Fly larvae: useful properties and dangerous diseases caused by maggots
Fly larvae look like elongated white worms and are one of the stages of insect development. Maggots of different species are similar in appearance, but differ in the way of feeding and habitat.
Content
- Where do flies lay their eggs
- Female fecundity
- Fly larvae: appearance and structure
- The development cycle of fly larvae
- Feeding and pupation
- Varieties of larvae that can be found in the apartment
- The use of fly larvae: benefits and harms
- What happens if you eat fly eggs
- What happens if you eat a fly larva
- When to see a doctor
- Do humans intentionally eat fly larvae?
- Fly larvae control methods
Where do flies lay their eggs
Flies have a developed maternal instinct - they tend to take care of offspring.
For oviposition, they choose potentially safe places, away from sunlight, near a food source.
The mouth apparatus of the insect is not designed to receive solid food, therefore, as a rule, these are liquid, rotting substances. Here the larva is provided with everything necessary for normal development and is protected from natural enemies. The fly chooses a place with the help of special organs of smell - antennae-antennae. Then she checks the substance for suitability by feeling it with her proboscis. After making sure that the site is safe, the insect starts laying eggs.
More often flies choose the following places:
- organic decomposition;
- corpses;
- garbage, garbage pits;
- rotting fruits;
- festering wounds;
- heaps of humus, manure.
In human dwellings, flies tend to lay their larvae on food. If you leave food on the table in the warm season, then almost certainly the offspring of flying insects will be on it.
Female fecundity
Insects are extremely prolific: the female is ready for reproduction on the second day of her life. Young females can lay about 70 eggs at a time, older ones produce about 120 offspring.
Sexually mature individuals are able to live for about 2 months, so one female lays about 2 thousand larvae in her life.
Fly larvae: appearance and structure
The development cycle of fly larvae
Depending on the temperature conditions, the development cycle of maggot can last from 10 to 20 days. During this time, the insect molts 4 times, shedding the old chitinous cover and increasing in size. As a result, the maggot becomes 800 times larger, and the body acquires a brown tint.
Feeding and pupation
Varieties of larvae that can be found in the apartment
In nature, there are several thousand varieties of flies, but not all of them are interested in human housing. Most often, larvae of the common fly are found in houses, but there are others.
The use of fly larvae: benefits and harms
However, the larvae also benefit:
- Their body produces a natural antibiotic - seratation. It is able to stop the processes of decomposition of organic substances, therefore it is used in medicine for the treatment of purulent wounds.
- Bluefly maggots are used in fisheries as prey feed and also as food for aquarium fish.
- Under natural conditions, the larvae prevent environmental pollution by eating decaying corpses and thus performing the function of orderlies.
What happens if you eat fly eggs
Accidental ingestion of insect eggs will not cause serious consequences. Most likely, they break down under the influence of gastric juice, but even if this does not happen, the fly eggs will leave the digestive tract unchanged along with feces.
What happens if you eat a fly larva
In some cases, the ingestion of the larvae into the body along with food can pose a threat to human health. The most dangerous consequences are listed below.
This is a parasitic disease caused by maggots of the wolfart or gray blowfly. The development of the disease is possible only when a person's immunity is reduced or serious chronic diseases are present. In such cases, the larva is not digested, but enters the bloodstream and further with it to any internal organ, which ultimately leads to the development of an inflammatory process in it. Myiasis symptoms are fever, lethargy, drowsiness, general malaise.
The disease can develop in a person who has problems with digestion, when there is aerophagia and low acidity of gastric juice. Intestinal myiasis is caused by larvae of cheese flies, brownies and blues. Symptoms of the disease: diarrhea, colic, vomiting.
Fly larvae often carry salmonella, the bacteria that cause salmonellosis. The disease has unpleasant symptoms: a significant fever, vomiting, diarrhea, however, as a rule, it goes away on its own if you drink enough fluids and follow a diet.
An adult fly is not able to survive, much less reproduce in the human body. Therefore, if you accidentally swallow it, nothing terrible will happen: it will be digested along with other products and leave the body naturally.
When to see a doctor
If a person finds that he accidentally swallowed a larva, it is first necessary to take activated charcoal (1 tablet per kg of body weight). Most often, this unpleasant incident does not have serious consequences, however, with a sharp deterioration in well-being and appearance of the following symptoms need to see a doctor:
- fever for several days;
- sharp pains, cramps and colic in the abdomen;
- diarrhea, vomiting.
Do humans intentionally eat fly larvae?
Fly larvae control methods
Maggots must be destroyed in order to avoid the appearance of a large number of adult flies, which in turn are carriers of dangerous diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid, dysentery, salmonellosis. There are several ways to get rid of fly larvae.
Chemicals
All chemicals pose some danger to humans and pets. However, their use guarantees quick disposal of maggots.
Folk methods
Folk recipes also allow you to get rid of maggot flies.
| Vinegar | The most effective remedy is vinegar. To do this, you need to prepare a solution: dilute 4 cups of the main component in a bucket of water. Pour the resulting liquid over the places of accumulation of parasites. |
| Oil or gasoline | You can use vegetable oil or gasoline - they will create an airtight film and the larvae die from overheating. |
| Boiling water | Boiling water is the simplest measure to combat maggots. Boiling water should be poured over sewer pipelines, garbage cans. To enhance the effect, you can add vinegar or grated laundry soap to the liquid. |