Photo by Drees. Its appearance resembles a housefly, Musca domestica , except that on closer examination, it bears a bayonet-like proboscis for piercing and sucking blood as does the horn fly. Development from egg to adult can occur in 33 to 36 days. Male and female stable flies occur around these areas but also away from livestock areas and in dwellings, biting humans and pets. They can transmit certain animal diseases.
Females lay eggs singly or in small clusters on the bottom edges of freshly passed cow manure.
Maggots hatch in 2-3 days and develop for 8 to 10 days before crawling to a drier area to form a puparium. Adults emerge in 6 to 8 days. Rate of development is slowed in cooler temperatures. Overwintering occurs in a true diapause state in the pupal stage. Populations are most severe in spring and early fall.