"Why Do" Wednesday - Why Do Flies Rub Their Front And Back Limbs Together?

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Have you ever seen a fly land in front of you and start rubbing their hands and feet together?  Either  they are getting ready for a tasty meal or planning something devious or both...?  So why do they do this?  Well the answer is simple, they are cleaning themselves.


Flies are actually quite complex and they have many sensory capabilities.  They have very compound eyes that include thousands of individual visual receptors that all act as individual eyes.  Their antenna detect smells and the hairs on the ends of their legs act as taste buds.

It's complicated business to keep all these sensors working properly.  So when they land they clean these all off.  You will see them rubbing their front and hind limbs together and rubbing their eyes and antenna.  They have to keep them all clean so they avoid predators, find food and find locations to lay their eggs.

One good thing about this need for them to clean themselves is it creates the perfect opportunity to swat them with a fly swatter!  So clean away my little fly friends, so I can swat you! lol


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