Why Won’t Flies Leave You in Peace and Must Land on Your Face?
They buzz and swarm with devilish determination. And no matter how hard you try to swat them away, the pesky flies keep returning to land on your food, arms, and, most annoyingly, your face. Flies have plagued humans since ancient times, tormenting us with their constant buzzing and relentless landings.
They have perfected the art of ruining a peaceful moment with their infuriating habit of landing on the most sensitive parts of our anatomy — our eyes, nose, lips, and ears. These are some reasons flies like landing on your face and not anywhere else.
Odor and Sweat
The surface of your face produces a lot of sebaceous oil, which helps keep your skin hydrated and protected. This oily secretion contains fatty acids, triglycerides, wax esters, and squalene that flies can detect using their antennae chemoreceptors. Flies have over 100 different odorant receptor genes that allow them to perceive the complex chemical blend emanating from your facial oils and sweat.
Flies are especially attracted to the lactic acid and ammonia produced by sweat on your forehead, eyelids, nose, and around your mouth. As your facial sweat evaporates, it releases propionic acid and butanoic acid that flies find enthralling. The moisture from your exhalations and tears also increases the volatility of these odor molecules, spreading them toward flying flies seeking a meal and a place to lay eggs. The warmer temperature of your facial skin provides the ideal conditions to fully stimulate the olfactory centers of flies, causing them to land on your face.
Carbon Dioxide
One of the main ways flies locate their next meal is by following the carbon dioxide that animals produce when breathing and through their skin. Thanks to your nose and mouth continuously exhaling, your face creates a high concentration of carbon dioxide that flies can detect from far away. Flies have specialized carbon dioxide receptors that detect tiny changes in the concentration of this compound and guide them directly to breathing animals as a food source.
The carbon dioxide wafting from your nose and mouth mixes with the odor molecules already rising from your face. The combination forms a potent attractant signal for flies seeking a place to land and feed. This combination of odor, carbon dioxide, and warmth makes your face a beacon that flies can zero in on from across the room.
Moisture
Flies strongly prefer humid environments because of how moisture interacts with their anatomy and biology. Flies swallow and spit up liquids constantly due to the structures in their mouthparts. They also breathe through a trachea which opens to the outside and absorbs moisture from the air.
When a fly lands on your face, they find a wealth of moist crevices that support their physiological needs. Saliva, mucus, and tears provide the perfect combination of moisture and weak acids that flies can absorb and use for their digestive and respiratory systems. Moist mucous membranes ignite their physical dependence on damp surfaces.
Body Heat
When flies land on your face, they seek out one of their favorite resources: body heat. Flies are cold-blooded invertebrates, meaning they rely heavily on absorbing heat from their surroundings. Your face radiates heat that they find irresistible and use to regulate their body temperature.
Flies will land on areas with many capillaries close to the skin’s surface to absorb more heat. Given our higher body temperature, our faces and heads are like heat lamps to them. Even our breath provides warm moisture that only adds to the allure, helping flies warm up quickly to become more active and fly away in search of food.
Curiosity and Exploration
Flies land on humans’ faces for the same reasons they explore other surfaces: curiosity and exploration. As part of their nature, flies enjoy exploring new objects and surfaces to gather sensory information. Flies taste, smell, feel, and see using chemicals, hairs, and eyes on their bodies and appendages.
When a fly lands on your face, it carefully investigates the texture of your skin as it searches for a place to hide, get food, or lay eggs using chemical cues. These actions ultimately satisfy its innate drive for environmental exploration and information gathering. Your face presents novel textures, smells, and crevices that pique a fly’s curiosity and instinct to investigate its surroundings.
How to Keep Annoying Flies Away?
Flies can be a major annoyance in the summer months, buzzing around you while you’re trying to relax or eat. Here are four effective methods to keep them away:
- Use Essential Oils: Flies hate the smell of certain essential oils. The most effective are peppermint, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and citronella. You can rub some essential oil on your skin or place aroma diffuser beads around your outdoor or indoor space.
- Set Up Fly Traps: Traps containing apple cider vinegar or sugar water will attract flies and trap them. Commercial fly traps are also available. You can place them around entrances, doorways, and where flies gather.
- Keep Food Covered: Flies love food waste and leftovers. Store food in sealed containers, and empty the trash regularly. Wipe up any spills immediately. Consider using mesh covers for items like fruit bowls.
- Install Screens: Keeping flies out of your home starts with properly sealing and screening doors and windows. Make sure screens are tightly fitted and free of tears or holes. Replace any damaged screens to help block flies from entering your residence.
Conclusion
Now you know what you can do to fight the constant menace of flies zeroing in on your face at the most inopportune of moments. Even though their behavior may seem annoying, it all comes down to essential body function between you and them. Armed with the knowledge shared here, you should have what you need to keep their buzzing and face-landing antics at bay.
