HORTICULTURE

Detailed explanation-1: -In warm weather, blowfly eggs hatch to maggots in 1 to 3 days. If both warmth and moisture are present, eggs may hatch in less than 12 hours.

Detailed explanation-2: -Adult female blow flies arrive within minutes to lay eggs on a cadaver. Each deposits about 250 eggs in the natural openings of the body and open wounds. The eggs hatch into first-stage maggots within 24 hours.

Detailed explanation-3: -Blow fly life cycle typically takes 3 – 4 weeks depending on the species. The life cycle is broken up into three distinct stages, the egg, the larvae and the adult. The larva stage is the most readily recognized and when all the food consumption is accomplished.

Detailed explanation-4: -Eggs take eight to 20 hours to hatch and reach the first of three larval stages. During this part of the fly life cycle, larvae are also referred to as maggots. Maggots grow rapidly and must molt, or shed a layer of skin, before each larval stage.

Detailed explanation-5: -Each female fly can lay up to 500 eggs in several batches of 75 to 150 eggs over a three to four day period. The number of eggs produced is a function of female size which, itself, is principally a result of larval nutrition.