~Botfly larvae in her head~ - Wildlife Gardeners

Sage · 11-14-2010, 09:05 PM

She went to Belize and grew this thing in her head! Yikes! I've been there and they warned us to use "Off" on the side trip to a zoo deep in Belize! Really cool zoo - no cages!

YouTube - The Botfly in my Head

Sage · 11-14-2010, 09:10 PM

Belize Zoo

philip · 11-14-2010, 10:52 PM

They're fairly common I think.
My sister had one pulled out of her leg when she got back home to Dublin having been traveling for a while.

Quite unpleasant none the less.

suunto · 11-15-2010, 06:45 AM

The YouTube video was quite accurate in describing the life cycle of this interesting insect - see human bot fly - Dermatobia hominis Linnaeus, Jr.) for a more detailed account. A friend of mine also acquired one of these on a trip to Belize during the 1980s; he allowed it to develop (on his shoulder) so he could do a 'show and tell' at a monthly meeting of the Washington (D.C.) Entomological Society...

Sage · 11-15-2010, 10:21 AM

That's true dedication to the cause! Any chance he went to Belize hoping to catch one?

And that page had good additional info and pics. Thanks!

philip · 11-15-2010, 11:01 PM

The Botfly Living in Ed Stafford's Head on Vimeo

turttle · 11-18-2010, 10:58 PM

That is one gross critter!

I had a patient when I was a resident in San Jose, CA, a homeless man who had been unconscious in a car for three days (but still alive, and he survived). He had fly maggots in multiple places in his scalp. I presume they weren't bot flies, which are Central and South American, but some related species perhaps. Suunto, is that sort of thing at all common in the US in the homeless population?

suunto · 11-19-2010, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turttle

I had a patient when I was a resident in San Jose, CA, a homeless man who had been unconscious in a car for three days (but still alive, and he survived). He had fly maggots in multiple places in his scalp. I presume they weren't bot flies, which are Central and South American, but some related species perhaps. Suunto, is that sort of thing at all common in the US in the homeless population?

The maggots in your instance most likely were in the family Sarcophagidae, which includes several species that can infest open wounds/sores, etc. I know that this has been reported in institutional settings, but not having seen any statistics, I really can't comment as to how common this is. See MYIASIS for a detailed article on myiasis (infestation of tissue with fly larvae).

havalotta · 11-20-2010, 09:39 PM

Gag me, Repulsive!

Sage · 11-20-2010, 11:21 PM

We need a :Puke: smiley!

11-14-2010, 09:05 PM	#1
Sage POM Judge & Official Non Gardener Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY, USA	~Botfly larvae in her head~ She went to Belize and grew this thing in her head! Yikes! I've been there and they warned us to use "Off" on the side trip to a zoo deep in Belize! Really cool zoo - no cages! YouTube - The Botfly in my Head __________________ *~Facebook~ ~Peregrine Place~ ~Flickr~ ~Instagram Pix~*

11-14-2010, 09:10 PM	#2
Sage POM Judge & Official Non Gardener Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY, USA	Belize Zoo __________________ *~Facebook~ ~Peregrine Place~ ~Flickr~ ~Instagram Pix~*

11-15-2010, 06:45 AM	#4
suunto The Bug Whisperer Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Monroe County, WV, USA	The YouTube video was quite accurate in describing the life cycle of this interesting insect - see human bot fly - Dermatobia hominis Linnaeus, Jr.) for a more detailed account. A friend of mine also acquired one of these on a trip to Belize during the 1980s; he allowed it to develop (on his shoulder) so he could do a 'show and tell' at a monthly meeting of the Washington (D.C.) Entomological Society... __________________ “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.” Henry Ward Beecher Last edited by suunto; 11-15-2010 at 06:45 AM. Reason: misspelled word

11-15-2010, 10:21 AM	#5
Sage POM Judge & Official Non Gardener Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY, USA	That's true dedication to the cause! Any chance he went to Belize hoping to catch one? And that page had good additional info and pics. Thanks! __________________ *~Facebook~ ~Peregrine Place~ ~Flickr~ ~Instagram Pix~*

11-18-2010, 10:58 PM	#7
turttle Curious George & UAOKA recipient Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Chapel Hill, NC	That is one gross critter! I had a patient when I was a resident in San Jose, CA, a homeless man who had been unconscious in a car for three days (but still alive, and he survived). He had fly maggots in multiple places in his scalp. I presume they weren't bot flies, which are Central and South American, but some related species perhaps. Suunto, is that sort of thing at all common in the US in the homeless population? __________________ There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, this is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar. - Lord Byron Turttle's pollinator garden

11-14-2010, 10:52 PM	#3
philip Salamander Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: North Bergen / Cliffside Park New Jersey	They're fairly common I think. My sister had one pulled out of her leg when she got back home to Dublin having been traveling for a while. Quite unpleasant none the less.

11-15-2010, 11:01 PM	#6
philip Salamander Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: North Bergen / Cliffside Park New Jersey	The Botfly Living in Ed Stafford's Head on Vimeo

11-20-2010, 09:39 PM	#9
havalotta WG Prize & Gift Coordinator Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Michigan	Gag me, Repulsive! __________________ The successful woman is the woman that had the chance and took it! A walk among the elusive Whitetail Deer

11-20-2010, 11:21 PM	#10
Sage POM Judge & Official Non Gardener Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY, USA	We need a :Puke: smiley! __________________ *~Facebook~ ~Peregrine Place~ ~Flickr~ ~Instagram Pix~*

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