Types of Flies

Types of Flies Bee Fly - Anthrax Blue Bottlefly Drone Fly Flesh Fly Hover Fly Longlegged Fly Robber Flies Small-headed Fly Soldier Fly Tachinid Flies Types of Insects

Flies are in the order Diptera.

The word diptera comes from the Greek and means two wings. All members of the family, from your basic house fly to mosquitoes and gnats, have two wings.

Many flies are often labeled as disease spreading pests. Mosquito transmission of West Nile virus presents an ongoing challenge to public health officials.

Biting flies such as horse flies and deer flies may be less dangerous, but no less an annoyance to anyone who has ever been bitten.

With literally hundreds of thousands of fly species in the world, it is equally as easy to point out some more favored species. Many species of flower fly larvae, for example, feed on aphids. Flower flies are beneficial to any garden.

The links in the box on the right point to pictures and descriptions of many common flies found in backyards and fields around the country.