Fly larva: what does it look like and how does it hatch from the egg? Where do flies lay their eggs?

House flies and house flies are one of the most annoying and harmful winged insects. They prefer to live in close proximity to humans.

Fly

Thanks to their short life cycle, they actively reproduce and leave behind huge offspring.

Fly larvae (maggots) also pose a certain danger. How to get rid of fly larvae - the most effective methods: chemicals and folk methods.

You can also read our article: Features of the structure of the housefly

Larval development cycle

A fly is an insect with a complete development cycle (complete transformation - holometamorphosis),

which includes the following stages:

1. Egg. It takes from 8 to 50 hours to mature, then the formed worm comes out.
2. Larva. In the period from 3 to 20 days, fly larvae feed, grow, and molt. After the last molt they turn into a prepupa - the body becomes short and thick. While standing, they find a cool, dry place (they bury themselves in the ground or sand), where they finally pupate. The skin (cuticle) hardens, forming a protective shell - the puparium.
3. Doll. A fly is formed inside the puparia within 3-5 days.
4. Imago (adult). After 1.5 days, the female is ready for mating.

Under favorable conditions (23-25 ​​˚C, sufficient food), the fly can live up to 2 months. Larvae, pupae, and fertilized females hibernate at low temperatures, and awaken when warming reaches 10 °C.

Lifespan

As we already understood from the previous chapters of our review, the total lifespan of a fly can be 10-30 days. Having summed up all the stages of the life cycle during which the development of a fly occurs from birth as an egg to the death of an adult winged individual, we arrive at exactly this general period.

What factors influence the lifespan of a buzzing parasite? First of all, the temperature regime of its habitat. The insect can live in conditions from 10 to 40 degrees, but the optimal range is 18-25 degrees.

The life of a fly can last much longer than several weeks, especially if the insect managed to survive the winter period. Some particularly lucky individuals can live for 2 months, but this is still largely an exception.

Where do flies lay eggs?

The fly instinctively takes care of its offspring, selecting a suitable place to lay eggs. It should be a rotting, semi-liquid substance away from sunlight and potential enemies. The larvae do not have to look for food and hide - they live and develop in the same place where they emerged from the eggs.

The fly is guided to the laying sites by its olfactory organs - special antennas on the head (three-membered antennae). Then the female feels the substrate with her proboscis - tastes it for consistency and taste.

After making sure that the place is suitable, the insect produces a narrow tube (ovipositor) from the end of its abdomen and begins the laying process.

Where do flies lay eggs?:

• dung heaps;
• any corpses;
• cesspools and cesspools;
• dried fish, meat;
• rotten vegetables and fruits.

The fly lays its eggs in old purulent wounds on the body of living animals and birds. In some cases, clutches are found even in wet laundry. When it is put on the body, the worm can crawl into the urethra, causing genitourinary myiasis (inflammation of the urethra)

The larvae of common flies deposited in the external environment are harmless to humans. The danger is that if they are swallowed with food, intestinal myiases will develop (inflammation of the intestines caused by the introduction of a worm into its wall). In all other cases, fly larvae can even be useful.

They are recognized by official medicine as an effective means of cleaning foci of necrosis on the human body. Worms are launched into trophic ulcers, bedsores, and purulent wounds for quick, high-quality sanitation. They eat away all dead tissue without touching healthy tissue.

At the same time, the natural antibiotic seraticin and the anti-inflammatory substance allantoin are released - this is necessary for their own safety among bacteria.

But there are insects that deliberately lay eggs under the skin of humans, animals, and rodents, causing skin myiases and even damage to internal organs. Flies whose larvae emerge from under the skin include: tumbu, Wohlfartova, and gadflies. The female gadfly is especially dangerous. Her interests include sheep, in whose skin she lays eggs, other animals, as well as people.

Features of the reproductive organ

The fly's reproductive organs are located in the abdomen. The female's reproductive organs are:

• ovaries;
• oviducts (paired and unpaired);
• vagina;
• spermatheca;
• accessory glands.

Structure

The ovaries are a collection of egg tubes, each of which is separated by a septum. Each compartment contains a follicle. The seminal receptacles are reservoirs, each of which is connected to the oviduct. It is here that the fertilization process occurs after mating. The accessory glands, which secrete a special secretion, are also connected to the oviduct. It is thanks to it that the eggs that the fly lays are fixed on the substrate.

