These flies are important in the field of forensic entomology, being used to estimate the time of a person's death when a corpse is found and then examined.

C. vicina is currently one of the most entomologically important fly species for this purpose because it arrives at and colonizes a body following death in consistent timeframes.

Calliphora vicina is known as a blue bottle fly because of the metallic blue-gray coloration of its thorax and abdomen.

Knowing the duration between the three instars and pupa stage and post-feeding larval dispersal can be useful to determine the post mortem interval in a criminal case.

[7] One of the key characteristics of using blow flies in developing a post mortem interval estimate is the succession of insects that colonize the body.

This fly has a lower threshold temperature for flight activity than other blow-flies, allowing for greater prevalence during colder periods.

Factors such as region, weather temperatures, time of day and conditions under which the body was found all contribute to determining a postmortem interval (PMI).

To complete the calculation the entomologist must consider what is commonly known about C. vicina and integrate it with experimental data gathered from a crime scene.

[8] Knowing the threshold temperature allows the entomologist to calculate accumulated degree days, which in turn helps determine PMI.

[13] As Calliphora vicina continues to be researched, more information about the behavior will be gained to allow for a more complete picture of the lifecycle, thereby leading to better estimates of time of colonization.

New knowledge, such as the activity of C. vicina at night, will provide forensic entomologists with a better tool for their PMI estimation development.