Maggots have been around for over 250 million years, whilst humans have only been around for 250 thousand. During this time, maggots have evolved to perfect their survival and can thrive in festering environments.
The earliest record of maggots in medical use dates back to biblical times and possibly earlier.
References: Larval therapy from antiquity to the present day: mechanisms of action, clinical applications and future potential. Iain S Whitaker, Christopher Twine, Michael J Whitaker, Mathew Welck, Charles S Brown, and Ahmed Shandall. Postgrad Med J. 2007 Jun; 83(980): 409–413. Maggot debridement therapy: the current perspectives. Gurudutt Naik, Keith G Harding. Chronic Wound care management and research. Volume 4 (2017) Pages 121—128. Chapter 2 – The Physiology of Wound Healing by the Medicinal Maggot, Lucilia sericata. Yamni Nigam, Edward Dudley, Alyson Bexfield, A. Elizabeth Bond, Julie Evans, Jane James. In Advances in Insect Physiology, Volume 39, 2010, Pages 39-81
Rearing Maggots @ Swansea University!
These were our initial cages.
All lined up for the first house guests!
Here you see the flies feeding (foreground). In the background you can see flies drinking from their water source (left hand side) and the tub on the right hand side contains hatching pupae.
These were eggs from our first generation of flies
Our first maggots hatch!
Click here to see to see a short video of our L3 larvae!
The maggots are now starting to pupate – soon the second generation of Swansea flies will hatch!