Calliphora vomitoria: both the beauty and the beast

Calliphora vomitoria (Linnaeus, 1758) (Diptera Calliphoridae) is a blowfly spread throughout Europe, several Asian countries, across North and Central America, and, to a lesser degree, in Africa. It is commonly known as the blue bottle fly or orange-bearded blue bottle due to some of its morphological features. As necrophagous carrion breeders, its larvae participate in organic matter decomposition. Gravid females may also target meat prepared for human and/or animal consumption for their oviposition, and the resulting larvae would render the foodstuffs unmarketable. In addition, if developing on human remains, it can help with the estimation of the minimum post-mortem interval in forensic investigations. When adult, C. vomitoria can act as a pollinator of some wildflowers and crops. On the other hand, adults may be mechanical vectors of several pathogens they encounter in the septic breeding and feeding sites. This narrative review includes a description of C. vomitoria morphology, spatiotemporal distribution worldwide, biology, and behaviour. The focus then shifts to its habits that are considered beneficial (relevance in legal investigations, interactions with plants and fungi, potential source of antimicrobials) or harmful (larval development in food, mechanical transmission of pathogens, allergies) to the ecosystems, humans, and animals. Finally, we discuss the strategies currently implemented for its monitoring, trapping, and management through chemical, microbial, and biological agents. The research areas not yet investigated enough, some future exploitation prospects, and the possibility to actualise more biorational control strategies are highlighted.