[TheForge] bone clean up

Mon Dec 16 09:05:02 2002

Are the live flesh eating maggots here in the US? I've heard of them in
Africa and South America but haven't heard mention of them here. Not to
indicate they aren't, but have just never heard one way or the other.

Chad

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bruce Freeman
Sent: Monday, December 16, 2002 8:37 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TheForge] bone clean up

Dave,

Well thank you very much for clarifying you weren't including Bob and I
among the maggots!

Anyway, I'd like to add the perhaps pedantic clarification that SOME
maggots eat only dead flesh.  There are maggots that delight on live
flesh, too, however.  

In the present context, it makes little difference.  Basically, leave
the bones out for the insects, and everything but maybe the ligaments
and cartilege will be eaten.  Some bugs may even eat those.

In the dry parts of the country, dermestid beetles still may be active.
You do NOT want to encourage dermestid beetles around your home.  But if
you have some place remote from home, then you can leave the bones there
and soon they'll attract little spotted greyish beetles and their fuzzy
larvae. They seem to like their food dry.  Get them in your home and
your woolens, leather, etc., etc., are goners.

Getting back to maggots, for a moment:  For the sake of the
non-squeamish (blacksmiths aren't squeamish, are they?) the main
practical reason for distinguishing the live-flesh-eating from the
dead-flesh-eating is for medical reasons.  Seems that in a pinch an
excellent treatment for festering wounds is maggots.  The ones that eat
dead flesh only.  These clean out the wound and leave behind the health
tissue.   Get the wrong maggots, however, and you've got worse problems!

Bruce

>>> [email protected] 12/13/02 08:58PM >>>
At 20:10 12/13/02 -0500, you wrote:
><PRE>maggots ???? you gotta be kiddin !!!

I wouldn't kid you.  I might kid Bob Schade or Bruce Freeman, but
certainly 
not you.  They (maggots, not Bob or Bruce) thrive on dead flesh.
They're 
even used for cleaning infected and festering wounds.  They don't eat
the 
living flesh/meat, only the dead stuff.

Dave Brown
Heritage Smithing
Green Bay, WI
ABANA, UMBA, GoM, MODA, ARG

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