Bottle Fly Life Cycle

The bottle fly is a species of the common blow fly, which is found in almost all habitats of the world. While flying, these flies produce a characteristic buzzing sound. They are scavengers and feed on dead and decayed organic matter, meat, feces, etc. Nevertheless, when there is shortage of decayed organic matter, the female feeds on the nectar of strong fragrant flowers for laying healthy eggs. Thus, these flies play a major role as pollinators in the ecosystem. Coming to the bottle fly life cycle, it is similar to that of other flies and comprises four successive stages.

Life Cycle of a Bottle Fly

Bottle flies are predominant types of large flying insects, in which the adults can be identified easily from their green or blue metallic coloration. Blue and green bottle flies are categorized based on the body color. To be precise, the blue bottle fly life cycle and green bottle fly life cycle are similar to the life cycle of the common bottle fly. Let's take a look at the facts about the bottle fly as regards its life cycle.

First Stage: Egg
The female bottle fly lays about 130-180 eggs at a time. The eggs are small and pale gray or yellowish in color. Depending upon the prevailing climatic condition and temperature, bottle fly eggs hatch into larvae within two to three days. In warm temperature conditions, the eggs may hatch within 10 hours after laying.

Second Stage: Larva
The next stage in the bottle fly life cycle is the larva, which measures to about 10-14 millimeters in length and appears pale white in color. The larval stage of bottle fly may last for 2-10 days, while passing through three larval instars. The bottle fly larva is also referred to as a maggot. This maggot feeds voraciously only on dead organic matter, while leaving live organisms. After the growing stops, the grubs start searching for dry pupation areas.

Third Stage: Pupa
Within a few days, the bottle fly larva matures and pupates in a dry place. The resulting cocoons have a tough, brown color covering. As compared to other flies, the pupation stage of a bottle fly is very long (about 2 weeks). During low temperature conditions, a pupa may take about three weeks to emerge into an adult bottle fly.

Fourth Stage: Adult
The adult bottle fly measures to about 1/4-inch to 3/8-inch in length. Depending upon the species, the adult color may be metallic green, blue, bronze or copper. Adults become sexually mature within 2 weeks after emerging. Following mating, the female bottle fly breeds in damp areas, compost bins and unprotected wounds of animals. Thus, the life cycle of the bottle fly starts again. Within one year, usually 3-4 generations of bottle flies are completed.

Well! This was in regards to the bottle fly life cycle. During cold climatic conditions, the pupae and adults hibernate until the temperature is warm and favorable. In general, the life span of bottle flies is about 3 weeks, which may be shortened in warmer areas. Bottle flies are mostly found outdoors. In case, you find bottle flies indoors, check for the infestation sites of these flies. Besides scavenging the dead organic matter, bottle flies are also carriers of disease causing microbes. Hence, they are often considered as a serious pest. If necessary, you can hire professional pest control services to get rid of these pests.