Species category: Flying pest

Family: Calliphoridae

Typically, blue, black or green these insects have a metallic sheen. They are slightly larger than common house flies but have some similarities. Larvae of most species are scavengers of dead animals, flesh and dung

There are 119 species of blowflies prevalent all across India. Some species are native while most are present in other temperate and tropical regions of the world. Common Indian urban blowfly pest species include; Isomyia, Bengalia, Chrysomya, Lucilia, Stomorhina and Rhyncomya belonging to the family Calliphoridae.

Blowflies can travel for miles in search of the perfect egg laying site and will stay close to that site, laying multiple batches of eggs. They are often on the scene of an animal death within a very short space of time.

The term 'blow' refers to the tendency of this insect group to lay their eggs (oviposit) or lay live larvae (larviposit) on human food, dead animals or animal waste.

Blowflies feed on a variety of foods but the larvae more commonly live on decomposing organic matter. They play an important role in the breakdown of animal tissue. Maggots found in exposed meat or animal carcasses are almost always from blowfly species. Presence of Sarcophagid adults indicates a dead animal is nearby.

Due to their lifestyle and preference for decaying organic matter, blowflies are vectors of a wide variety of pathogens of harmful diseases. They transmit diseases and bacterial infections to both humans and animals.

Certain species are particularly harmful to sheep if they access an open wound. They eat the decaying flesh of the wound and inflame it, in some cases causing blood poisoning.