Nature's Decomposers--MAGGOTS

Trigger Warning! If you are sensitive to images depicting maggots, or death please turn back now!

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU! 

Maggots----Unsavory, disgusting, nauseating? Yes, perhaps.

Necessary? Absolutely!

Maggots are the larval stage of many types of fly species. Think, house flies, blow flies, flesh flies, etc....

 

 These soft-bodied larvae hatch from eggs laid in or around organic matter such as feces, carrion, garbage, and other vile material. Witnessing maggots in all their glory as they worm their way through garbage you forgot to put out for the trash, will turn anybody’s stomach. However, their lifecycle is important for environmental health.

Maggots do not eat by chewing, instead, they liquefy their food outside their bodies. They use a specialized mouth that allows them to scrape tissue and secrete powerful digestive enzymes onto it. Once the food dissolves into a nutrient-rich "liquid," they simply lap it up.

These decomposers work efficiently and quickly to break down organic matter into useful material that benefits soil health and plant growth. Not to mention it greatly helps remove the stinky stuff none of us want to smell. Along with the removal of the stench, their feeding habits greatly reduce the spread of disease. Although we can argue, several species of adult flies spread their fair share of diseases.

In about 5-10 days they will complete their lifecycle from egg, maggot to adult. Once they reach the adult stage, they quickly look for more nutrient rich organic matter, and the cycle starts all over. Because of their predictable lifecycles they are critical in the field of forensic science. Time of death of a corpse is often determined by which fly (or other insect) species are present at the time the body is located. Knowing when a body died helps aid law enforcement in apprehending the people responsible.

Maggots are also useful in the medical world. Sterilized medical grade maggots are sometimes utilized for cleaning up necrotic tissue as they only feed on dead or dying flesh, leaving healthy tissue alone. This is especially true if the wound in question is not responding to antibiotics. While this sounds off-putting to have a handful of wiggling maggots packed into a wound, the alternative is often much worse…. the loss of a limb.

 As we swat the nuisance flies away from our picnic, let’s take a moment to appreciate the lowly maggot that is keeping our world a little cleaner and safer.