Maggot

This article is about the fly larvae. For other uses, see Maggot (disambiguation)

Maggots feeding on carrion.

A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera).

Uses

Fishing

Anglers use maggots usually provided by commercial suppliers to catch non-predatory fish. Maggots are the most popular bait for anglers in Europe. Anglers throw handfuls into the "swim" they are targeting, attracting the fish to the area. The angler will then use the largest or "perceived" most attractive maggots on the hook, hoping to be irresistible to the fish.

Commercial maggot breeders from the UK sell their maggots to tackle dealers throughout the E.U. and North America.

In North America, maggots have been used for years mainly as ice fishing bait; recently, however, anglers have started using them year round.

Medical treatment

Maggot therapy used in a small wound

Certain live maggots have been employed since antiquity as an economical, safe and effective type of wound debridement. In controlled and sterile settings by licensed medical practitioners, maggot therapy introduces live, disinfected maggots into non-healing skin or soft wounds of a human or other animal. They eat the dead old tissue, leaving the live tissue alone. It is uncertain if maggot secretions have any effect on bacterial growth, since different studies have produced contradictory results, and some species of bacteria may be naturally resistant to maggot secretions. As of 2008, maggot therapy was being used in around 1,000 medical centers in Europe and over 800 medical centers in the United States.

Problems

As with fleas and ticks, maggots can be a threat to household pets and livestock, especially sheep. Flies reproduce rapidly in the summer months and maggots can come in large numbers, creating a maggot infestation and a high risk of myiasis in sheep and other animals. Humans are not immune to the feeding habits of maggots and can also contract myiasis. Interaction between humans and maggots usually occurs near garbage cans, dead animals, rotten food and other breeding grounds for maggots. It may take 8–20 hours for maggots to grow.

A major problem also arises when maggots turn into flies and start the life cycle over again. Within a few generations the number of maggots grows exponentially and becomes a serious problem. Professionals can remove maggots or many over-the-counter bug sprays can be used to deter flies and maggots. Keeping garbage in a sealed container and using a garbage disposal or freezing rotting leftovers until waste collection day helps prevent infestation. Sometimes introducing an environmental control, such as Histeridae, also help reduce maggot populations.

External links

• Maggot Therapy Project website at the University of California, Irvine, list of maggot therapy practitioners
• BioTherapeutics Education and Research Foundation
• Get rid of Maggots Website with visitors' input on getting rid of maggots
• Biotherapy with leeches and maggots