What are the larvae called?

The name of the fly larva is well known to fishermen - maggots are an excellent bait. To breed them, a piece of spoiled meat is specially buried in the ground, from which a whole batch of worms is soon removed.

The name “maggot” comes from the word “dough” (dough that increases in size) - the larva grows so quickly. After maturation, a thin white worm appears from the fly egg, difficult to see with the naked eye. It lives and feeds in the same substrate where it was born. The process of gaining weight takes from 5 to 15 days. In favorable conditions, only 4 days are enough.

Differences in reproduction in nature and in the home

The way flies reproduce has absolutely no effect on where it occurs. The process is the same for domestic and wild conditions. The only difference is the number of surviving offspring. On the one hand, flies are safer in the house, since there are no people nearby who feed on them, for example, frogs, birds, or predatory insects. In addition, there is usually something to eat in the house, so food is not a question either.

But on the other hand, people take various measures to get rid of insects at all stages of development. Therefore, despite the fertility of flies, few young individuals appear, and of those, most die.

What they look like

The eggs of the fly are white, very small, oblong. When magnified, they look like grains of rice. Inside there is a nutritious yolk, due to which the fruit develops.

Immediately after leaving the eggs laid by the fly (at the initial stage of development), the body length of the maggot is approximately 2 mm. After 1 molt – 4-5 mm, after 2 – 8-9 mm, before pupation – 10-13 mm. Weighs about 22-27 g.

Adult fly larvae are small worms of a yellowish , gray or cream color, shiny, with a barely pronounced brown head, on which there is a mouth opening with retractable hooks. The back of the body is slightly rounded.

Upon closer inspection, you can see a depression and two dark dots in it - the respiratory plates. The body consists of 13 segments, 3 of which belong to the thoracic region, the rest to the abdominal region.

Maggots do not have normal (jointed) legs. Movement (locomotion) is ensured by false legs (outgrowths with cavities), crawling ridges (thickenings on the sides of the body), and contractions of the entire body.

The prepupa is the same color as the larva . As the puparia hardens, it darkens, eventually turning brown. The pupa looks like a small barrel with transverse circular notches.

Appearance and internal structure

At first glance, the body structure of a fly seems simple, but in fact, many institutes have been studying these insects for a long time. The body of a fly consists of three parts: head, thorax and abdomen. The lower part of the head has a yellow tint. The following organs are located on it:

• Eyes. In the fly they are quite large and consist of many small simple eyes that form a faceted network. The image obtained using facets has the appearance of a mosaic.
• Oral apparatus. Insects have powerful jaws and a proboscis. Food enters through the lobes of the upper and lower lips. A large number of tubules connect at the central point of the proboscis. In species that feed on blood, the structure of the oral apparatus contains sharp plates with which the insect pierces the skin of the prey.
• Mustache. This organ helps to navigate in space and smell. The antennae of females and males may differ.

The chest has three segments, the second segment being the most developed. On the chest there are 3 pairs of limbs, which consist of 5 segments. The legs of flies are equipped with developed muscles, claws and suckers. When the fly walks, the pads of its feet secrete a sticky liquid. The paws perform another function - they analyze the quality and taste of food.

The front pair of wings is well developed, has a membranous structure, the hind wings are deformed and form halteres. With the help of these appendages, the fly can hover in the air and maintain balance.

The cylindrical abdomen consists of 10 segments. The chitinous shell of flies tends to stretch when saturated and during pregnancy.

The most important internal organs are located in the abdomen. The reproductive system is represented by ducts, accessory glands, as well as eggs or testes, depending on the gender of the individual. External appendages differ from species to species.

Females lay clutches of eggs; their number per clutch can range from 70 to 150, depending on the species. In the family of corpse flies there are viviparous ones.

The digestive system is represented by the goiter, intestines, Malpighian vessels and excretory tubules. Food is digested before absorption; for this, the insect introduces a special digestive secretion into it.

The respiratory organs include a large number of tracheae, which are distributed throughout the body. Their opening to the outside is ensured by spiracles.

The brain is made up of many neurons. The circulatory system includes the heart, aorta, pterygoid muscle and dorsal vessel. Blood is colorless and transports nutrients.

