Livestock Management Insect Pests

The oriental blow fly was first collected in Kona, Ha-waii, by Grimshaw in 1892 and is now found through-out the Hawaiian islands up to about 4000 feet eleva-tion. Public health concern The oriental blow fly carries intestinal pathogens and will invade diseased tissue. It causes public complaints when large numbers emerge from animal carcasses or garbage. Larval age is used in forensic entomology to determine the postmortem interval. Hosts Feed on human and livestock excreta, fish, meats, or-ganic garbage, anything sweet. and dead carcasses Livestock concern Can become a nuisance at poultry facilities due to dead birds and broken eggs. Hog operations generate blow flies from wet garbage. Description Large fly, over 3⁄8 inches long. Adults are bright metallic green with black margins on the second and third abdominal segments. Adult flies have large red eyes, almost touching in the front of the face on the males. The face below the eyes is yellow to orange. Life cycle Growth stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The period from egg to adult takes only 8–9 days. A female fly will lay 150–300 eggs in each batch. The larval and pupal stages each lasts about 4 days