Blowflies...nasty creatures? Or helpful tools?

  Living on the Bayou for as many years as I have, one thing is certain.  I have learned to observe.  It is one thing to look at things, yet quite another, to actually "see" them.  Now, it has become sort of an obsession with me to not only see but learn about what I am viewing.  Back when I was a youngster, Granddaddy tried his best to shove this in my head but, being like every other rowdy kid, I would rather romp about the place.  However, his teachings did make a difference albeit a bit late.  Here I am some 50+ years later following his lead.

  This afternoon as I (not so) patiently waited for the old dog to do his thing (which never happened), I noticed a swarm of blowflies swirling about a sandy place.  This small area was chosen by the cat, Ms. Nycto, as her "loo".  These flies were uncovering her morning business and crawling all over it.  Blowflies, also known as green bottle flies, have a penchant for fecal matter and decaying bodies.  I never thought I would say it but I am glad this was fecal matter and NOT a corpse.  Anyway, I got to thinking about those blowflies.  They are pretty things with their bright jewel-tone, emerald green bodies but they are pretty nasty critters.  Even though the blowflies do not bite nor sting, they do spread all sorts of disease.  Diseases are transmitted from their food source to ours.  After crawling about on Ms. Nycto's poop, that same fly may land on someones burger.  Everything on its legs is now plopped right down on the hamburger that will be eaten.  That is pretty disgusting, when you think about it.  

  Since the blowflies also use the fecal matter and decaying corpses as places to lay their eggs, those areas are soon covered with maggots...yep...another ewww!  There is a set time that the eggs hatch and the maggots start to develop.  (All of this is what I learned today!  Interesting, huh!)  Anyway, this is where the whole scenario gets pretty cool.  Those eggs/maggots help with police work!  Forensic scientists can look at a corpse, observe the blowfly evidence and then determine a "time of death".  They can also use the blowfly evidence to determine if the body has been tampered with and even if the person was moved to that location after being killed.  Blowflies are important tools in evidence collecting!

  Who would ever imagine that something so mundane as a fly could have such an important job??  I had no idea until today and it was all caused by a swarming of flies.  *Just as an added note, the blowfly maggots are also used in medical situations where antibiotics and surgery are not an option with an open wound that is infected.  It sounds pretty terrible but they do an excellent job in cleaning the wound.  So...I will leave you with that bit of "food for thought",  My visitation with the blowflies led to an afternoon of learning.  Granddaddy would be proud.