Methods for controlling fly larvae

Maggots are destroyed to prevent the appearance of flies,

which are carriers of pathogens of dangerous diseases:

• typhus;
• dysentery;
• salmonellosis;
• conjunctivitis;
• tuberculosis.

Each individual carries about 6 million different bacteria. Timely destruction of the larvae eliminates the need to fight flies.

Target areas for treatment include cesspools, manure and compost heaps, barnyard burial grounds, garbage chutes in houses and garbage containers in the local area. After removing such sources of maggots, you also need to treat the soil where they burrow for pupation.

Chemicals

Preparations for killing lice, ticks, fly larvae, bedbugs, and moths are called “larvicides.” They have a detrimental effect on the insect even before the end of its development.

Main types:

• inhibitors of chitin formation. Active substances paralyze the molting process, as a result of which the larva dies;
• chemical (chlorantraniliprole, hexachlorane, dieldrin). They paralyze the respiratory, digestive and nervous systems, including adults;
• biological (“Bacticide”, “Larviol”). Bacterial toxins decompose the larva's digestive tract.

Main types of chemical aqueous solutions of insecticides:

• 0.3-0.5% disecryl;
• 1% karbofos;
• 0.2% trochlovos;
• 0.5% dichlorvos;
• 2% chlorophos.

Chemicals must be diluted in warm water, stirring constantly. Places where flies accumulate are watered with the solution. Consumption rate – from 200 to 1000 l per 1 m2. The frequency of treatments is from 2 to 5 times a month (the drier, hotter the weather, the more often). The maggots die under the toxic film that forms.

In the garden, the following preparations can be used to treat manure heaps::

• iron sulfate (800 g per 10 l);
• quicklime;
• borax, boric calcium (1.2 kg of calcium, 1 kg of borax). The area is sprinkled with a powder mixture, then spilled with water;
• carbolic acid and sulfur (3:1).

The safest method, from an environmental point of view, is a 5% solution of hellebore powder (plant).

Traditional methods

A cheap and effective method of getting rid of fly larvae is to isolate the place where they accumulate from the air. The manure or garbage pile is covered with a thick piece of polyethylene, the edges are carefully pressed. The larvae will die from overheating.

Another method is to pour a strong solution of vinegar (4 glasses per bucket of water) or gasoline into the area where parasites accumulate. Some then use vegetable oil to create an impenetrable film.

Boiling water

Pouring boiling water over areas where fly larvae accumulate is the simplest measure to combat them, but it is not suitable for processing large piles of waste. Well suited for pouring into pipelines and garbage cans. Boiling water will destroy the larvae, eggs and most bacteria.

For maximum effectiveness, you can add vinegar, soap solution, and soda to the water. Potentially dangerous areas should be treated in this way once a week.

The development cycle of an adult fly from an egg is quite short, so you should not delay in destroying clutches and maggots. The easiest way to eliminate them is mechanically, but on a large scale chemicals are needed.

Prevention

Before concluding our review, as a prelude to it, I would like to recall the basic rules for preventing the appearance of these unpleasant guests in our home.

In order not to attract flies and prevent them from breeding in the apartment, you must follow these rules, namely:

• keep the house clean;
• remove fruits and vegetables, as well as meat products, from open areas in a timely manner;
• promptly send everything that has accumulated in the trash can to recycling containers;
• use mosquito nets on windows;
• follow traditional methods of insect control.

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Danger to humans

Larvae of the genus Eristalis are not parasites. But beekeeper eggs laid on food can be swallowed by humans. When swimming in a dirty pond, there is a possibility that larvae may enter the body. An alternative option for infection is the female laying eggs near the anus. Being in the rectum, it irritates the walls of the organ with its breathing tube. The resulting myiasis is called eristalosis. The disease has been registered in India, Australia, South America and some European countries - Denmark, Belgium, Spain.

Symptoms of the disease: diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, itching in the anus. In some cases, symptoms do not appear. The disease is treated with medication, metronidazole and nifuroxazide are prescribed.

Description of the insect

Larva

Externally, the insect in the larval stage resembles an extremely flexible and mobile leech of a greenish tint. Sometimes the body color may be pale yellow or pink. The internal organs of the syrphid are visible through the thin skin. Length up to a centimeter.

