Green Bottle Flies
Common Name
Scientific Name
Blow Flies or Bottle Flies
Calliphora species or Phaenicia speicies
Identification:
The Blow Fly or Bottle Fly, also known as the greenbottle/bluebottle fly, are the common “house fly,” noted for their blue and green metallic coloration. They also make the well known buzzing noise when they fly. The Blow fly is rather large measuring 3/8 to 7/8 of an inch long. They are partially or wholly metallic blue, green, bronze, brassy or black and have sponging-sucking mouth parts. The mature larvae, also known as maggots, are 3/8 to 7/8 inches long, eyeless, legless, and tapering narrower towards the pointed head from the large rounded rear segment. The head contains a pair of dark mouth hooks. The larvae are pale yellow to white and breath through spiracles (breathing pores) found at the rear of the body.
Biology:
When a female blow fly finds a place to lay her eggs, which is normally a dead or decaying animal, in garbage containing meat scraps, or animal excrement, she can lay 40 to 1,000 eggs at a time. The pale yellow or gray eggs hatch within two to three days, depending on temperature, the result is larvae. Within two to ten days, larvae seek pupation sites, from which they eventually emerge as adult flies.
Habits:
Most blow fly larvae feed in carrion or other decaying organic matter. These flies are usually the first insects to arrive and infest after an animal dies. They often infest wounds of sheep, goats, cattle, and other animals. Unkempt sheep are particularly subject to attack. Adult blow flies are attracted to nectar, carrion, garbage, and other refuse and soggy, bloody or soiled hair, fur, or wool.
