Blowflies
Family Calliphoridae
Large, often metallic green, blue or bronze flies that breed in meat and dead animals. A sudden swarm indoors usually means something has died nearby.
- Size
- 8–12 mm
- Colour
- Metallic green, blue or bronze
- Breeds in
- Meat and carcasses
- Swarm indoors means
- Often a dead animal nearby
Questions about the Blowflies
How to identify a Blowflies
Identification
- About 8–12 mm, larger and louder than house flies.
- Shiny metallic green, blue or bronze body in many species.
- Maggots are cream, tapered at one end, and crawl away to pupate.
Where it lives
- Dead animals, including rodents or possums in roof voids and walls.
- Meat scraps in bins, pet food and compost.
Behaviour
- Detect the smell of a carcass from a long distance and arrive within hours.
- Indoors, gather at windows trying to get out.
Why it matters
Many blowflies inside at once usually point to a dead animal in the wall, roof or sub-floor. See why there are suddenly lots of flies.
Some species strike sheep and other animals; blowflies also contaminate food.
Commonly confused with
More questions about flies
All fly questions →Other fly species
Vinegar Fly ("Fruit Fly")
Drosophila spp.
Tiny tan flies with red eyes that hover around fruit bowls, bins and drains. Often called fruit flies, but different from the Queensland fruit fly, which attacks fruit on trees.
Drain Fly (Moth Fly)
Family Psychodidae
Small, fuzzy, moth-like flies that breed in the organic slime lining drains and appear on bathroom and laundry walls.
Fly guides
Common Brisbane Household Pests
A Brisbane-specific overview of the pests residents meet most often, when they are active, and what the subtropical climate, storms, creeks and Queenslander homes mean for pest pressure.
GuidePest Prevention Checklist
A printable seasonal checklist of simple, low-cost tasks that reduce pests around Australian homes, with the reason behind each step and extra lists for renters, apartment residents, pet owners and Queenslander owners.
GuideUnderstanding Pest Activity After Rain
Why storms and wet weather bring cockroaches, ants, mosquitoes and spiders into homes, what to expect in the days and weeks afterwards, and what to do before and after rain and floods.
Flies by location
More about flies
Flies
Two-winged insects that breed in rotting organic matter. House flies, blowflies, vinegar flies and drain flies each point to a different breeding source, and finding that source is the key to getting rid of them.
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Sources & further reading
- Australian Museum — insects and spiders — Australian Museum
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand — food safety and pest control — FSANZ
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