The larva actively crawls on plants infected with aphids. Having overtaken the pests, it sucks them out and continues the hunt again. About two hundred aphids are eaten by one larva per day.

There are species of hoverflies that develop in water (shallow puddles), plant stems, decaying manure and rotten wood. Some prefer anthills, where they feed on ant larvae.

The pupa is drop-shaped, resembling frozen resin. Puparium with a dense shell. In pupae going into winter, the color of the puparia is brown. Summer generation of a lighter yellow hue.

Adult

The body can be either slender or massive, depending on the species. The average size of an adult is from 4 to 25 millimeters.

The main feature is the absence of hard hairs on the body, characteristic of other families of flies.

The body is covered with fine down like a bumblebee. The color is dark with yellow or reddish elongated spots (stripes) on the back and belly.

Their body coloration often resembles that of bees, wasps or bumblebees. But unlike these insects, hoverflies do not have a second pair of wings. Such mimicry saves insects from birds. Deceived by the body coloring of hoverflies, the birds do not risk attacking them, fearing poison and a sharp sting.

The structure of the wings allows the insect to hover in flight for a long time and abruptly change the direction of movement.

The fly emerges from the overwintered pupa at the end of June. Active flight continues until the end of July. Soon after emerging from the pupa, mating and egg laying occur.

The eggs are small and white. They are deposited on grass stems, tree branches or near cultivated plants (for example, onions) directly into the soil. Egg development lasts ten days. The emerging larvae feed for a month, then pupate. Adults emerge from late July to September. The second generation larvae go to winter with the onset of cold weather.

Features of color

The body of wasp flies is covered with fine fluff, similar to that of bumblebees. The color is dark with yellow or reddish elongated stripes covering the back and abdomen.

The peculiarity of the color is that flies can be easily confused with bees, wasps or bumblebees. They can be distinguished only by the absence of a second pair of wings.

Nutrition

Adults feed on flower nectar and pollen. They can often be found in meadows near umbrella plants. They also willingly visit flowering gardens and shrubs:

• currants
• barberry,
• dogwood.

The larvae differ in the type of food they eat. Predators feed on aphids, psyllids and other small insects. Herbivorous species eat lily bulbs and plant stems. Those living in reservoirs search for detritus at the bottom. More exotic species process manure and dead wood.

Hoverflies, due to the peculiarities of their evolution and similarity with wasps, have spread over most of the globe. They are found everywhere except hot deserts, tundras and, of course, Antarctica. Entomologists count about 6 thousand species of these insects, of which more than 1.5 thousand are found in the Palearctic, 800 in Russia, and 2 species were found even in the subarctic zone.

Why do random and facultative myiases occur?

The main cause of these types of disease is common unsanitary conditions. Neglect of personal hygiene and room cleanliness leads to the proliferation of flies, which sooner or later will lay eggs on humans.

Obligate myiases

Caused by flies that initially parasitize warm-blooded organisms. Their other name is gadflies. The reproductive cycle of different individuals may include parasitism of maggots in the stomach, nasal sinuses, or skin.

The gastric botfly attaches eggs to the forelimbs of herbivores. When an animal scratches its leg, it inadvertently ingests eggs, which begin to develop in the gastrointestinal tract. Gastric botfly eggs do not die in the intestines, but humans have little chance of becoming infected with these parasites. The disease is treated with routine deworming of animals. Standard anthelmintic drugs also help a person.

The subcutaneous gadfly usually also attacks large herbivores, laying 1 egg per hair. It does not have a specific point of attachment for the egg. The hatched larva burrows into the skin and begins feeding on the host's flesh. Before moving to the second stage of development, it lays a subcutaneous path to the area of ​​the animal’s back, where it forms a nodule with an opening for air.

The subcutaneous gadfly can lay eggs on humans. In this case, the larvae begin their instinctive upward movement, emerging not on the back, but towards the head of the owner.

Important!

There are known cases of this species penetrating the human brain with fatal consequences.

Subcutaneous myiasis

The main cause of this disease is the larvae of subcutaneous gadflies. Signs of subcutaneous myiasis in humans are red swellings with a hole in the middle. The activity of the larva causes pain to the owner.

Subcutaneous myiasis

To remove parasites, first cover the breathing hole with an airtight bandage. In an attempt to breathe, the larva pokes its head into the hole. A day later, the patch is removed, the emerging larva is grabbed with tweezers and carefully pulled out. This procedure is performed only on humans. The animals' nodules are simply opened.

