Yes, there is something living in there

September 16, 2009 10:05 AM

Ms. Serrao wanted to remove the wriggling, chewing larva as soon as possible, but she also realized that the botfly in her head presented a unique opportunity for a nature photographer. As a result, she videotaped herself and the efforts by her surprisingly stoic husband, Greg Hiemenz, to remove the worm-like creature. A Vacation Bug That Keeps Biting. With, of course, video.
posted by dersins (108 comments total)

[Botflies previously on Metafilter.]
posted by dersins at 10:08 AM on September 16

DO NOT WANT.
posted by Astro Zombie at 10:09 AM on September 16 [9 favorites]

NO!
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:11 AM on September 16

Is there bacon?
posted by ardgedee at 10:11 AM on September 16

Really? You looked at Metafilter and thought "Needs more botfly"?
posted by gwint at 10:11 AM on September 16 [10 favorites]

wat
posted by mullingitover at 10:11 AM on September 16

Radiolab segment.
posted by kmz at 10:12 AM on September 16 [3 favorites]

Scarred for life now, thanks.

Is removing botflies generally covered by the marriage vows, I wonder?
posted by orrnyereg at 10:12 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

If this post linked to footage of bacon chewing a hole through your head, you'd be favoriting the heck out of it.
posted by ardgedee at 10:13 AM on September 16 [5 favorites]

Her mixture of disgust and fascination is the feature here - not the botfly itself.
posted by bigmusic at 10:13 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: mixture of disgust and fascination is the feature here
posted by Joe Beese at 10:14 AM on September 16 [4 favorites]

With, of course, video .

....How many people do you think are really going to watch that?....
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:14 AM on September 16

Based on your history here dersins, I am more than confident this is a fine post. Knowing that, I just won't click on any of the linkys and get back to work.

ciao!
posted by marxchivist at 10:14 AM on September 16

Really? You looked at Metafilter and thought "Needs more botfly"?

Oh, come on-- like you haven't.
posted by dersins at 10:15 AM on September 16 [5 favorites]

Fascination and disgust, exactly. It was satisfying to watch, appealing to that same atavistic grooming instinct that makes one want to remove a piece of lint from someone else's sweater or get them to pop their pimples. It just feels right to watch another human remove a parasite.
posted by idiopath at 10:18 AM on September 16 [8 favorites]

I can't click on the links. I just keep reading this post in horror.

Things. Chewing. Inside. Head.

Now I find myself in this internal debate: can it possibly be worse than I *imagine* it is?
posted by misha at 10:18 AM on September 16 [2 favorites]

I'm just going to be U.S.-centric here:

U R SICK AND WRONG TO POST THIS AT LUNCH TIME
posted by timeo danaos at 10:21 AM on September 16

I was dissapointed when her husband didn't immediately eat it.
posted by klanawa at 10:22 AM on September 16 [6 favorites]

I know cavers that have returned from tropical climes with Botflies. I didn't witness any of the extractions, but their campfire stories are the best of the best.
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:22 AM on September 16

There are some links I'm smart enough not to click.
posted by doctor_negative at 10:24 AM on September 16 [3 favorites]

I'm not going to flag this out of pure reflexive revulsion, but I'm tempted. When I saw this link in Sensible Erection many days ago, I did not immediately think, "Hey! I finally have an FPP-worthy topic for Metafilter."

I have to say though that it does surprise me that this is posted here. It just doesn't seem like the kind of post I'd expect on Metafilter.
posted by kalessin at 10:24 AM on September 16

This is why I enjoy living in Wyoming. The only freaky parasites we have here are meth addicts. And Republicans. Lots of Republicans.
posted by elder18 at 10:25 AM on September 16 [2 favorites]

I AM TRYING TO EAT SOME POUTINE HERE
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 10:27 AM on September 16

That was a goodly dollop of bloodless pus liberated along with the critter, which was surprisingly unsquirmy. In case you need more hot botfly action ...

Some people eat them.
posted by adipocere at 10:28 AM on September 16

Her mixture of disgust and fascination is the feature here - not the botfly itself.

That was indeed the best part of this (since there have been dozens of botfly vids on YouTube for awhile now). She's clearly a child of the video age, with her insistence on proper documentation and shot composition, and that impulse vies for control over the innate revulsion of a maggot in her head. There's some kind of lesson in there about learned versus inborn responses.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:29 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

What a cool couple.

After he tells her that puss oozed out after he removed the maggot, her first question was whether or not the puss was in the frame!
posted by diogenes at 10:34 AM on September 16

Once you see something, you can never unsee it. No link-clicking for me.
posted by Go Banana at 10:34 AM on September 16

They guy in the RadioLab segment is more hardcore though. He actually left it in there until the fly emerged naturally.
posted by diogenes at 10:35 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

It wasn't THAT bad.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 10:39 AM on September 16

It wasn't THAT bad.

