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Asked by Doug. Answered by The Get to Know Team.
Flies reproduce by laying eggs. They go through a transformation or metamorphosis of egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The reason that there are lots of flies in your house is probably because house flies are very quick at multiplying.
Many eggs are laid in places like old meat, dung, or pond water to provide food for the larvae. An egg hatches into a tiny greyish-white maggot. After it is about a week old, the maggot is about 12 mm long. It then pupates (turns into a pupa) inside its skin and makes a brown case like a cocoon. For the next four or five days, it turns into an adult fly inside its case. The fly then busts out of the case, expands its crumply wings, and flies away to mate! House flies live for about 10 to 25 days.
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