Nasopharyngeal gadflies

These types of parasites are viviparous. They do not lay eggs, but inject ready-made live larvae into the nostrils, mouth and eyes of animals and humans. Once on the mucous membranes, the parasites invade the victim’s body, causing cavitary myiases in the nose and damage to the eyes and mucous membranes of the mouth. Localization of the offspring of the nasopharyngeal gadfly occurs in the frontal and nasal cavities, pharynx, and ethmoid bone. These same larvae parasitize the mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth and penetrate the eyeballs.

Habitat

Having appeared in regions with temperate climates, houseflies now live in all countries of the world.

Both types of houseflies are very active indoors. Small house flies easily tolerate cool climates and are often found in poultry houses. Both species prefer warm climates, where they can easily find spoiled food and lay eggs on it. In cooler conditions, flies struggle to survive and become less active, which leads to a decrease in their reproduction rate.

Feeding maggots

Eggs and larvae of flies
Synanthropic insects feed on decaying organic matter and sour juices. Their food source is human food, crumbs, garbage in a trash can, feces, rotting vegetables, fruits, and plants. The same food is necessary for the larvae.

Blowflies develop on dead, rotting tissues of animals and humans, as well as in feces, manure, pus, and garbage cans. The larvae help the corpses decompose, thereby bringing extreme benefits. At the last stage of their development, they burrow into the soil and pupate.

Fly larvae do not have a digestive system; they absorb already digested food. To do this, they initially release a caustic, aggressive chemical that dissolves any organic tissue, after which the prepared food is absorbed.

Interesting!

Maggots live in an extremely dangerous environment, which is teeming with pathogens. They themselves do not get sick, they produce the strongest antibiotic - seraticin, to which pathogens are not able to develop immunity. The larvae stop the rotting of tissues, so they are used in medicine to treat poorly healing wounds. Maggots are specially raised under sterile conditions.

Preventive measures

To prevent blowflies from breeding, you must follow certain rules:

• In places where the garbage can is located, the soil must be concreted and asphalt laid. This will prevent the larvae from completing their life cycle.
• It is necessary to ensure timely disposal and removal of waste that attracts insects with the smell of rotting. During the warm season, you need to take out the trash from your apartment every day.
• Do not leave meat products lying on tables. To prevent females from laying eggs or maggots, you need lard and rub the meat with salt. The best option is to quickly put it in the freezer. Beef, pork, chicken, etc. may be affected.
• If you want to cook lightly salted fish, you should add more salt to the brine than is required in the cold season. In this way, the product can be protected from malicious worms.
• In the warm season, it is recommended to install mosquito nets on windows and doors, which will protect against many pests from entering the house.
• On livestock and poultry farms, it is necessary to ensure sewage drainage.

To prevent disease and intestinal infection, you need to strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene and food handling. Wash your hands with soap, rinse vegetables, fruits, and herbs thoroughly under running water or pour boiling water over them.

A few words about the “sacred cow” of geneticists

Small fruit flies, which invariably appear on rotten fruit, have made a huge contribution to the development of genetics - the science of the laws of inheritance and variability.
It was Drosophila that was chosen as an object for research by the great geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945). The rapid reproduction of fruit flies, large 4 chromosomes and pronounced sexual dimorphism have made these insects a favorite subject of experiments. Everyone who studied well at school knows about his laws of sex-linked inheritance of traits and the phenomenon of crossing over.

Nicknamed the “Lord of the Flies,” Thomas Morgan went down in history as one of the founders of practical genetics. And when you get rid of these insects, remember that it is to them that we owe medical genetic counseling, genetic engineering and many other achievements of modern practical geneticists.

South American myiasis

South American myiasis occurs in Mexico, Argentina and other countries in Central and South America. The causative agent is the larva of the fly Dermatobia hominis. The female fly lays eggs on the body of mosquitoes, jet flies and some ticks. After 6 days, larvae form in the eggs, but they leave the egg shells only when the insects and mites on which they are located land on humans or animals (cattle, pigs, etc.). The larvae quickly penetrate the skin, where they slowly grow and develop. After 5-10 weeks they reach 25 mm in length, fall out onto the soil and pupate.

