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 are a joke of nature, designed specifically to drive you crazy. They buzz around the room making an incredibly annoying sound, at a screeching frequency, and on top of that, they land on your food or body. And as if this were not enough, they can transmit various diseases and have disgusting larvae.

We are taught, even from a young age, that ecosystems are made up of many organisms that depend on each other. Automatically, this would mean that each organism has a role, in addition to playing. So do flies serve any purpose or are they just useless and annoying?

Although it can be difficult to imagine what use a fly could have, they actually play an important role in nature. A female house fly lays between 100 and 150 eggs on something that can provide food for the larvae that will hatch from the eggs. This food usually consists of decomposing material, such as garbage, animal droppings, or grass clippings. Then, between 8 hours and 2 days later, the worms hatch and start feeding. They eventually pupate and transform into adult flies, restarting the cycle.

Fly larvae are very efficient at getting rid of litter and any other dead matter. Along with bacteria and other composers, they transform the material into other forms. In addition to removing dead plant and animal materials or animal and human waste, flies also serve as food for other organisms. Lizards, foraging insects, and even small mammals feed on fly eggs, larvae, and pupae. Then there are fish and other aquatic organisms, which feed on flies throughout their life cycle, as do birds and other land animals.

Imagine how litter and other dead matter would accumulate if it weren’t for flies. Or how many other organisms would lack their main dish. The truth is that they are extremely annoying and can drive you crazy in no time, but they have their part. In fact, flies could go unnoticed if they ceased to exist.