The bluebottle fly or the blue bottle bee is 10–14 millimetres (0.4–0.6 in) long, almost twice the size of a housefly. The head and thorax are dull gray, the back of head has long yellow-orange setae[6][7] and the abdomen is bright metallic blue with black markings. Its body and legs are covered with black bristle-like hair. It has short, clubbed antennae and 4 tarsi per leg. The eyes are red and the wings are transparent.