Green bottle fly

(Lucilia ssp.)

Biology:

Green bottle flies are approximately 10 mm long. The creatures are shiny and golden green in colour. The maggots can still develop to some extent at refrigerator temperatures. Their lifestyle is similar to that of the bluebottle.

In trade, the larvae of the green bottle fly are referred to as “pinkies”. They are used as fishing bait and are a popular feed for animals in terrariums.

Germ-free “pinkies” which have been cultured in special laboratories can be used for wound therapy. This type of treatment was reduced when penicillin was discovered; however, it has been used again in medical applications for a few years. This will take some getting used to for patients, but treatments have proven to be successful and it is increasing in significance as resistance to antibiotics is growing.

 

Damage:

It causes the same damage as the bluebottle. The green bottle fly is both a nuisance and causes significant problems in terms of hygiene as the females specifically lay their eggs on animal-based foodstuffs. As a result, the green bottle fly plays a key role in the spreading of human-pathogenic germs, which can cause salmonellosis, typhoid, paratyphoid, summer diarrhoea and cholera.