In the insect world there are a plethora of fascinating creatures fulfilling their own specific ecological niches all across the various ecosystems of this planet. Among these, you may have observed flies of metallic luster, colored blue or green or black, near garbage, filth, rotting meat, or even flowers that possess a pungent smell. These cosmopolitan Blowflies, belonging to order Diptera and family Calliphoridae, may seem filthy (and they actually are), yet they are actually quite useful.
The word ‘’Blow fly’’ comes from an olden English adage for meat that had their eggs laid on it, called ‘’fly blown’’. Aptly named as the maggots of blowflies are scavengers of carrion and dung. The meat which has blowfly larvae on it appears to be blown …show more content…
You may be shocked to read that in certain areas blow flies are actually more efficient pollinators than honeybees. These areas being the flowers of plants that give off pungent, rotten odours e.g. onion and cabbage. Another thing to consider is that blow fly pollinators have better pollination efficiency in greenhouses compared to most other pollinators. They are easy to rear and maintain, and it helps that their preferred plants are mostly planted in greenhouses.
Not only greenhouse crops, but fruit orchards as well are considered as quite suitable for pollination by blowflies. Studies have confirmed that there is a positive impact between the weight, quality & quantity of mangos and their pollination by blowflies. Another study showed that for orchids, while bumble bees were more efficient pollinators, they also visited less compared to blowflies, thus more pollination was done by blowflies despite them being less efficient.
Regarding flower preference, we can conclude that in general flies are attracted to flowers of simple shape, pale colour, and pungent odours. The nectar must be easily obtainable for the flies, and the plant's sexual organs well exposed if pollen transfer is to be readily accomplished. Apart from the above mentioned plants, blowflies are also used as effective pollinators of Brassicae, Carrots, and
The word ‘’Blow fly’’ comes from an olden English adage for meat that had their eggs laid on it, called ‘’fly blown’’. Aptly named as the maggots of blowflies are scavengers of carrion and dung. The meat which has blowfly larvae on it appears to be blown …show more content…
You may be shocked to read that in certain areas blow flies are actually more efficient pollinators than honeybees. These areas being the flowers of plants that give off pungent, rotten odours e.g. onion and cabbage. Another thing to consider is that blow fly pollinators have better pollination efficiency in greenhouses compared to most other pollinators. They are easy to rear and maintain, and it helps that their preferred plants are mostly planted in greenhouses.
Not only greenhouse crops, but fruit orchards as well are considered as quite suitable for pollination by blowflies. Studies have confirmed that there is a positive impact between the weight, quality & quantity of mangos and their pollination by blowflies. Another study showed that for orchids, while bumble bees were more efficient pollinators, they also visited less compared to blowflies, thus more pollination was done by blowflies despite them being less efficient.
Regarding flower preference, we can conclude that in general flies are attracted to flowers of simple shape, pale colour, and pungent odours. The nectar must be easily obtainable for the flies, and the plant's sexual organs well exposed if pollen transfer is to be readily accomplished. Apart from the above mentioned plants, blowflies are also used as effective pollinators of Brassicae, Carrots, and