are an ideal place for moths to develop. As a preventative measure, regular ventilation and drying of linen and cabinets can be recommended. Odor control agents work well:

• citrus zest;
• dried lavender.

In case of severe damage, it is already worth using potent insecticides. Some products, such as Dr. Claus' Moth Spray, have a combination effect. It can be used both for the destruction of moths and larvae, and for repelling with a long period of action.

Objects at 900, 1200 and 2000x magnification?

Lily pollen. Magnification 900 times

Microscopic diatoms. Magnification 900 times

Phytoplankton. Magnification 900 times

Cultivated spore-forming bacteria. Purchased 1200 times.

Examples of microscopes with magnifications of 900, 1200 and 2000 times

• LED microscope Micromed R-1
• Microscope Micromed R-1
• Biological microscope Micromed S-11 (version 1B LED)
• MICROSCOPE LEVENHUK 720B, BINOCLAR
• LEVENHUK 850B MICROSCOPE, BINOCULAR
• Binocular microscope Micromed 1 var. 2-20

Location

The most common habitat for midges is, of course, flower pots. But the list doesn't end there, especially when it comes to fruit flies that can feed on garbage.

Finding an outbreak of fruit flies is not easy, but it must be done, otherwise the fight against them will drag on for a long time.

Kitchen - favorite room

If there are midges in the apartment, first of all you should “sin” in the kitchen. It is here that a warm and humid atmosphere is often maintained, which small insects, flies, and flies love so much.

Of course, if there is a whitefly or sciaris, then it’s worth looking into the potted flowers. But if we are talking about Drosophila, then in order to detect the parasite, you will have to carry out a general cleaning.

The main “dangerous places” where you should look for annoying pests:

• window sill – housewives often place ready-made dishes on the windowsill to cool or wash fruits, since there is no more space. Fruit flies will also happily fly after such delicacies. And, of course, the windowsill is a place where flowers often stand, which means all kinds of midges can settle here;
• sink – if you don’t wash the sink thoroughly, over time a greasy coating will form, which even fruit flies will be happy about, because, in their opinion, it’s still a delicacy. Another reason why they may appear in the sink is a clogged filter or siphon. Pieces of food fall down the drain, but do not pass by the drain and begin to rot. This is where the aroma appears that attracts midges. And the most banal reason is that they came from neighbors;
• bulk products - due to improper storage of bulk products, such as cereals, flies, nuts, tea, midges can grow there. And we are not talking about home storage, but specifically in production or in a store - standards have been violated somewhere;
• Fruits and vegetables are an obvious place to look for unexpected guests. Midges return home with purchased food or fly to their rotten smell.

Yes, there are many places in the kitchen where flies can live. But if you keep it clean, it is almost impossible to meet annoying guests.

Bathroom - dampness is a joy

Another place in the apartment where a warm and humid atmosphere is maintained is the bathroom. Flies, of course, prefer to cook, but if there is nothing to profit from there, then you can fly through the water supply to your neighbors and eat with them.

If midges appear in the bathroom, this does not mean that the housewife is sloppy. Yes, midges are attracted to unsanitary conditions, but there are many other reasons why they love the bathroom:

• puddles formed on the floor due to leaking pipes;
• humidity;
• sewage pollution;
• expired body care products.
• poorly cleaned toilet:

And if there is a window in the bathroom, near which there is a flowering tree or a trash can, then there will definitely be no end to midges in such a room.
It is better not to put flowers in pots in the bathroom, as the ever-wet soil can mold and serve as a luxurious home for midges. Source – https://sadovnic.su/babochki-i-mushki/muha-pod-mikroskopom.html

Objects under study at 640-800x magnification?

Cotton stalk. Magnification 640 times.

Salt crystals. Magnification 640 times.

Thrush rhizome - cross section. Magnification 640 times.

White mold or slimy fungus causes decomposition of structures and food products.

Mukor mold. Magnification 640 times.

Yeast cells. Magnification 800 times.

Examples of microscopes with 640-800x magnification

• Levenhuk Rainbow 2L PLUS Microscope
• Microscope Micromed S-12
• Micromed Atom 40x-800x microscope in case
• School microscope Micromed Eureka 40x-1280x with video eyepiece in a case
• School microscope Micromed Eureka 40x-1280x in case
• Microscope Micromed S-13

The most common types of midges

Some species of midges feed on plant sap. It is enough that they provide themselves and their offspring with the necessary nutrients. But under unfavorable conditions they can attack mammals. This helps them replenish the lack of substances necessary for a normal life cycle. The most dangerous species are those that feed exclusively on blood. For their reproduction and normal life, it is necessary to constantly attack people and animals. In addition, all species are carriers of dangerous diseases: plague, leprosy, anthrax and others.

Several types of midges are common in Russia:

Midges are quite dangerous. To protect yourself from them, you must avoid daily walks near bodies of water, the banks of which have a lot of vegetation. It is also recommended to wear clothing in areas that cover most of the body.

Habitat

The mosquito most often lives in places with high humidity. Typically, pests accumulate in last year's leaves and near water bodies. At the height of summer, the insect appears in the area where fruit trees and shrubs grow. Pests are attracted to the smell of spoiled food, so mosquitoes can often be seen near garbage cans and in places where rotten vegetables accumulate.

Depending on the type of insect, the habitat may vary.

