I saw one of these once at a garbage dump near our cabin. Biggest, dopiest fly I’ve ever seen. It flew slowly round and round in circles and tried to land on me but missed my arm and smacked into a wall. Not the smartest of flies.
I took a photo of MegaFly because I’d never seen anything like it before in BC. It was close to an inch long and jet black with a fetching steel blue iridescence and massive eyes.
A ten minute search on the internet webpipes threw up the name Wood Rat Botfly. This particular fly leads a charming life, leaving its maggots to feast on live host animals, usually rodents. I’ll let the website bugwood.org explain…
Life History and Habits: Rodent and rabbit bot flies develop as parasites of mammals. Adult flies lay their eggs near the entrance of rabbit or rodent burrows or runways and other sites frequented by their animal hosts. The eggs hatch in response to the warmth of a potential host and the maggots enter natural openings, such as the nose or mouth. Initial development usually occurs at these areas but later migrate. Ultimately they settle under the skin in sites typical of the species (neck, abdomen) and as they grow they appear as large swellings known as warbles.
The rats and squirrels often die from the ironically named warbles.
If you’re really really curious, the gorey details are captured in glorious technicolour here. But I wouldn’t recommend clicking the link just before supper or bedtime for that matter.
So now you know. Stay away from garbage dumps near Pemberton and you won’t get maggots.