Nutrition

Lucilia sericata adults will feed on liquid or dissolvable solid materials. Flies have taste receptors on their feet so they can sense if they want to pursue that potential meal. Although these flies can be attracted to sweet materials such as flowers, females need more of a protein diet for maturing eggs. Most females will be found munching on meat, while males are more commonly getting their nutrients from flowers. One type of flower that flies will get their nutrients from is the purple coneflower. Lucilia sericata cannot chew, therefore they must suck up food. When a fly lands on a solid food it will throw up enzymes that will begin to break down and dissolve that material. This action will allow the food to become more of a liquid so that they can consume the food. Larvae will also only ingest only liquid food. They have a very simple intestine and a pair of large salivary glands. The larvae will eject digestive enzymes into material and then wait for it to liquefy so that they can enjoy a feast.  Heat makes it easier for larvae to eat because it increases the rate of liquefying the material and the rate of digestion.  If the temperature is high enough, maggots will be able to consume about 60% of a human body in a week. The maggot stage of Lucilia sericata is the most important time for feeding so that the rest of the life cycle can occur.

Now check out how Lucilia sericata reproduce