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| Blow-flies have a preference for strongly smelling organic substances. Their mouth parts form a proboscis with which they can lick. They feed on nectar, pollen, honeydew, fungi, carrion and food waste.
Blow-flies usually lay their eggs (up to several hundred at one time) in strongly smelling organic substances such as feces or carrion. The excretions of the larvae can be problematic for humans. therefore meat which has been in contact with them should not be eaten. Due to the fact that they carry germs, blow flies are known to spread diseas... | | |
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| Brachycera feed on living or dead organic matter. Due to a high mortality rate Brachycera have to lay eggs very often in order to survive but their birth rate depends on the climate and food supply.
Flies are capable of adapting to their environment. This allows them to walk on flat sur... | | |
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| All beetles use virtually any organic food source however the larvae have a completely different diet to the adults. Beetles can be classified according to what they eat. There are two types coprophagous and necrophagous. The former feed on excrement (earth-boring dung beetles) and th... | | |
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| The diet of Muscidae differs from species to species. There are parasites, blood suckers and also flower visitors. Then there are species that suck fluids of various kinds. Others feed on dead organic material and on the fungi which live within. There are species which live from feces and others which tunnel into plants, eating from their substance.
The larvae live in soil, some also in water. The larval phase ( in total 3 stages) lasts for... | | |
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| Soldier flies | | ...mens are wide and flattened. When the wings are in resting position the sides of the abdomen are not covered. Some species have spikes on the end of their chests.
Soldier flies prefer forest areas. They suck on flowers, eat pollen or live off organic substances from animals. Some species live near water in which their larvae develop.
The females lay their eggs on rotting plants, aquatic plants, or on the water’ssurface.
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| The larvae of Helophilus pendulus are called rat-tailed maggots and live in muddy waters (including slurry pits) where they feed on rotting organic substrates. They breathe through a long ‘snorkel’ attached to the end of their abdomen which runs to the surface of the water. | | |
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| Many insects play an important role in the remineralization of organic substances in soil as they decompose corpses or dead plants. Other species eat live plant parts or feed on other insects or small prey animals. Some species of insects like bees collect nectar or pollen, and thus make an important contributio... | | |
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| Flat-footed flies feed on organic deposits on the leaves of trees and herbage. The females commonly lay their eggs on tree fungi. Oviposition also occurs on dead or decaying wood. The hatching larvae then feed on these materials. The larvae reach body lengths of 4-5 mm. Their y... | | |
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| Paraplatypeza atra live on the organic debris from trees and herb leaves. The females lay their eggs on fungi, which the larvae feed on. The deer mushroom (Pluteus cervinus) is preferred. The larvae reach body lengths of 4-5 mm. Their yellow to brown bodies are shaped like isopods and ha... | | |
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| ...standing or slowly flowing, vegetation-rich waters and are found from May to August in the mountains as well as in the lowlands. Egg laying takes place in ponds, pools, puddles, canals and ditches. The larvae hatch immediately They feed on dead organic material and algae. At the end of the larval period the males of the new generation leave the banks and fly into forests, while the females remain close to the water. | | |
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