Well, it wasn't THAT bad to look at, but the squeamishness factor that comes into play here is that THERE IS A MAGGOT BORING A HOLE INTO YOUR SCALP BY EATING IT. Have you no empathetic reaction to that? It's certainly less visually disgusting than the majority of the zit popping vids on YouTube, but again there's more to it than just the visual.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:43 AM on September 16

....How many people do you think are really going to watch that?....

*sheepishly raises hand*

That was extreme. Seriously. But I couldn't look away.
posted by orville sash at 10:44 AM on September 16

>It just feels right to watch another human remove a parasite.

You've got the pair of tweezers
To remove the botfly
You've got the look of horror in your eyes
And I had a crazy parasite
Till you pulled it out
It took a little time
But you pulled it out

When the botfly goes in
I'm the first to admit it
I'm the first to admit it
And the last one to know

When the botfly comes out
Well it's likely to lose me
It's apt to confuse me
It's such an unusual sight
Oh, I can't, I can't get used to something so right
Something so right

[with many apologies to Paul Simon]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 10:47 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

What joy!
posted by Burhanistan at 10:48 AM on September 16

He's all like, "OMG, I can see it!" And she says, "Oh my god, oh my god!...Should we get a tripod? Oh my god!" And then she's horrified by the pus and wondering if it's in the frame at the same time. It's authentic in spite of itself.

All that said, it really is horrible. It's so BIG when it comes out. AUGH!
posted by peachfuzz at 10:49 AM on September 16

Well, it wasn't THAT bad to look at, but the squeamishness factor that comes into play here is that THERE IS A MAGGOT BORING A HOLE INTO YOUR SCALP BY EATING IT.

Yeah, the part in the article that really got to me was where it kept her up at night:

The doctor needed to study up on how to remove the larvae, so Ms. Serrao went home but had difficulty sleeping.

“I was really aware of every time it would move,” said Ms. Serrao, a former producer for the Discovery Channel. “It did wake me up from sleep at 3 a.m. I heard it crunching.”

Um. Ick.
posted by dersins at 10:50 AM on September 16

I was OK with this up to the point where she saves it (with its little belly chockful of nature photographer flesh) in a baby food jar. Jebus, throw that shit away.
posted by jamaro at 10:50 AM on September 16

Oh these pop up all the time around the internet.

Thank you, youtube!
posted by Theta States at 10:56 AM on September 16

"There's something alive in here."

"That's your imagination, kid."

THINK ABOUT IT
posted by grobstein at 11:03 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

I am never visiting South America. Ever.
posted by JeffK at 11:05 AM on September 16

I haven't even clicked the link and it's already giving me nightmares.

NSFW is clearly insufficient for these purposes.

Is there some kind of NSFA (Not Safe For Anywhere) designation that could be put on top of posts where even the text is horrifying?
posted by jacquilynne at 11:06 AM on September 16

Oh hell yes I watched that. It was gross, but like, not as gross as that keratin-hand guy post from a few years ago. The video was actually sort of satisfying.
posted by peep at 11:07 AM on September 16

Yeah, I watched it. No, it wasn't so bad. Satisfying in the way popping a zit is satisfying.
posted by lyam at 11:12 AM on September 16

I told the receptionist at my job about this video when I first saw it, last week. Later on that day, I noticed a new Post-It stuck by her monitor.
It reads "NEVER GO TO BELIZE!!!!'
posted by 235w103 at 11:14 AM on September 16 [9 favorites]

When the pus squirted out in the end, it reminded me of the gore makeup from Dead Alive/Brain Dead. Awesome video, and thanks for sharing.
posted by hanoixan at 11:14 AM on September 16

Once you see something, you can never unsee it.

I came here to mention, in fact, that now I will never be able to unsee that. Oh well. Sometimes it's useful to have a full set of memories that are grosser than anything you are likely to actually encounter. As a Dad, the gross tasks fall to me, and there is no refusing. "That was pretty gross, but not as gross as pullng a maggot out of someone's head..."
posted by rusty at 11:17 AM on September 16

Twice, at the most squeamish moments, she flips into total photographer mode. Once near the beginning, when she says; "Oh, let's get the tripod!", and also at the very end; "Is it in frame?!".
posted by R. Mutt at 11:18 AM on September 16

