The adults leave their protected over-wintering sites in the spring and will lay eggs on the soil, which contains earthworms. In Pennsylvania, there may be three to four, or more, generations of cluster flies per season. Adult cluster fly (dorsal view)Īdult cluster fly (ventral view) Life History As members of the fly family Calliphoridae, the blow flies, the maggots resemble other blow flies commonly found on decaying carrion.įigure 1. The maggots are cream-colored and are an elongated wedge shape. The immature stages, egg, and larva, are seldom seen as the eggs are deposited on the soil and the larva or maggots burrow into earthworms on which they feed. The hairs are more numerous on the under side of the thorax between and near the legs. They are dull-gray with black markings and have golden-yellow hairs on the thorax, which can give the appearance of a golden sheen.
DescriptionĪdult cluster flies (Figure 1) are slightly larger than the common house fly, Musca domestica. These flies are not reproducing within the structure, but become active on warm days and crawl out of wall voids and attics in a confused attempt to go back outside.Ĭluster flies are thought to be native to Europe and may have found their way to North America in the ballast of ships containing soil and the cluster fly host, earthworms. However, cluster flies make their debut in the autumn when they fly to the sunny sides of homes in search of protected over-wintering sites and may be found flying about inside, often in great numbers, throughout the winter. Homeowners are accustomed to swatting flies in the kitchen during the summer months.
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