The term maggot generally refers to the immature stage of a fly, typically the common house fly or related species. These larvae are soft-bodied, legless, and appear worm-like. The simple answer to whether these common maggots bite is no, as they do not possess the necessary mouthparts for biting or piercing flesh. Their anatomy is instead adapted for consuming the decaying organic matter where they are typically found.
How Maggots Consume Their Food
Maggots possess specialized, retractable oral structures known as mouth hooks, which are not designed for biting, but rather for scraping and movement. These hooks act like small tools, primarily used to help the larva pull itself through its food source and scoop liquefied matter toward its mouth opening. The primary mechanism for breaking down food is external digestion.
The maggot secretes powerful digestive enzymes onto the decaying material, such as carrion or waste. These enzymes break down complex organic compounds into a liquid or semi-liquid form outside of the maggot’s body. The larva then ingests this pre-digested liquid, a method far more efficient for consuming soft, decaying matter than chewing.
When Maggots Interact with Living Hosts
The public fear of maggots often originates from the concept of them infesting a living creature, a condition known as myiasis. Myiasis is the parasitic infestation of a live animal or human by fly larvae that feed on the host’s tissue or body substances. This is an infestation, not a bite, and the risk varies greatly depending on the fly species involved.
Some fly species, such as the New World screwworm fly, are known as obligatory parasites because their larvae require a living host to complete their life cycle. These larvae may invade unbroken skin or enter through orifices, causing furuncular or wound myiasis. Common household flies, like the housefly, are considered non-myiatic but can occasionally cause accidental myiasis if their eggs are ingested or deposited on a pre-existing wound.
Differentiating Maggots from Biting Larvae
The confusion about biting often stems from the existence of certain fly larvae that possess structures capable of piercing a host. While the common maggot is headless and smooth, some predatory or parasitic fly larvae have distinct, hardened mouthparts. These are technically still fly larvae, but they are not the typical “maggot” associated with decaying matter.
The larvae of stable flies, for instance, feed on blood and can cause irritation, but they are physically distinct from the common house fly larva. True biting larvae have structures that allow them to attack or penetrate healthy tissue. This is unlike the mouth hooks of the common maggot, which are suited only for scraping and locomotion through soft decay.