Flies, gnats, maggots, midges, mosquitoes, keds, bots, etc. are
all common names for members of the order Diptera . This
diversity of names documents the importance of the group to man
and reflects the range of organisms in the order. The order is
one of the four largest groups of living organisms. There are
more known flies than vertebrates. These insects are a major
component of virtually all non-marine ecosystems. Only the cold
arctic and antarctic ice caps are without flies. The economic
importance of the group is immense. One need only consider the
ability of flies to transmit diseases. Mosquitoes and black
flies are responsible for more human suffering and death than
any other group of organisms except for the transmitted
pathogens and man! Flies also destroy our food, especially
grains and fruits. On the positive side of the ledger, outside
their obviously essential roles in maintaining our ecosystem,
flies are of little direct benefit to man. Some are important as
experimental animals (Drosophila ) an