An infiltrate with a hole appears around the embedded larvae, from which serous-purulent fluid flows. Lesions are located mainly on the limbs, back, abdomen, and armpits. A case of death of a 1.5-year-old child with multiple infestations by the larvae of this fly is described.

Treatment is carried out by removing the larvae with tweezers.

Prevention is carried out through routine examination of domestic ungulates and treatment of patients, control of blood-sucking insects and ticks using repellents.

Little Drosophila fly: where it comes from and how to get it out

Everyone has encountered small fruit flies or vinegar flies that appear in places where there are spoiled fruits. This is the Drosophila fly, which is widely used for research by genetic scientists. Currently, about one and a half thousand species of this insect, which is a representative of the order Diptera, have been studied and described.

Drosophila flies are avid travelers and may arrive at your home along with fruits and vegetables brought from the south

Features of the structure and life of the Drosophila fly

Drosophila are small gray or yellowish-gray flies with a body length of 1.5 to 3 mm. Females have a pointed tip of the abdomen. They are noticeably larger than males, whose abdominal tip is dark, almost black, and rounded.

The eyes of the Drosophila fly are bright red. Under natural conditions, these insects are widespread in the southern regions of the Russian Federation, but are found up to 60 degrees north latitude.

In the summer, they penetrate into the northern regions with fruits and vegetables supplied from the south of the country.

This fly is observed in large quantities in fruit warehouses, factories producing fruit juices and canned fruits, wine cellars and wine production. Drosophila appears outdoors when the air temperature rises above 16 degrees; its numbers quickly increase at high temperatures and high humidity.

The fly experiences the cold season in places with a fairly high temperature near people - in various storage facilities for vegetables and fruits, in wineries, and feels great in a city apartment, settling in trash cans and indoor flowers. If it is not very difficult to breed Drosophila in human housing , then it is impossible to get rid of it in fruit processing areas.

To reproduce, Drosophila requires a nutrient medium in which the larvae will develop - usually half-rotten fruits or vegetables

Drosophila reproduction

The fruit fly goes through three stages in its development, characteristic of all dipterous insects:

1. Eggs laid by a female
2. Larvae
3. Adult Drosophila

Insect eggs and larvae are adapted to live in a semi-liquid environment. The female fruit fly lays eggs on half-decomposed fruit or other growing medium. They stay on the surface thanks to special float chambers. The eggs are about 0.5 mm in size.

Larvae hatched from eggs are white and up to 3.5 mm long. A sufficient amount of food during this period of development is crucial; the size and viability of the emerging flies depends on this.

At first, the larvae swim on the surface of the nutrient medium, then go deeper and remain there until pupation. After four days, young fruit flies emerge from the pupae and become sexually mature after eight hours.

How long Drosophila lives depends largely on the surrounding temperature. If the air temperature is 25 degrees, then the fly lives about 10 days; when it drops to 18, the life expectancy approximately doubles. In winter, the life cycle can increase to 2.5 months.

Drosophila can outwit the owners of the apartment - while they are looking for them in the kitchen, near food, midges can hide in pots with indoor flowers

Ilnitsa-beeweed (tenacious Ilnitsa)

This type of fly belongs to the hoverfly family. In appearance they are similar to an ordinary bee. The average length is 1.5 cm. The abdomen is dark brown in color, covered with plumage of small hairs; on the side there are large red spots with a yellowish tint. In the middle part of the fly's face there is a wide, well-developed shiny black stripe. Before our eyes - two

vertical stripes with thick hair. The hind limbs in the lower leg area are also covered with hairs. The insect's thighs are almost black.

The larva of the bee moth is dark with a gray tint. The body of the larvae has a cylindrical shape and reaches a length of 10–20 mm. The larva breathes using a special breathing tube, which can stretch up to 100 mm in length. This organ is very important for her, since she lives in conditions of fetid liquids, garbage pits and pond sewage, and can only breathe clean air.

This insect is active from July to October. Illices feed on the nectar of various flowering plants.

Beeworm larvae can be the source of a dangerous intestinal disease found in some European countries, Africa, Australia, Chile, Argentina, India, Iran and Brazil.

The disease occurs as a result of fly eggs entering the human intestines along with food. There the larva hatches and begins to develop, causing enteritis.