(Describer) Titles: The Bug Chicks, and Solpugid Productions, in association with Texas A and M University. Insects and Human Society.

This episode is about flies! Flies are in the order--

[groans] Ugh, I'm so bummed

with the way we're filming this episode. Why? I feel like we should be in the air or something, you know? Flies are the aerial acrobats of the insect world. You're right. "Fly" is a noun and a verb. Exactly. Oh, Jessica, I have an idea. Uh-oh. Just say yes.

(Describer) Different insects are shown: including a small green one with wings, hundreds of tiny ones swarming a worm, one with transparent wings climbing a tree, a thin green one looking around, two with translucent white wings, and one crawling on a green leaf before flying off. Titles: The Insect Orders.

[Morgantj plays "Cafe Connection"]

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(Describer) Order Diptera : True Flies. Taxonomy. Kristie rides on a zip line just above a forest.

[zip line screeching]

[wind howling]

[whoops] Woo!

(Describer) She goes over a valley to more trees. On a platform with her, Jessica:

Flies are in the order Diptera. Di, ptera. "Di" means two. Flies have only two wings, one pair.

(Describer) Title: Morphology.

The defining characteristic of this order is a single pair of wings. So, what are these? The hind wings are modified into something called halteres, kind of like a little stalk with knobs on the end.

[fly buzzing]

(Describer) Title: Fly Fact.

Flies use their halteres to stabilize in the air. Other than the wings, flies are fairly variable. This is one order where you get a lot of diversity in mouthparts. Lots of flies have a special mouthpart called a labella. It's like a spongy tip that they use to suck up liquids. And then there are mouthparts that are just bizarre. Horseflies are those big, black, roundheaded flies that can give a really painful bite. Now, Kristie, I have heard from some of your students that you do an incredible horsefly mouthpart impersonation.

[chuckles] Oh, ho-ho...they're dead.

Okay, so horsefly mouthparts are pretty intense. All of their mouthparts are sort of formed into six different blades, and the blades layer over each other. And then they've got sort of a sponging mouthpart in the center that laps up blood. So they kind of slice and sponge.

So here it goes. [chuckles]

Okay.

(Describer) Holding her palms out over her face, she waves them as she wags her tongue.

[growling]

[laughing]

(Describer) Jessica bends over laughing, then comes back up.

That is the greatest thing I've ever seen! Fly larvae are called maggots. Now, you guys stop it. They are not wriggly just to freak you out. It's a result of their morphology. Maggots don't have any legs, but they do have little hooks inside their heads that help them attach themselves to slick surfaces, like a rotting corpse. The hooks also help them move around, and this is why they wriggle. Now, Kristie, I have heard from some of your students that you do a great maggot impersonation.

(Describer) She exhales. With her hands hooked forward in front of her chin, she reaches forward with them, then takes little steps shaking her hips as catches up to them.

(Describer) Title: Biodiversity and Distribution.

It should come as no surprise that people all over the world see flies on a daily basis. They are everywhere. You've got the muscoid flies that all sort of resemble houseflies to some extent. You've got Nematocera flies, like gnats and mosquitoes, that have long legs and aquatic larvae; parasitic flies, like the horse and human botfly, whose larvae develop in the flesh of mammals; and mimics, like hoverflies, that look like small honeybees. They move their wings so fast, you can barely see them.

(Describer) Jessica rides the zip line onto the platform.

[fly buzzing]

(Describer) Title: Fly Fact.

A fly beats its wings 200 times a second.

(Describer) Title: Biology and Life History.

Flies are attracted to manure. A lot of flies lay their eggs in it, and then when the eggs hatch, the larvae have something to eat. That's why you're gonna see a lot of flies around stables. Some flies, like houseflies, really love the compost bin. They're attracted to the decomposing matter. Other flies are predators, like robber flies, and they hunt other insects. Other flies are solenophagous. They're obligate blood feeders. Think mosquitoes. And flies like bee flies are pollinators of flowers. We always talk about how insects eat plants, but for this order the tables are turned. There are several carnivorous plants that trick flies into thinking they're a source of nectar or food. Take this pitcher plant, for example. It holds a liquid inside that has digestive enzymes in it. Pitcher plants live in soil that is nutrient-deficient, and they have to be creative in how they supplement nutrients. Flies are attracted to the shape, color, and smell, but once they get inside, they often can't get back out. They are slowly digested.

(Describer) They're shown in a flower that's cut open. Title: Metamorphosis.

Flies go through complete metamorphosis-- egg, larva, pupa, adult. They use their last larval skin as a shelter in which to pupate. This is called a puparium.

(Describer) Title: Collection.

I know I've already talked about the manure pile, but they are a great place to collect flies. You can also check compost bins and trash cans.

(Describer) Crouching by manure in a field, she catches one in a tube.

Got one.

(Describer) Title: Human Impact.

Lots of people who own livestock struggle with flies, and their animals do too. Flies can be a huge nuisance pest to livestock. They eat at the mucous membranes around their eyes. They buzz around their ears, and they can bite their skin. They can be pretty terrible. One of the ways horses deal with flies is to flick them away with their tails. They're not just here to be pretty.

They're effective. [growls]

There are several kinds of flies that vector disease-- deerflies, tsetse flies, and sand flies. But there's one that's infamous for its terrible impact on humans--the mosquito. And there's really no joking about it. Mosquitoes vector some of the most devastating diseases in the world. Yellow fever kills 30,000 people each year, and there are 100 million cases of dengue fever each year. But not all mosquitoes vector disease. There are a few main players. Aedes aegypti vectors the yellow and dengue fever viruses. And several species in the genus Culex vector encephalitic diseases. But it's the Anopheles mosquitoes that are the most talked about because they vector malaria. And malaria is the big one. In 2010, 216 million people were infected with malaria. Six hundred and fifty-five thousand of them died. That's 1,794 people a day. That's one person every 30 seconds. To put it into terms that we can understand, that's like every player on 17 different college football teams dying in one day.

[fly buzzing]

(Describer) Title: Fly Fact.

Half of all of the humans who have ever lived have died of malaria. Millions of dollars are spent on the search for a vaccine and new medicines, but there are some preventative measures that people can take. Mosquito nets are a big one. Whenever we travel to a country where malaria is endemic, we always sleep under a net. And it helps to keep other insects out too.

(Describer) Title: Mythology and Culture.

One of the hottest new careers is forensic science. Entomologists are often consulted at crime scenes to identify fly larvae that are found on victim remains.

(Describer) People examine an animal carcass.

On the mythology side, flies are usually seen as negative. However, in Navajo culture, Big Fly is seen as a mentor. This spirit lands on the shoulders of men and needs no offering or payment for his advice.

(Describer) Titles: In the time it took you to watch this video, 16 people died of malaria. Most of them were children under the age of 5

If you'd like to help, you can get involved with a student group on campus that is working to provide nets and education. Or you can volunteer in an insect research lab on campus. As Aggies, we can make a difference in people's lives.

(Describer) Titles: Written and Produced by Kristie Reddick, Jessica Honaker Copyright Solpugid Productions and The Bug Chicks unless otherwise attributed Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.

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