Bottle flies are valuable to forensic investigation. Because bottle flies can detect dead animal matter from a mile away, they are generally the first insects to make contact with deceased animals and humans. Bottle fly larvae develop rapidly in a corpse and, due to the reliability of larval development in bottle flies, forensic entomologists can determine the time of death of victims where other methods fail.

Sterilized bottle fly larvae, or maggots, are sometimes used to heal wounds, consuming necrotic or dead tissue and leaving healthy tissue intact. One negative potential effect of this is that some bottle flies also infest live tissue, causing a deadly condition known as myiasis. Bottle flies can also act as pollinators for strong odorous plants, such as paw paws and goldenrod.