Lucilia sericata

Sometimes called the ‘Common Green Bottle Fly’ or the ‘Sheep Blow Fly’, it is one of the commonest and best known flies. Very distinctive with its metallic green colouring and dark bristles, but it can also have a metallic copper green tinge as well. It is often found basking on walls, fencing or vegetation. And it is also one that will readily enter houses. It is similar to other ‘greenbottle’ species, so care has to be taken in identification.

It can be seen most times of the year, but mainly during the summer months. Found in various habitats, but especially where there is human habitation. The females can lay many eggs which can result in a maggot infestation in exposed meat products. They can also infest sheep causing sheep strike, which is an invasion of living tissue which has to be treated quickly or the sheep may die.  Lucilia sericata is commonly used in human medical treatment of wounds, and is called ‘maggot therapy’. The larvae feed on dead tissue and bacteria which may cause infection. These maggots also play an important role in forensic science when trying to determine time of death.

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July 2017, rear garden, Staffordshire, England.