Lordy, the Flies

The old Boggy Thicket has been invaded by flies.

We haven’t been inundated by huge swarms of them, but when one is too many, a few still qualifies as an invasion.

The insects in question are Green Bottle Flies, a big, fat critter about twice the size of your average housefly.  They are a brilliant iridescent green, and if their habits weren’t so disgusting, they might even be considered attractive.  Well, that may be going a bit too far, but they are a pretty color.

According to the Orkin Pest Control website, Green Bottle Flies are common around farms.  The adults lay their eggs in feces, or in dead or wounded animals.  They seem to be particularly fond of dog crap. They are also common around privies, and the vault toilets found in national forests and parks.

Their only saving grace is that their maggots are being used successfully in hospitals to treat necrotic wounds.

The ones we’ve seen so far have confined themselves to our bathrooms, but I’m not sure why – we do have running water, and we can and do flush our toilets. 

We have no idea where they are coming from or how they’re getting in, but none of them have made it out alive. So far, I’ve killed two in the bathroom off the hall, and Honey has become a fly-killing ACE, having zapped six of them in the bath off the master bedroom.

These flies are definitely green – not blue – but since the first one appeared a week or so ago, I keep catching myself humming Jimmy Crack Corn.