Better question: Do I want to?

Answer: Fuck no.

Would I have any dying regrets if I went the rest of my life WITHOUT seeing that? Nope.

I watched it. It was icky-disgusting-gross, but completely fascinating. I can't even imagine how that must feel!

According to this personal account, it isn't all that bad: "Occasionally you’ll feel sharp stabbing pains, lasting up to half an hour, as it moves or eats. It won’t burrow especially deeply and is unlikely to cause any real damage even if left to mature." I bet it feels great when someone digs the larvae out, though.

Personally, I'd rather have the botflies than the scabies.

Not clicking. And I thought for sure this one was from puke & cry!

I haven't watched the video, but I'd just like to add: AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhHHH!

DO NOT WANT

Not all that bad.

I cannot watch. I am not easily grossed out, but this sounds scary.

Is the person with the embedded larvae in pain? If he isn't, I'll watch.

He's not, Lori.

They're bigger than I expected. Yeesh.

I got as far as the woman pulling back the duct tape (wtf?) and closed the window.

They're huge!

I got as far as the woman pulling back the duct tape (wtf?)

Putting ductape over the hole causes the botfly to be all "oh shit can't breathe" and move closer to the surface. After a few days you take the duct tape off, and pull the bugger out. My anthropology teacher had a couple, and whatever discomfort they cause seems to be more than worth it for the ability to tell others the story.

I still haven't watched the video, but couldn't help but do a little research.

"The botfly maggot cannot be removed easily whilst alive due to the strong, hooked spines [ewwww] that run in circular rings around the midsection of its body. However, various solutions have been suggested:

Immediate contact with larvae can be remedied with alcohol.

Recently, many physicians have discovered that venom extractor syringes can remove larvae with ease at any stage of growth. As these devices are a common component of first-aid kits to deal with snakebites, this is effectively the final solution.

Some people have reported success simply by careful application of pressure - but this approach runs a very high risk of killing the larva in situ, leading to infection. One medical treatment is to suffocate the grub by sealing off the air hole found in the surrounding blister. This can be done with petroleum jelly or a similar substance. This forces the grub to expose itself temporarily (to clear the spiracles), making it easier to remove, though it is still risky if the larva does not come completely out of the wound, and therefore is not a simple matter to perform without killing the larva and causing infection. Most commonly, people will snap off the tail of the larva, leaving the portion with the hooks still embedded. [EWWWWW]

A similar "cure" (which is really more of a folk remedy) is to put meat over the affected area while the flies are in their larval stage, thereby cutting off the parasites' air supply. The grubs should then burrow through the meat to gain access to oxygen, at which point the meat may be removed with the larvae trapped inside. It is unclear, however, whether this is generally effective, and controlled experiments have not been done to determine precisely which "home-grown" method of extraction is safest, most effective, or easiest. Surgical removal is an option, of course, but can be rather costly.

In general, then, simply allowing the larva to develop and leave the body on its own is the safest and least risky course of action, though few people are willing to wait that long, especially if the larva is lodged in an uncomfortable or unsightly location. The degree of discomfort experienced does seem to be entirely dependent on where the larva is located, related to how sensitive the surrounding tissue is."

You can also try a snake venom extractor.

Oh no. Oh no, no, NO. (NSFW)

I'm not doing any more research.

Botflies are pretty bad, but they pale in comparison to Dracunculiasis. Or Loa loa, which is my personal all time least favorite thing ever.

Botflies are pretty bad, but they pale in comparison to Dracunculiasis. Or Loa loa, which is my personal all time least favorite thing ever.

Wow, those two are fascinating. Worms in your eye. Worms in your limbs.