San Juan Horseshoe: In Defense of Flies

Since the beginning of the summer I have heard nothing but complaints about these bothersome insects that we call flies. Granted, they are rather obvious and painfully persistent. Maybe it’s because there seem to be so many of them and they all look the same (at least to humans).

Let’s get to the meat here.

Fly-related commerce satellites such as the fly swatter, fly paper, repellent, sprays, screens, and nets, not to mention an assortment of fly fishing equipment might not exist if not for these little balls of buzzing snot.
Do flies not deserve their place in the sun?

Let’s talk about deer flies. The kind that often bites off more than they can chew. They attack livestock, people, horses…ah yes, horses. Would these proud animals have such glorious tails without the presence of flies?
And what of cleanup operations?

Without becoming terribly graphic: Flies are great little janitors cleaning up everything from leftover picnic items to poop. Who else would ant this job? Not the bees or spiders that everyone is so quick to protect. Not mammals. Not most birds.

Flies are an important variable in population control, feces transportation and garbage management. They do not cause traffic jams, rob liquor stores, start bar fights or insist on holding on to destructive or trite opinions.

People do these things but it’s probably against some archaic law to smash humans with a fly swatter.

Flies are excellent athletes and dancers (quick and able to avert disaster). Their eyesight rivals that of the ostrich and the rhinoceros. They are not good arm wrestlers but make up for that shortcoming with adeptness and the speed of divine proportions. They can also walk on ceilings.

As a source of food flies maintain a strong influence on toads, wasps, dragonflies, damselflies, preying mantises, hummingbirds, ducks, domestic cats, sparrows, shrews, robins, bats, skunks and geckos as well as an assortment of carnivorous plants like the Venus Fly Trap. Also bears eat maggots and salamanders eat fly larva. Would we have these animals starve?

So the next time that familiar buzzing is about to drive you nuts try a little tolerance. Catch the fly and place it outside so that it can come back in at first opportunity. Clean any caught fly so it is free of disease. Welcome these creatures of God with a little sugar on the counter and when the flies land don’t wave at it like a moron. Instead encourage it with a sound slap on the back.