The larvae of Lucilia (Phaenicia) species (green bottle fly) can cause wound myiasis when eggs are laid in open wounds or sores. In the United States, some Phaenicia sericata larvae have been approved for medical maggot therapy by the FDA, since they have been shown to only feed on dead/necrotic tissue and do not invade healthy tissue. Maggots that are used for wound debridement/medical maggot therapy are reared under sterile laboratory conditions and are commercially available to health care providers. Some of the larvae shown here were generously donated by Monarch Labs for educational purposes, while others were the cause of accidental wound myiasis. You can see a live larva HERE.