PEST NAME :  BLUEBOTTLE or BLOWFLY (Calliphora vicini; Calliphora vomitoria)

SIZE, SHAPE AND COLOUR :  11mm long. Wingspan 25mm. Bristly body, dull metallic blue.  Stiff bluish transparent wings. Very large compound eyes.

BIOLOGY :   Adult flies mate and egg laying commences 4 days later. Eggs laid in clusters in fresh or older meat, meat products and offal.  Game singled out. Larvae moult 3 times and wander off to pupate anything up to 100 metres. Larvae grow to 18mm and the pupae is approximately 10mm and a dull mahogany brown.  The fly emerges 2 weeks later.

PREFERRED FOODS :  Any meat product especially game and bacon products.

HABITAT :  Meat processing plants, commercial canteens and any food processing factory.

For more information about different types of flies see below: