Bluebottle Flies: Leaving Filth In Your Food?

You've probably had bluebottle flies in your home at some point, as they are very common in Virginia. Learn more about the hazards they present and the best ways to keep them out of your living spaces.

Bluebottle flies can be found all over the world, but they are a real pest for Virginia residents. It's very likely you've had one (or more) of these flies buzzing around your home.

What Do Bluebottle Flies Look Like?

Are Bluebottle Flies Hazardous?

How Do I Keep Bluebottle Flies Out Of My Home?

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What Do Bluebottle Flies Look Like?

Overall, bluebottle flies look like a "typical" fly. However, there are a few distinguishing features. Bluebottle flies are usually larger than houseflies, around 1/2 inch long. They are easily distinguished by their metallic blue or greenish-blue shiny bodies. They also have large reddish colored eyes and large wings, measuring about an inch wingspan.

The bluebottle flies make a louder buzzing sound than a common housefly, which can also make them easier to distinguish. Their flight patterns can be erratic or circular and they are attracted to both light and rotting material.

Bluebottle flies have a quick lifecycle, making it from egg to adult in as little as two weeks in favorable circumstances. Eggs are laid in clusters on rotting organic matter or feces.

Are Bluebottle Flies Hazardous?

Because bluebottle flies are attracted to decay and waste, they are strong spreaders of disease. Flies will feed on rotting meat, carcasses, garbage, sewage, or excrement.

Disease gets spread in two ways. First, landing on these dirty surfaces to eat allows for the spread of germs and disease onto their bodies, which is then deposited wherever they land next. Second, the way bluebottle flies eat involves a process of liquefying the food by vomiting digestive fluids onto it and then slurping it back up.

Bluebottle flies will also feed on sugary substances, such as overripe fruit, sugary liquids, and pretty much anything organic. This means that any food you leave out can be covered in bluebottle fly vomit and bacteria from tiny pieces of feces, carcass, garbage... you get the picture. No one wants to picture eating that, even in tiny amounts. Even worse, these flies can cause food poisoning, e.coli, salmonella, cholera, dysentery, parasites, and even typhoid fever.

How Do I Keep Bluebottle Flies Out Of My Home?

Prevention is always better than treatment. Keep spills cleaned up, food covered, and garbage bags moved out regularly. Remove any rotting food or overripe fruit. If you see a large number of bluebottle flies, make every effort to determine the cause (likely spoiled meat or even a carcass) and eliminate it.

Seal up any cracks or gaps around doors and windows, repair holes in screens, and address any other entry points that may allow flies to find a way into your home. Keep the spaces around your home and yard tidy and free of rotting plants, trash, or spills.

Utilizing a professional pest control barrier year-round for your home and seasonally for your yard will go a long way in keeping flies from infesting your living spaces. If you do find yourself with an infestation, address the issue with a professional pest control company immediately.

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For information on more Virginia pests, check out our pest library and other blog posts