CHEESE SKIPPER

(HAM SKIPPER)

Cheese skipper biology, identification, image, control tips and products for eliminating cheese skippers or ham skippers.

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Cheese skipper eggs are usually laid on the surface of overripe or moldy cheese or on meat which is slightly putrid.  Cheese skipper (also known as Ham Skipper) larvae can also be found in grease, feces and  human cadavers.   They can move about by peristaltic movements of the body as do other fly larvae, and also by sudden, snapping movements of the body which may cause them to jump or skip as much as 10 inches, thus the common name "skipper."

• Cheese Skipper Identification

• Life Cycle of Cheese Skipper

• Cheese Skipper Elimination

• Fly Control Products

Cheese Skipper Identification

Adult Cheese Skippers are black with bronze tints on the thorax.  The eyes of this small fly are reddish-brown and the slightly iridescent wings are held flat over the body when at rest.  The entire body is only about half the size of that of the common house fly.

Click   to enlarge Cheese Skipper image.

Life Cycle of Cheese Skipper

The adult fly feeds on juices found in areas where they prefer to breed, living just long enough to mate and lay eggs.  The female cheese skipper will lay approximately 140 eggs on her food source.  The small larvae tend to gather together and feed in one place, burrowing into their food source to avoid light.  When mature, larvae leave the food material and seek a dark, dry place to pupate.  Under normal to ideal conditions, the cheese skipper larvae complete their development in about five days.   It takes as little as 15 days for this fly to develop from egg to mature adult.

Cheese Skipper Elimination

Space sprays and fogging are used to knock down existing populations of adult flies, but sanitation is the most important aspect in the control of cheese skippers.  All surfaces in storage areas should be thoroughly cleaned to remove all meat or cheese scraps, crumbs or grease.   Surface sprays are not recommended for the control and elimination of Cheese Skippers.