Where do maggots come from?
A maggot is the larva of an insect, more commonly, a young form of the fly, before it changes into it’s mature form.
Maggots come from eggs laid by flies. At least, the ones we talk about on this website do.
A larva (the plural is larvae) is a young (juvenile) form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis. The larva can look completely different from the adult form. (For example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly).
What do Maggots look like?
When you first see maggots, they tend to be REALLY small, with 100’s of them being able to fit into a teaspoon. The more common maggots found at home (whether they’re in your kitchen or garden) are tiny, white, very short and worm-looking. Almost like a grain of rice has shrunk in the wash.
But they can EAT! And when they do, they grow quickly.
Within a couple of days at the most, maggots can grow to the length of the top half of your thumb. They stay pretty short and stubby, so they don’t really look like worms.
Click here if you want to see photos of what maggots look like.
What do maggots eat?
Very briefly and generally, maggots eat rotting meat.
The flies are attracted to the smell of rotting flesh, whether it’s meat left in your rubbish bin, or a wound on a human or animal that has not been cleaned properly.
Flies lay their eggs in the rotting meat, and when the maggots hatch, they have a food source.
Because maggots like rotting meat, they’re a good aid in medicine, where they will eat the dead flesh in a wound, leaving the living and healthy tissue alone. You can see this in action in the medical maggots therapy videos.
If you’re looking for a way to get rid of your maggot infestation, make sure you pay a visit to the page that shows you how to kill maggots.
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