Berry-eating maggots

[Amoeba]

Does anybody here know if they're safe to eat? What sorts of species live on berries, particularly brambles and raspberries? I've eaten them by accident and they never made me ill, I'd like to explore them as a more deliberate wild food source.

[Jason Green]

Afternoon A,

Originally Posted by Amoeba

What sorts of species live on berries, particularly brambles and raspberries? I've eaten them by accident and they never made me ill, I'd like to explore them as a more deliberate wild food source.

Sorry - are you asking about maggots as being a wild food-source, or the berries and incidentally maggot's health effects if unnoticed? If the latter as I suspect, it should be fine but calling them larvae as opposed to maggots may sound more palletable!

Take care,

Jason

[Amoeba]

About maggots yes. There's not a lot of info floating around about them, was hoping some people here might know what kinds are found in these berries and if they're safe to eat. As I said, I've eaten a few without harm so I'm intrigued as to whether they could be safely edible. I guess that is incidentally now that I think of it, because I'm not going to waste the berry just to get to the maggot, I'll eat both.

Why would it sound more palatable if I called them larvae? I don't quite understand, I thought maggots were a type of larvae?

[Kayleigh]

I would have thought its not very good to eat maggots they are fly larvae after all and flies are not hygienic..
Saying that some people eat maggoty fungi without any ill affects each to their own you wont find me eating anything a maggot has been near as I have a phobia of them..

[Amoeba]

Hmm. I found they tasted nice and had a nice texture so I figured if they were safe they might make a good food source to supplement the berries. Hygiene was one of my biggest concerns - I understand that flies are dirty and maggots are their larvae, however I wasn't sure if that would automatically make their larvae dirty if they're living in a different environment eating nothing really but fruit. I'd imagine the wild fruit, with all the insects that land on them on a daily basis, would be just as if not even more germy. However, someone correct me if I'm wrong, you raised a good point with hygiene and I'm uncertain of it.

It's the main reason why I'm asking about berry eaters - I wouldn't eat any old maggot for hygiene reasons, I thought maybe frugivores might be far safer than most kinds out there considering they've caused no ill-effects so far. But then, I might have just been lucky.

[JRsbugs]

The maggot in raspberries is the Raspberry beetle.

Kayleigh is correct though, you might pick up a nasty disease by eating fruits which flies have been crawling over. I see flies all over blackberries, it sort of puts you off them. Think about those which have been walking on dung or rotting meat, then go for dessert on the brambles!

You are much braver than I would be, the very thought of eating maggots I find revolting. Natives of some countries eat big fat juicy grubs raw though!

Janet