I liked the video, but then I liked reading Parasite Rex. I'm not saying I'm rooting for the larva, but there is so much more going on than meets the eye - to be successful, the larva can't kill or harm its host, so they secrete antibiotics and painkillers to keep the irritation minimal.
I also think the important lesson here is not that some parasites can slip through our defenses, but how few actually do, counting either species or actual cases (speaking of first-world countries, I know that parasitism thrives in less-developed environments).
posted by PontifexPrimus at 11:18 AM on September 16 [2 favorites]

This brings back fond memories of my own Costa Rican botfly from 5 years ago. I didn't know what it was before I put a band-aid on top of the "wound" on my tummy that just wouldn't heal but kept oozing puss and droplets of blood. After having his breathing hole obstructed for a while the little fellow wanted out. I suppose it's even nastier when it's eating away in your scalp and you can't see what's going on...
posted by keijo at 11:21 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

I'm reading Parasite Rex currently, and really enjoying it, in the gobsmacked sense of enjoyment. Biology classes back in school never really taught just how thoroughly parasites are woven through every level of the biosphere.

Botfly larva removal is gross, sure, but at least it's quick. Guinea worm removal, on the other hand, involves slowly winding the several feet of them around a stick a little bit at a time, over the course of days. The choice is clear! (This message brought to you by the Botfly Council.)
posted by Drastic at 11:24 AM on September 16 [3 favorites]

I suppose it's even nastier when it's eating away in your scalp and you can't see what's going on...

Nope. If what's going on is a botfly larva, I never, ever want to see what's going on.
posted by timeo danaos at 11:25 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Check out that man's tweezer technique on the larva. I'm going to Belize this winter so this was rather interesting.
posted by bdc34 at 11:29 AM on September 16

Guinea worm removal, on the other hand

Man vs boy.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:32 AM on September 16

Is it better to have one big worm or dozens of tiny worms?
posted by Burhanistan at 11:35 AM on September 16

This particular video is a cut above voyeuristic squirmishness. It's more a teaching guide on the life cycle of the botfly, with a helpful demonstration about how to remove the larvae. I'd watch it twice!
posted by jokeefe at 11:38 AM on September 16

with a helpful demonstration about how to remove the larvae.

He really should have used broader-tipped forceps instead of tweezers. You don't want to inadvertently slice through the larvae with narrow tweezers while it's still inside.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:41 AM on September 16

I wish I was that lady's friend.
posted by past at 11:49 AM on September 16

The Internet is the greatest thing ever.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:54 AM on September 16

KILL IT WITH FIRE
posted by Ratio at 11:56 AM on September 16

When she cut to 32 hours later and saw the two of them sitting facing the camera, I halfway was expecting them to speak in a monotone and praise the miracle of the botfly and how nothing hurts and it just wants to love and care for us.
posted by now i'm piste at 11:56 AM on September 16 [15 favorites]

Yeah, very much not watching the video. Just reading about it pretty much had me doing this.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 11:57 AM on September 16 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter: All night, I haven't been able to sleep because I swear I felt it, and heard it, even, chewing on my head
posted by not_on_display at 12:11 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

I'm never going to watch this video.

The first time I met a friend of mine (the first time!), she regaled me over drinks with the story of her botfly from Belize. She fully recovered; I haven't yet.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:11 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

Whenever I pull out a botfly I like to drop it in a shot of tequila and slam it.
posted by digsrus at 12:13 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

Circle of life?
posted by iamkimiam at 12:15 PM on September 16

I'm curious. Is it possible for these things to multiply in your head (or wherever)? Or is it, one bot per bite type deal?
posted by iamkimiam at 12:17 PM on September 16

Is it possible for these things to multiply in your head (or wherever)? Or is it, one bot per bite type deal?

One fly per customer, thankfully.
posted by Burhanistan at 12:22 PM on September 16

I'm curious. Is it possible for these things to multiply in your head (or wherever)? Or is it, one bot per bite type deal?

It's one bot per bite. As the lady pointed out in the video, when the larva reaches the pupal stage, it falls out on its own. Then it completes the pupal stage in soil, emerges as a fly, and lays eggs of its own...
posted by vorfeed at 12:27 PM on September 16

A similar video, by metafilter's own bergeycm.
posted by The White Hat at 12:33 PM on September 16

That was gross, disgusting and fascinating. I've always wanted to go to Belize but this lessens my desire tenfold.

So I guess Off doesn't repel these mosquitos? Although no one puts Off in their hair.

And there is no way I could have slept with that thing munching in my head.
posted by shoesietart at 12:39 PM on September 16

...but she also realized that the botfly in her head presented a unique opportunity for a nature photographer... When her husband tells her he can see the larva she screams, "Oh my god!" and then adds, "Maybe we’ll get a tripod."

