Fly ID help needed

tigerbabe · #1 (**permalink**) 14-11-2009, 01:11 PM

This is my first post here so hello everyone

I currently have these flies in the shed that my rabbits live in
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...6/P1160846.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...6/P1160855.jpg

Flies near rabbits are a big worry, due to the possibility of flystrike so I'm in a bit of a panic.
These flies are smaller / thinner than the flies that are about in summer (I assume those are house flies..?), and my OH says they're bodies are brown. They seem to have little interest in the rabbits litter trays but are very attracted to the fluorescent light bulb. In fact there's usually only one or two to be seen until the light goes on and then within minutes they seem to multiply and are always on the light.

I had trouble getting pictures of them so I hope these are good enough, if not I'll be happy to try again.
Any help would be very much appreciated

Jason Green · #2 (**permalink**) 14-11-2009, 01:26 PM

Hi TB, and welcome to WAB

Hmmm... interesting ones there! I'm not too sure which they are, but I doubt they'll be interested in your rabbits now. Bulbs attract a range of insects including moths. Back to your flies' species then. Maybe they are from the Fanniidae family (Sorry, biological classification stuff) which includes the Lesser Houseflies, but I doubt this is your's. Flies and other insects at this time of year tend to come inside to hibernate for the winter, so maybe this is where they are coming from. Do you know how they got inside?

I'll give it some more thought.

Take care,

Jason

tigerbabe · #3 (**permalink**) 14-11-2009, 02:04 PM

Thanks for the welcome Jason

I have a fly net up at the shed door but it has an air vent which isn't so that's a possibility, and I'll be putting some netting up at it now.
I don't know where they are in there when the light isn't on though

I think I'll have to move everything out and have a thorough look.

ChrisR · #4 (**permalink**) 14-11-2009, 05:58 PM

I think fly strike is usually caused by greenbottle blow-flies, like Lucillia sp., and when I saw sheep with fly strike that was the only genus represented.

I am not sure what the flies in the photos are but they are not related to houseflies or blow flies so I think your rabbits are fairly safe

Jason Green · #5 (**permalink**) 14-11-2009, 06:27 PM

I have a nagging thought at the back of my head about this one... is it a Sciomyzid fly? That's a Marsh or Snail-killing Fly, generally TB. 'Sciomyzid' is based on Sciomyzidae - the scientific family these flies belong to.

ChrisR · #6 (**permalink**) 14-11-2009, 07:05 PM

Yeah, sciomyzids have that wide, flat top of the head but I think a few other families look similar - heliomyzids etc ... but I am grasping at straws.