Scorpion Fly Facts & Information

What Orkin Does

Orkin Pros are trained to help manage flies and similar pests. Since every building or home is different, your Orkin Pro will design a unique program for your situation.

Keeping flies out of homes and buildings is an ongoing process, not a one-time treatment. Your Orkin Pro can provide the right solution to keep flies in their place...out of your home, or business.

Appearance

Scorpion flies are so called due to the males of one family (Panorpidae) having enlarged abdomen and genitalia, which resemble a scorpion’s tail and stinger.

• Stinger: Scorpion flies are so called due to the males of one family (Panorpidae) having enlarged abdomen and genitalia, which resemble a scorpion’s tail and stinger.

• Wings: Scorpion flies have two pairs of wings

• Legs: Strong pair of hind legs, which they use to catch prey.

However, despite their double set of wings, scorpion flies generally fly slowly and in erratic patterns.

Bites

Although scorpion flies appear alarming, they are not known to harm humans. They also seldom breed in large groups, preferring instead to live in single, mated pairs.

Diet

Depending on the species, some scorpion fly larvae may be predatory. Others feed on moist, decomposing organic matter, which can include carrion.

Reproduction & Life Cycle

Larvae resemble small caterpillars, with compound eyes and short antennae. During pupation, the scorpion fly buries itself into loose soil, emerging as an adult fly.

Scorpion fly mating and feeding rituals are of interest to the scientific community. Females select their partners based on gift offerings of prey. Scorpion flies are also known as hanging flies, as they sometimes hang suspended from a plant branch in order to blend into their surroundings. They then pounce on smaller insects.