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Sticker of Vagabond cluster fly
Bug card No. 4531 of 4,939

Vagabond cluster fly

Pollenia vagabunda

The vagabond cluster fly is a fly that lives all over Europe. A vagabond is someone who wanders from place to place. This fly has travelled far too, all the way to North America.

Lives in
Europe, and North America from the east coast to British Columbia
Top speed
about 8 km/h (5 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
It is found on dead animals, which many flies like it visit for food.
For real!Photo of Vagabond cluster fly
Picture by James K. Lindsey. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It belongs to a family of flies called cluster flies, which are related to blow flies.

2

It was first found in North America in 1958.

3

Today it lives across North America, all the way from the east coast to British Columbia in Canada.

you asked

Most asked questions about Vagabond cluster fly

?Where does the vagabond cluster fly live?

It is common in Europe and has spread across North America too.

?Is the vagabond cluster fly dangerous?

No. It does not bite or sting.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Pollenia vagabunda
Group
Flies and mosquitoes
Family
Polleniidae
Classification
Insecta > Diptera > Polleniidae
Lives on
Europe, North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Pollenia vagabunda (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by James K. Lindsey. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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