Flies are a common pest that can be found in homes and buildings around the world. While we often see flies buzzing around during the day, they can exhibit some surprising behaviors at night when humans typically aren’t around to observe them. Understanding what flies get up to after dark can provide useful insights into their biology, behavior, and control.
Do flies sleep at night?
Yes, flies do sleep at night. They exhibit periods of inactivity that have characteristics of sleep, like species-specific sleep positions and increased arousal thresholds.
Flies, like all animals, need sleep to allow their body and brains time to rest and rejuvenate. Without enough quality sleep, flies show declines in cognitive function and health over time.
Studies monitoring fly activity levels at night have shown they have cyclical patterns of high and low activity that correspond to periods of wakefulness and sleep. Flies also prefer to sleep at night and have circadian rhythms regulating sleep like humans do.
What are the sleep habits of flies?
Flies exhibit the following sleep habits at night:
- Have favorite daytime resting spots they return to sleep at at night, like edges of leaves
- Enter a species-specific sleep posture, like hanging upside down from a surface
- Have lowered sensory thresholds during sleep periods
- Have cyclical periods of sleep interspersed with brief awakenings
- Tend to sleep more deeply and for longer periods at certain times of night
- Require 8-10 hours of sleep per day for proper functioning
The amount and depth of nightly fly sleep closely matches their activity levels during the day. Flies that exert more energy flying and mating during the day need more recovery sleep at night.
Do all types of flies sleep at night?
All major fly species exhibit nightly sleep behaviors, including:
- House flies
- Fruit flies
- Blow flies
- Flesh flies
- Stable flies
- Black flies
- Horse flies
- Bot flies
While all flies sleep, their preferred sleep postures and sleep patterns can vary between species. The amount of sleep needed also differs, with smaller insects like fruit flies requiring less sleep than larger fly species.
However, all flies rely on sleep for proper functioning and exhibit cyclical sleep stages at night like other animals. Disrupting or restricting nightly fly sleep sessions can have negative effects on their health and survival.
When are flies most active at night?
While flies spend a good portion of nighttime either sleeping or in quiet rest, they do exhibit periods of heightened nocturnal activity:
- Early evening – Flies become more active seeking food as temperatures cool.
- Dawn/dusk – Flies are active during transition periods at night’s end and start.
- Moonlight – Lunar light enables more late night fly activity.
- Around artificial lights – Streetlights, bulbs attract nighttime flies.
- After rains – Moist conditions spur fly activity.
These are peak times of nightly fly activity. Their senses and search for food lure them out during these potentially rewarding times, even as other flies continue to rest and sleep.
Do flies mate at night?
Yes, flies are known to mate during nighttime hours, providing the cover of darkness.
Low light provides a safer setting for flies to carry out mating behaviors that make them vulnerable to predators during daytime. Under cover of night, flies can mate on exposed surfaces and for longer periods with reduced risk.
Cooler night temperatures also enable flies to mate without overheating, which daylight hours can sometimes cause. More flies congregate at dawn and dusk transition periods to find mates before settling down for sleep.
For some fly species, the majority of mating takes place at night. Male fireflies are a prime example, flashing light patterns at night to attract mates.
When are male flies most sexually active?
Male flies exhibit peak levels of sexual activity and mate-seeking behavior during the following nighttime periods:
- Early evening – As temperatures drop, male flies begin mating activity.
- Dawn and dusk – Males actively pursue females during transition periods.
- Younger age – Younger male flies mate more frequently than older ones.
- Warmer months – Mating activity rises during summer months.
- After rains – Moist conditions spur mating behaviors.
These are optimal times for male flies to find receptive females and reproduce successfully. Cooler temperatures, humidity, and low light provide ideal conditions for extended nighttime mating.
Do flies eat at night?
Flies do actively feed at night when available food sources attract them:
- Flies feed on decaying organic material whenever it is available, day or night.
- Fruits and vegetables release esters at night that lure night-feeding flies.
- Flies congregate around artificial lights to feed on insects drawn there.
- Nighttime provides safety for flies to feed more openly and for longer periods.
