Nature’s Calling – Blow fly
Flies are some of those pesky insects that most of us love to hate, as they are filthy, disease-carrying pests. But are they all bad?
There are many hundreds of thousands of different fly species and there are many hundreds of different life cycles and feeding habits for them. For this article I am going to concentrate on the blow fly, which is by far the most common fly species around. Coincidentally there are about 1 200 different blow fly species known to science.
Simply because of their life cycle, their choices of food and the way in which they feed, blow flies spread various nasty diseases. It still remains a good idea to not let flies sit on food that you intend to eat as flies regurgitate some of their last meal onto the food that they are going to eat. This aids them in feeding, however, it also spreads disease.
Did you know that the blow fly is a very important tool in forensic science? These flies can smell carrion up to 1.6km away and hone in on the carcass to lay its eggs. The larvae hatches and feeds on the rotting flesh. By knowing the exact life cycle of each fly species, a forensic scientist can determine how long a body has been dead for.
Did you know that blow flies are also important in the medical field? Scientists have figured out how to use the flies’ fetish for rotting flesh to their advantage. Specially bred, sterile blow fly maggots are used to treat wounds on patients that will not heal.
The maggots get to work, feeding on only the dead decaying flesh, but also dealing with whatever infections there may be. In doing this, the wound can heal properly and new flesh can begin to grow.
So the blow fly is not all bad actually. The beauty of the fly is something I always try to use as a metaphor for life. If this fly can turn out to look so beautiful and it started its life in a pile of poo, how much more beautiful can your life become, no matter where you may find yourself today. With a bit of faith and God’s help, your life can also turn into something beautiful.
If you would like to make contact with Warren to have some of your interesting insects, snakes or spiders identified, send him a WhatsApp message or call him on 072-211-0353.
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