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Sticker of Hairy maggot blow fly
Bug card No. 2156 of 4,939

Hairy maggot blow fly

Chrysomya rufifacies
Eats: Leftovers and dead thingsFlies and mosquitoesHouses and farms6 legs

The hairy maggot blow fly is a shiny fly that glitters metallic blue and green. It loves hot weather. Its maggots have soft, fleshy bumps all along their bodies, which make them look hairy.

Lives in
Warm places in many parts of the world, including India and Australia
Length
0.6 to 1.2 cm (0.24 to 0.47 in)
Top speed
about 9.8 km/h (6.1 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Can spread germs
It does not bite or sting, but it can carry germs from dirty places onto food. Keep food covered and wash your hands.
What does it eat?
It is drawn to rotting meat, dung, fruit and rubbish. Its maggots grow up in dead animals and help clean them away.
For real!Photo of Hairy maggot blow fly
Picture by James Niland. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Hairy maggot blow fly about 1.2 cm long (0.47 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)
as long as 2 grains of rice in a rowcould fly across a whole football pitch in 39 secondsmoves 230 times its own body length every second

How big is Hairy maggot blow fly compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

A female lays about 210 eggs at a time.

2

Its maggots can move around inside their wriggling group to find the spot with just the right warmth.

3

Its babies grow at a very steady speed, so scientists who solve mysteries use them like a little clock.

4

Doctors have even used its maggots to help clean a bad infection in a patient's bone.

5

A grown-up fly lives for about 23 to 30 days.

you asked

Most asked questions about Hairy maggot blow fly

?Why is it called the hairy maggot blow fly?

Because its maggots are covered in fleshy bumps that make them look hairy.

?Is the hairy maggot blow fly dangerous?

It does not bite or sting, but it can spread germs. Keep food covered and wash your hands.

?How big is the hairy maggot blow fly?

The grown-up fly is about 6 to 12 millimetres long.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Chrysomya rufifacies
Named by
Macquart, 1842
Group
Flies and mosquitoes
Family
Calliphoridae
Classification
Insecta > Diptera > Calliphoridae
Lives on
Asia, Australia and Oceania

Where the facts come from

  1. Chrysomya rufifacies (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 Niland. CC BY 2.0, 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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