There are very few things more annoying than a bunch of flies buzzing around the house, while you ‘re trying to sleep. It almost seems like they ‘re a joke of nature, designed specifically to drive you crazy. They buzz around the room making an incredibly annoying sound, at a grating frequency, and on top of that, they land on your food or body. And if these were not enough, they can transmit various diseases and have disgusting larvae.

We are taught even from an early age that ecosystems are made of many organisms that depend on one another. Automatically, this would mean that every organism has a role, a part to play. So do flies have any purpose or are they just useless and annoying?

Although it may be hard to imagine what use a fly might possibly have, they actually play important roles in nature. A female housefly deposits about 100-150 eggs on something that can provide food for the larvae that will hatch from the eggs. This food typically consists of decaying material, such as garbage, animal droppings or grass clippings. Then, somewhere between 8 hours and 2 days later, the maggots hatch and begin to feed. Eventually they form pupae and change into adult flies, restarting the cycle.

Fly larvae are very efficient disposers of garbage and any other dead matter. Along with bacteria and other composers, they transform the material into other forms. Apart from disposing dead plant and animal materials or animal and human wastes, flies also serve as food for other organisms. Lizards, foraging insects and even small mammals feed on fly eggs, larvae and pupae. Then there ‘s the fish and other aquatic organisms, who feed on flies throughout their entire life cycle, as do birds and other land animals.

Imagine how garbage and other dead matter would accumulate if it were not for flies. Or how many other organisms would lack their main course. Truth is, they are extremely annoying and can drive you crazy in no time, but they do have their part. In fact, flies might actually be missed if they ceased to exist.