What happens when a fly sits on your food?
In case you were wondering, we would say, rather opt for not eating food that a fly has sat on...
No one likes it when you are enjoying a meal and then the horrid flies come through to gatecrash the party. And for as long as we can remember, there is this belief that when flies sit on your food, then you have to chuck it away, because it could make you sick.
The truth is that what you don't see when it comes to food, doesn't really hurt you, or does it? There is a mixed opinion when it comes to this saying and its followers. The idea behind it is that if you know a fly sat on your food and you eat it, the idea of knowing it may make you sick is because our thoughts have power.
Read more: Five myths about flying debunked
Whilst on the other hand, if you eat something without knowing whether or not a fly sat on it, then you don't have any thoughts about it, and so the idea is that you are carefree with your thoughts. You may even enjoy it...
Nevertheless, today we decided to take on the task of demystifying the whole idea of flies throwing up on our food when they sit on it.
"Most of the over 110,000 known fly species have no teeth, so they cannot chew solid food. Their mouthparts are like a spongy straw. Once they land on your food, they need to release digestive juices to liquefy it into a predigested, slurpable soup they can swallow. In short, some flies are on a liquid diet." (MSN)
Can we just say that we understand that there are species in the world that have to regurgitate in order to eat, but it's so nauseating to actually to think about this. In short, they have to make space for new food.
"Did you know flies can taste food without their mouths? As soon as they land, they use receptors on their feet to decide whether they’re on something nutritious. You may have noticed a fly rubbing its legs together..." (MSN)
Believe it or not, but this is called... grooming. This act is the fly cleaning itself, essentially cleaning its sensors on the bristles of fine hair on its feet, so that it can properly identify whether or not the food it has landed on is worth the regurgitation.
For more from East Coast Radio
So the burning question, should you chuck your food away if a fly sat on it? The short answer is yes. But there is a low chance of the fly spreading its germs if it was sitting for a short time on your food.
"When a fly touches down on your sandwich, that’s probably not the only thing it’s landed on that day. Flies often sit on gross stuff, like a dumpster or decomposing food, that’s full of microbes. The germs can hitch a ride and, if the fly stays put long enough, hop onto your meal. This is much more dangerous than their saliva because some of the microbes can cause diseases, like cholera and typhoid. But if the fly doesn’t stay longer than a few seconds the chances of microbes transferring are low, and your food is probably fine." (MSN)
You can avoid flies sitting on your food by getting some plants that they don't like. Marigold, mint, and citronella all have strong smells that keep flies away. You could also just make sure to cover all your food, a simple and sound solution.
What do you do to keep flies away? We have also heard some people saying that they light candles and incense sticks to keep them out. Let us know below.
Image Courtesy of Unsplash Website