Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
scraps in rubbish. Pet food left outside is
also a common medium for fl esh fl y
development, as are any animal carcasses.
Flesh fl ies are medium-to-large fl ies and
usually have three dark thoracic stripes and
a mottled abdomen. Many of the common
species have a red tip on the abdomen.
These fl ies have a peculiar development.
The females retain their eggs within their
body until they are ready to hatch and
larviposit living larvae on the substrate, as
opposed to depositing eggs as other fl ies do.
Full development takes from 7 to 20 days
depending on the temperature and food
quality. Females can deposit between 30
and 200 larvae, which will develop on the
high-protein medium until just before
pupation. The larvae migrate to dry
substrate where they pupate.
Blow fl ies and bottle fl ies (Fig. 4.3)
usually have a metallic blue and/or green
thorax and abdomen. These fl ies are in the
family Calliphoridae and are usually the
fi rst fl ies to contact a carcass. The female
deposits between 150 and 200 eggs, and the
larvae develop consuming the decaying
fl esh. Rubbish containers can produce
>30,000 blow fl ies in a week when popu-
lations of these fl ies are left uncontrolled
and breeding medium is available. Develop-
ment also depends on temperature and
chemicals that may be contained in the
fl esh, and may take from 10 to 30 days.
The common green bottle fl y, Lucilia
sericata , a metallic green to copper green
colour fl y, is commonly found in carrion
and its larvae are abundant in dead animals
and human corpses. The presence of these
fl y maggots, their developmental stage and
other characteristics can be used in the
determination of time of death, potential
movement of corpses after death, and other
important facts used in forensic science and
criminal investigations. Larvae can also be
used in medical treatment of wounds (i.e.
maggot therapy) owing to their ability to
remove dead tissue and produce anti-
microbial enzymes in the wound that
accelerate the healing process (Rueda et al .,
2010).
Black soldier fl ies , Hermetia illucens
(Fig. 4.4), are slender dark fl ies that resemble
Fig. 4.3. Bottle fl y.
 
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