It looks like a harmless bumblebee
sniffing around for nectar,
but this is a nasty parasite that has spent its early
life feeding and crawling under human skin.
The human botfly lives in the moist, lush parts of South
and Central America.
And you don't need to run into one to be infested
by its larvae.
But if you do become the unfortunate victim of a botfly
infestation, do you know the best way to get rid of them?
Stay tuned and we'll reveal the best way to deal
with these horrible parasites,
The human botfly is one of 160 botfly species.
Other types of botflies might prefer the warm,
live flesh of other mammals like horses, sheep or mice,
but you have just the human botfly to worry about.
You'll never find a human botfly waiting for you
in the tall grass.
Instead, they spend their time catching blood-sucking
mosquitos, flies or ticks. And not for a savory snack.
Adult botflies don't have functional mouths
and can't eat or drink.
They have 9 to 12 days
to find a mate and reproduce before they die of starvation.
Females also need to ensure the survival of the
egg they will leave behind.
And that's why hijacking mosquitos
comes in handy.
After laying her eggs, a female captures a mosquito,
flips it over and attaches
50 to 100 eggs to its underside.
She makes a special glue for this.
Then all she needs to do is release the mosquito,
wait and watch.
The botfly's elaborate plan is ready to hatch.
Mwa ha ha ha.
Botfly eggs have a heat detection system.
They know when the mosquito is about to bite
its next victim.
And when that happens,
the eggs hatch and the larvae enter
your skin through the bite wound.
An existing cut or hair follicle
could also let a botfly get into your body.
Exposed parts of your body like the chest,
arms, head and legs are the most likely infestation sites.
Then the larva gets to work.
Fang-like mouthparts, help it chew
and burrow its way into your skin.
The larva creates a wound tunnel,
and a tiny barb-like hook on the lava's throat,
latches to the tunnel's walls.
In time, as the larva gets fat,
the hook will help create more room
by scraping off more of your tissue to widen the tunnel.
Your body responds to this mayhem
by sending white blood cells.
You might have noticed that healing wounds
tend to weep a clear fluid.
This fluid is called exudate and contains leukocytes
and blood plasma.
Mixed in with some local dead cells.
This is what the larva eats for up to three months.
And it keeps burrowing to trigger your body into sending
its next meal.
But since its busy feeding,
the parasite needs to make alternate arrangements
to get air and stay alive.
It easily solves that problem using the breathing
tubes called spiracles on its rear end.
It leaves them sticking out of the mouth of the wound.
So, yeah, the botfly is a butt-breather.
As the lava grows.
The infestation site can get hard
and slightly painful to the host.
But the worst part is that you might be able to feel the bug
moving under your skin.
Gross.
If left untreated, the larva will eventually pupate
and simply drop off your wound.
It needs to sink itself deep into soil
for the next leg of its life cycle.
But how could you harbor this horrific critter under your skin
and not die?
The botfly has it all figured out.
It needs you in reasonably good health
to keep providing food.
It secrets a natural antibacterial substance
from its mouthparts
so you won't get a lethal bacterial infection.
Oh, well, that's nice.
But having a growing botfly in your body is still pretty gross
and uncomfortable, and you might want to try to remove it.
The best method starts by cutting off its air supply.
So slather the wound surface with something like
petroleum jelly or even bacon grease.
This forces the larva to ease its grip
and then it's easier to pull out.
Too bad there's no use for the human botfly larva
once it's removed.
Reindeer botfly larvae, on the other
hand, is a popular delicacy among the Inuit people.
And if you think that's gross, we've put together
a list of the most horrifying parasites.
Just for you.
Check it out here, on Crazy Creatures.