Idaho’s Human Flesh Eating Worms
WARNING: The following is disgusting, gross, and you'll most likely not be able to get these pictures, video, and info out of your head. VERY disturbing.
It's called the Bot Fly and it unfortunately thrives here in Idaho, 365 days a year. Here's what it does and how it works.
The Bot Fly's goal is to find that warm, squishy place for it's eggs to hatch. That place just happens to be just inside human skin. When the eggs start hatching the larva feeds on human flesh.
The eggs are originally injected into mosquitoes who pass that right into our system. The Bot Fly eggs sneak into our skin while the mosquito is biting and they'll either burrow inside or very close to hair follicles.
When I looked into how prevalent these little guys are with The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, I didn't like what I saw. They're in Idaho, year round, currently present and when looking into how regular this is happening... well, it's often.
To get rid of Bot Fly eggs and / or larva simply put vaseline on the skin where the bump is. This should kill the larva but you'll still need to extract it. If untreated larval development could last anywhere from 20 to 60 days before finally finding it's way out. The larval survives by consuming human flesh. Cases this serious rarely are found in Idaho. You'll see these more in Mexico and Central America.
The safest and best way to stay Bot Fly free and / or treating yourself if you think you've been infected is to immediately see a doctor.