Fly Research and Conservation Virtual Symposium

True flies (order Diptera) are insects with a single functional pair of wings, with the second pair modified into halteres that help with balance and agile flight. Ecologically, flies play major roles as pollinators, decomposers, and key links in food webs, breaking down organic matter and recycling nutrients. Some species are also important disease vectors, while others help control pests by preying on or parasitising them. Beyond ecology, flies have practical applications in forensics (estimating time of death), medicine (maggot therapy for wound cleaning), and science, where fruit flies are classic model organisms in genetics.