I seriously love these people. It's completely horrific, but I can totally see having this same conversation with my wife; "Holy shit, that's disgusting, fuck get it out of me... but make sure you get a good photo of it, and keep it in focus!"

Also, as far as I'm concerned, whenever someone tells you that God loves us, all you need to do to prove them wrong is point to the existence of botflies.
posted by quin at 12:41 PM on September 16

All things dull and ugly, all creatures short and bot?(fly?)
posted by anthill at 1:47 PM on September 16

I feel I must say something in Belize's defence, here. I have a friend who lives in San Ignacio (she own/runs the movie theatre, and this site is her first draft of one to help promote tourism in the town). It's a great place, lots of scenery, ruins, art, and perfectly nice jungle critters that are not disgusting parasites. There are reasonably priced tours of the local attractions, and all sorts of good accommodation. Visit beautiful San Ignacio on your next vacation! NOTE: She has never had a botfly, honest. Not even a small one.
posted by jokeefe at 2:49 PM on September 16

Though her dog might have.

And there's that crime rate thing. But what the hell, you don't want life to be boring, do you?
posted by jokeefe at 2:50 PM on September 16

I will never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never ever click that link

Never.
posted by davejay at 3:36 PM on September 16 [10 favorites]

No way in heaven, hell or anywhere inbetween am I clicking this link. Has anyone here read The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks? There's a particular part of that book that I can remember more vividly that any movie I've ever seen and though I doubt the link can rival it in the putridity stakes, I'd rather not find out.
posted by jaffacakerhubarb at 3:58 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

That botfly larva was bigger than I thought it would be. Ew ew ew.

But I did enjoy her thoroughness video-wise (amateur or semi-pro videographer?).
posted by evening at 4:36 PM on September 16

Hey davejay, you should totally check out this awesome video I found of cute little puppies frolicking happily in field. It's really sweet.
posted by quin at 4:36 PM on September 16

Yeah, I guess the larva's resistance had less to do with its teeth than the fact that it was much wider than the hole her husband was trying to pull it through.
posted by invitapriore at 5:09 PM on September 16

Dear Mother Nature,

What the fuck is wrong with you? Seriously.

Sincerely,

Curious in Ashland
posted by everichon at 5:14 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

Dear Curious,

Everything makes a lot more sense when you start realizing that, for better or worse, you are just food.

Love, Mom.
posted by quin at 6:03 PM on September 16 [10 favorites]

I will not click the link, nor read any of the comments here. I just wanted to report that I've skipped past this story several times on the main page today, and every time I find myself scratching my scalp with a gesture that is really more like "scrubbing with the fingertips" than "a gentle scratch."

Just, you know. FYI.
posted by ErikaB at 6:08 PM on September 16

I tried to watch it, because I like nature and I'm usually okay about shit like this.

Then about ten seconds in I decided that I didn't have to watch it and no one could make me watch it so I shut that mofo down.

I feel hugely relieved about my decision.
posted by emperor.seamus at 6:13 PM on September 16

Pro tip: Image search for botfly provides some stills that are way worse than anything in tht video, at least to me. One word: eyes.
posted by COBRA! at 6:19 PM on September 16

I liked it, it was different than the other botfly extraction videos I've seen and I think I've seen them all on youtube. Call me crazy, but I want to remove a botfly from someone's head!
posted by MaryDellamorte at 7:22 PM on September 16

It's really not that bad, people.
posted by Edgewise at 7:30 PM on September 16

Dang, what a bunch of weenies-it wasn't that bad!
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 7:46 PM on September 16

Hey, it's not like some critter replaced her tongue or something.
posted by Ron Thanagar at 7:55 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

That was strangely satisfying. Sorta like exploding an atomic pimple.

Anyhow, when someone's willing to pull the botfly maggot pupae out your head, that is some true love right there.....
posted by Skygazer at 8:00 PM on September 16

I read somewhere, I think in a book by Tim Cahill, (though I don't remember which one, maybe "Jaguars Ripped My Flesh") of the "meat cure" for the botfly larva. The botfly larva has a kind of snorkel which it uses to breathe, which protrudes slightly above the surface of the skin. You place a piece of raw meat over the snorkel, pressing it down firmly to make an airtight seal. The larva can't breathe, so it will burrow upwards into the meat. When its snorkel protrudes from the surface of the meat, throw the meat (and the botfly larva it contains) away, and you're cured.

(and that's my first comment on metafilter, having been lurking here since, I think, 1998, maybe 1999.)
posted by smcameron at 8:14 PM on September 16 [9 favorites]

It just feels right to watch another human remove a parasite.

