When the egg hatches, out pops a tiny, legless, headless-looking larva. That’s the maggot. But wait—how do they eat without a head? Great question. They have these clever little mouth hooks, and they just kind of… slurp up the liquefied rot around them. It's efficient, if not exactly elegant.
They eat constantly. This is their one job in life: eat, grow, and get fat. A maggot can increase its body mass 200 times in just a few days. Imagine you eating that much pizza in a week. Your couch would cry.
The Secret to Their Growth
To grow, they have to shed their skin. This is called molting. A maggot goes through three stages, or "instars", shedding its outer layer each time it gets too tight. Sound gross? It is. But it's also nature’s way of making sure they don't pop like overfilled water balloons.
They also produce an enzyme that breaks down the food around them. They bathe in their own digestive juice. Again, not elegant, but it turns solid trash into a nutrient soup they can drink. You’ll never look at a straw the same way again.
How to Prevent Maggots in Your Wheelie Bin
