Cluster Flies

Pollenia

Cluster flies are small, fuzzy flies that often gather in groups. They like to find warm places to rest during the colder months and can sometimes be found buzzing around windows.

Lebensraum: Urban areas

Aussehen

The Cluster Fly has a greyish-olive thorax covered in golden-brown hairs and a darker abdomen with irregular pale patches. It is often larger and more sluggish than a common house fly, and can display an iridescent sheen under certain light.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungDipteraFamiliePolleniidaeGattungPollenia

Cluster Flies

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Did you know their babies grow inside earthworms? Gross but cool!

These flies have a secret weapon: they sometimes play dead to escape danger!

They often get mistaken for house flies, but cluster flies are bigger and slower.

When cold, hundreds of them huddle together like a fuzzy blanket.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Cluster Flies can parasitize earthworms because their larvae burrow into and develop inside the worms, helping control their populations.

Cluster Flies can survive winter by gathering in large, inactive groups in sheltered spots, conserving energy until warmer weather.

Cluster Flies can find earthworms to lay eggs nearby by sensing their scent in the soil, ensuring larvae have food.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 12-20 mm
Größe: 6-10 mm
Lebenserwartung: 10-30 Tage
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

Adult Cluster Flies sip on nectar and decaying fruit, while their larvae are worm-eaters!

Altersunterschiede: Larvae parasitize earthworms, while adults feed on plant sap and flower nectar.

Hauptnahrung

nectar
plant sap
decaying fruit
earthworms

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

parasitizes

Common Earthworm

Lumbricus terrestris

Larvae develop inside and feed on this common earthworm.

eaten by

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

Adult cluster flies are sometimes caught and eaten by sparrows.

eaten by

Black and Yellow Garden Spider

Arigiope aurantia

These spiders can catch adult cluster flies in their sticky webs.

Merkmale

Pelzig

Pelzig beschreibt Tiere, die eine dichte Schicht aus weichen Haaren oder Fell besitzen.

Sozial

Soziale Tiere leben in organisierten Gruppen und kooperieren, um ihr Überleben zu sichern, beispielsweise bei der Nahrungssuche, Verteidigung und Aufzucht der Jungen.

Zersetzer

Beschreibt Organismen, die totes organisches Material abbauen und Nährstoffe in das Ökosystem zurückführen.

Tagaktiv

Tagaktive Tiere sind hauptsächlich bei Tageslicht aktiv und ruhen oder schlafen in der Regel nachts.

Stadtangepasst

Dieses Lebensraummerkmal weist auf Arten hin, die in städtischen und vorstädtischen Umgebungen mit Menschen zusammenleben können und von Menschen geschaffene Strukturen sowie Grünflächen nutzen.