The following types of midges are distinguished:

fruit fly - appears in rooms where there is no food or garbage has accumulated;

closet – the parasite appears in dirty clothes or wet things. Most often, this pest appears near laundry tubs or in the toilet;

flower: parasites accumulate in the soil. They occur due to improper watering;

water - manifests itself outdoors near bodies of water, indoors in places where moisture accumulates.

Externally, insects have similar characteristics and can attack humans. When a mosquito bites, it releases venom into the skin, causing swelling and redness.

Insect eggs tolerate low temperatures well. They settle on fruits and, given optimal conditions, a new generation of midges appears in a short time.

Project “Lifestyle of a Fruit Fly”

Experiment on phototaxis, geotaxis and chemotaxis in Drosophila.
The fruit fly is often the subject of study in ethology, the science that studies the innate behavior of all living organisms. The same type of behavior of one type of organism, which is their reaction to an external stimulus, is called taxis. In this experiment, you will explore phototaxis, geotaxis, and chemotaxis in fruit flies.

What we need:

• 4 tall empty plastic bottles;
• scissors;
• transparent tape;
• fruit flies (wild type fruit flies);
• fridge;
• clean table;
• black thick paper;
• funnel;
• cotton wool;
• sugar;
• salt;
• baking soda;
• fresh fruits (unripe and overripe);
• vinegar;
• water;
• other products for research.

Progress of the experiment:

1. Before you start the experiment, you need to let the fruit flies slow down a little. To do this, place them in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes;
2. Between experiments, give the fruit flies a few minutes to rest;
3. Now we need to connect two bottles: Using scissors, cut off the bottom of all plastic bottles;
4. Place one bottle into the empty bottom of another bottle; Secure them with tape;
5. Seal the necks with cotton wool;
6. Make an identical second camera.

Phototaxis experiment

Attach black paper to one side of the first chamber; Carefully introduce 6-20 fruit flies through one of the spouts; Place the camera on its side; Wait about 20 minutes; Count how many fruit flies are in the light part of the bottle. Subtract this number from the total to determine how many ended up in the dark part; Record the results.. Phototaxis experiment with flies.

Phototaxis experiment with flies.

Geotaxis experiment

1. Place 6-20 fruit flies into the second chamber;
2. Hold this camera vertically for 10 minutes;
3. Count the number of fruit flies in the bottom half of the bottle;
4. Compare this number to the number of fruit flies in the top half of the bottle;
5. Record your results.

Geotaxis experiment with flies.

Chemotaxis experiment

1. If you plan to use dry substances such as baking soda or sugar during your next experiment, first dissolve a spoonful of each in water;
2. Place 5-10 drops of the substance you are interested in onto separate cotton balls;
3. Place a cotton ball soaked in one of the substances to be tested at one end of the bottle. The other end of each chamber should be covered with a cotton ball soaked only in water. Consider why a cotton ball soaked in water is used;
4. After 10 minutes, count how many fruit flies are on each side of the chamber;
5. Record your results.

Chemotaxis experiment with flies.

1. Drosophila more often exhibit positive phototaxis, in other words, they move towards the light;
2. They show a strong negative geotaxis and like to move upward;
3. During the chemotaxis experiment, you will notice that fruit flies have a strong preference for sweet foods and vinegar, which can be found in rotting fruit, their favorite food.

What do fruit midges eat?

Such insects feed on absolutely all types of fruits, or rather their rotten remains and other naturally processed products. Young people prefer to drink fresh fruit juices. This helps them grow faster and produce healthy larvae. A common question is how long midges live in the summer. During warmer months, the average lifespan of a fruit fly is one month. In nature, due to the lack of fruits in the cold season, the fly can feed on the sap of trees, grass, flowers and leaves.

The insect lives in countries with warm tropical, subtropical or temperate climates. Some types of fruit flies can drink the blood of people or animals to maintain their life cycle.

How long do bloodsucking midges live? About 20 days. The most common place in their life is vineyard plantations, because no one will fight the influx of such insects over large areas. In addition, midges are very fond of grapes.

Reproduction

The bloodsucker fly is viviparous. The larvae are incubated in the abdomen, reproducing when they are ripe for pupation. Gives birth to one every 2-3 days. After mating, the first larva is born after 16-20 days.

Large prepupae up to 3 mm in size do not undergo changes, they simply harden and fall to the ground. Further development of the fly continues in the forest litter, the top layer of soil. The first puparia appear at the end of August, in September. Pupae born from October to March continue to develop only with the onset of warm days in the spring, at a temperature of +15 degrees Celsius.

Around the end of August, winged, blood-sucking young individuals appear. The moose fly acquires the ability to mate after sucking blood. After 20 days, the first puparia appear, subsequent ones are born every 3 days. The lifespan of the imago is 6 months. During this time, one female manages to lay about 30 larvae. The full development cycle lasts 2 years.

Mating occurs on the animal's body. The flat fly spends its entire life on one host. Sexually mature individuals are divided into pairs, the male is attached to the body of the female. Only by the beginning of summer do elk and deer have the opportunity to completely free themselves from parasites.

Insects under a microscope

Microscope technology allows you to obtain a picture of any substance or creature, magnified so much that the human eye can perceive it. They began to examine various matters with the help of this device a long time ago, but recently it has become popular to study what is in close proximity to us and can be in contact.

Both butterflies and parasites managed to come under the gun of the powerful device. Upon closer inspection, they all turned out to be not just ugly, but a real flying or jumping nightmare.

A fly under a microscope looks, to put it mildly, strange. A little different from how we are used to seeing her, although the similarity is visible thanks to a pair of large compound eyes, divided into microscopic segments.

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