No offense, idiopath - but that's the wrongest wrong that anyone has ever wronged in the history wrong things going badly wrong in wrongville.

Wrong.
posted by Space Kitty at 8:41 PM on September 16

I think this is the story I was thinking of: Jerry's maggot

Although I think I read it in some anthology of "jungle stories," rather than in "Tropical Nature," and it may have been a retelling of the story, as the way it's told doesn't seem quite familiar to me, but the ending is the same, down to the baseball park, so it's the same story.
posted by smcameron at 8:47 PM on September 16

Space Kitty: "Wrong."

It doesn't make your mouth water a little bit to watch the bug get picked off? It is an instinctual response. The parasite is disgusting, of course, but the act of removing it is blissful to witness. Similar with pimples or boils or blisters. Or else I am a weird nasty freak. That is kind of believable now that I put it that way.
posted by idiopath at 8:51 PM on September 16

Idiotpath, I'm right there with you. It's this weird fascination I have.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 8:55 PM on September 16

Fuckin' A Burhanistan. The Botfly is a civilized hygenic genius of an organism compared to this gross out. EWW!!!
posted by Skygazer at 9:00 PM on September 16 [1 favorite]

... Mouth? Water?

*kermit arms*

AaaaaaaAaaaaAaAaaagghhh!!!!

dear god no, idiopath, that would involve 1) acknowledging the damn creature actually exists and - worse yet - 2) watching the video.
posted by Space Kitty at 9:07 PM on September 16

So here's a question.

The stuff that came out after the botfly was removed -- looked like pus, but I wasn't sure -- what was that from? Does the human body respond to the botfly's presence by surrounding it with pus? Or was it generated by the larva?
posted by voltairemodern at 10:12 PM on September 16

The stuff that came out after the botfly was removed -- looked like pus, but I wasn't sure -- what was that from?

That is the gravy.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:14 PM on September 16 [2 favorites]

This proves Intelligent Design, right?
posted by DreamerFi at 10:59 PM on September 16

Ugh...now I got the crazy bugs.
posted by Jimmy Havok at 11:09 PM on September 16

HURF DURF BOTFLY BREEDERS?
posted by The White Hat at 11:54 PM on September 16

The stuff that came out after the botfly was removed -- looked like pus, but I wasn't sure -- what was that from? Does the human body respond to the botfly's presence by surrounding it with pus? Or was it generated by the larva?

It's pus. Pus is a common immune reaction to just about any foreign body. For example, if you get a deep splinter, often it'll get surrounded by a similar layer of pus, which works its way out when the splinter does. Same deal with the larva.
posted by vorfeed at 11:59 PM on September 16

voltairemodern: "Does the human body respond to the botfly's presence by surrounding it with pus?"

T-cells respond to foreign proteins, if I understand correctly. These foreign proteins can be on a bacterium, a parasite, or a donor organ, or (in the case of a breakdown of what "foreign" means) a part of your own body. T-cells building up and attacking one place then leaving behind their dead cells = pus buildup. Or so my half remembered highschool AP biology memories from over a decade ago tell me.

The wikipedia page for pus seems to mostly back up this theory. Of particular interest is the explanation there of green, blue, pink, and brown colored pus.
posted by idiopath at 12:07 AM on September 17

I needed to fill an open slot in my upcoming nightmare schedule, so this is great.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:09 AM on September 17 [2 favorites]

I've always wanted to go to Belize but this lessens my desire tenfold.

That thing lessens my desire to leave the house.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:12 AM on September 17

Lest we all forget this... the Bot Fly in question is fully known as Dermatobia hominis which has specifically evolved to lay its young ONLY ON HUMANS. Forever proving that there are some species of life that must be eradicated. If only to prevent successive generations of Human Bot Fly from eventually getting larger than their hosts and wiping us all out in an orgy of sub-cutaneous noming.
posted by Severian at 7:25 AM on September 17

>The wikipedia page for pus seems to mostly back up this theory. Of particular interest is the explanation there of green, blue, pink, and brown colored pus.

There is just so much wrong with those two sentences.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 1:54 PM on September 17

I'm with St. Alia of the Bunnies -- it was no big deal. Her "total photographer mode" that keeps getting mentioned really ruined it for me. I mean, you're getting a bug pulled out of your scalp and you're told there's pus, and you're youtube famewhore-y enough to ask if it's in the frame? That was the gross part, to me.

Also, the photos of pjern's brown recluse bite wounds are WAY worse.
posted by runningwithscissors at 4:09 PM on September 17

"That is the gravy." Burhanistan wins!!
posted by sneebler at 8:57 AM on September 20