- Cooler temperatures enable flies to feed without risk of overheating.
While flies take advantage of darkness to feed, they rely more on smell, taste, and touch than vision when finding food after sunset. Overripe or fermenting produce and meat remains appeal to night-flying flies.
Do flies aggregate at night?
Yes, it is common for groups of flies to form aggregations at night:
- Sleep aggregations form as flies group together to rest at favored sites.
- Mating swarms allow flies to interact and find mates more easily.
- Feeding groups congregate on food resources after dark.
- Warm places, like compost heaps, draw aggregating flies on cool nights.
- Light sources attract aggregations of night-flying flies.
The cover of darkness allows flies to form dense aggregations in the open without threat of predation. This offers protection, mating opportunities, and cooperative feeding benefits at night.
Do flies migrate at night?
Some fly species do migrate and disperse greater distances at night:
- Long distance fly migrations typically happen at high altitudes under cover of darkness.
- Cooler night temperatures allow flies to travel farther without overheating.
- Harmful UV rays are reduced at night, protecting migrating flies.
- Darkness provides safety from predators during mass migrations.
- Shifting winds at dusk provide useful tailwinds for migrations.
Notable migratory fly species that move long distances at night include armyworm moths, green June beetles, fungus gnats, buffalo gnats, and many general house flies. Their dispersal flights are aided by cooler, calmer nighttime conditions.
Do flies spread disease more at night?
Nighttime conditions do favor increased disease transmission by flies:
- Higher fly activity at dusk and night increases contact with hosts.
- Cooler temperatures extend fly feeding times, enabling longer disease transmission.
- Darkness provides more cover for fly feeding and movement between hosts.
- Higher humidity at night facilitates pathogen growth and dispersal.
- Interruptions to fly sleep at night may compromise their immunity to pathogens.
Key fly-spread diseases like typhoid fever and cholera notably worsen during warmer seasons when flies are more active at night. Strategies to target night-active flies can help control disease epidemics.
How do flies avoid predators at night?
Flies have evolved several strategies to avoid becoming prey at night:
- Forming inactive aggregations in concealed locations away from predators.
- Frequent movements and quick evasive flight from threats.
- Regurgitating on predators to temporarily deter pursuit.
- Signaling disturbances with high frequency wing beats to warn other flies.
- Roosting in inaccessible spots like ceilings, eaves, or dense foliage.
Cover of darkness gives resting flies an advantage against nocturnal predators like bats, owls, and spiders. But staying undiscovered in out-of-sight locations is their best defense while sleeping.
How can you monitor fly activity at night?
Several monitoring methods effectively assess nighttime fly activity:
- Place baited traps near fly resting sites to capture overnight activity.
- Use infrared security cameras to film fly behaviors in low light conditions.
- Install light traps that attract flies moving at night.
- Listen for buzzing fly wings around light fixtures and entry points after dark.
- Check favored daytime fly resting spots at night for sleep aggregations.
- Leave out food remains to observe overnight fly feeding.
Recording overnight fly traps and cameras provide the most precise activity analysis. But simple direct checks and listening for fly signs also gauge general activity levels when flies should be less active or absent.
How can you control flies at night?
Targeting fly behaviors at night can enhance control efforts:
- Treat daytime fly resting spots at night when undisturbed.
- Seal entry points like eaves at dusk when flies settle down.
- Deploy attractant traps at peak fly activity times overnight.
- Use a black light to locate night feeding and mating aggregations.
- Apply pesticide sprays at dawn and dusk when flies are most active.
- Release sterile male flies just before peak nighttime mating periods.
Integrating nighttime strategies into a comprehensive fly management plan limits reproductive, feeding, and resting opportunities when flies are most vulnerable.
Conclusion
While flies may seem to disappear at night, scientific observation shows they remain active after dark. Nighttime provides flies with cooler, safer conditions conducive for key behaviors like sleeping, mating, feeding, migrating, and disease transmission.
Knowledge of fly night habits allows for more informed monitoring and control of this ubiquitous pest. Targeting weak points in the fly nightly cycle can bring balance to the eternal conflict between human and fly domains.
