What do maggots do

They usually have a reduced head that can retract into the body. Maggot commonly refers to larvae that live on rotting flesh or tissue debris of animal and plants. Some species eat healthy animal tissue and living plant matter. Some people choose to eat maggots intentionally. Maggots may be fried and eaten in places where eating bugs is commonplace.

They can also be used to make a Sardinian delicacy. However, eating maggots poses a few risks of which you need to be aware. Fruit infested with maggots is likely to be rotting and ridden with bacteria.

Other risks include the following:. Myiasis is an infection that occurs when maggots infest and feed on the living tissue of animals or humans. People who have difficulty maintaining good oral hygiene are particularly at risk. Larvae can settle in areas of the mouth where hygiene is poor. Eating maggots is also thought to leave the internal organs and tissue susceptible to the larvae, although myiasis is more commonly something that occurs under the skin.

The maggots that cause myiasis can live in the stomach and intestines as well as the mouth. This can cause serious tissue damage and requires medical attention.

Myiasis is not contagious. Symptoms of myiasis in your gastrointestinal tract include stomach upset, vomiting, and diarrhea. In the mouth, the larvae are typically visible. Eating maggots or maggot-infested food can cause bacterial poisoning. Some houseflies use animal and human feces as breeding sites. They also breed on garbage or rotting organic material.

Symptoms of an E. Symptoms of salmonella are similar. Both conditions can also cause bloody stool and fatigue. What can I do about maggots in my bin?

Try using fly-spray Pour over boiling water with a small amount of bleach Most of the maggots will go when the bin is emptied. Once emptied the bin can be cleaned out with disinfectant or bleach and plenty of water. Use a cleaning product with a fragrance as this will help deter flies in the future.

My household has problems with excess rubbish - can you offer any help? Home Recycling, waste and environment homepage Rubbish, waste and recycling homepage Refuse collection homepage Advice on maggots homepage.

Generally, maggots live for around five to six days before turning into pupae and eventually transitioning into adult flies. They have a distinctive conical shape and typically cream or light brown colouring, with a dark mark on their posterior end which is a breathing hole.

Maggots do not have teeth — instead they have mandibles that help them grasp food that has been broken down by the ridges on the exterior of their bodies. Over the course of several days maggots feast and prepare to pupate — where they form a hard shell and become a fly. Flies can lay a large number of eggs at a time, so maggots are often seen in large groups, but they have cannibalistic tendencies.

One study by University of Lausanne found that even though fruit flies are vegetarian, they have been known to eat other maggots if one becomes injured. Flies lay their eggs in places that offer the best chances of survival, as a result you are most likely to see them in large clusters on food sources such as decomposing organic matter.

Keeping your home, garden and driveway clean and ensuring bins are regularly emptied will go a long way to preventing maggots from appearing. Rentokil has also developed its Mini Fly Box , which can be fitted inside food waste bins, attracting and killing flies using an insecticide, before they have the opportunity to lay eggs on food waste.

However, consuming uncooked larvae can lead to bacterial poisoning as there is a chance they could have come in contact with faeces or rotting organic material," David says. Certain species of maggots, that are carefully and hygienically farmed in laboratories, can be used to feed on rotting flesh to help clear out bacteria infected tissue from wounds.

Around the globe this treatment has helped to save countless limbs from being amputated. They can also be used in crime investigations to help estimate the time of death of a deceased person.