This Is What Happens When A Fly Lands On Your Food

So, now that it is picnic/patio season again, it’s time to worry about those pesky little party crashers: Flies. So just how nasty is it when a fly lands on your food? I’ll give you a hint: Don’t watch this while eating.

In a recent survey, most people questioned said that a cockroach was the #1 thing that would make them drop their fork and run if they saw it around their food. As much as I agree with those people, scientist have proven that flies are twice as likely to spread germs than cockroaches. How many times have you been eating outside, shoo’ed a fly off of your food, and then eaten it anyway? Most of the time, people don’t even notice the fly landing, doing his thing, and buzzing away.

So, what is “his thing”? Well, first off, flies eat by vomiting enzymes on their food, and then slurping it up. While as nasty as that is, it’s not how they spread germs. The whole vomit/slurp cycle is actually the cleanest thing flies do. What makes flies so dirty is where they tend to dine (feces, dead things, trash). Flies are covered in tiny hairs that can transfer germs from one surface to another. Like from a dead squirrel to your slice of watermelon.