Worms that can eat plastic waste include Superworms (Zophobas morio) and Waxworms (Galleria mellonella), which break down plastics like polystyrene and polyethylene using gut bacteria or enzymes in their saliva, offering potential for bioremediation and recycling solutions. Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and other insect larvae also show promise in degrading various plastic types, leveraging natural microbial processes.
Waxworms are the caterpillars of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella. These insects are common pests of apiaries and feed voraciously on honeycomb. Interestingly, they also voluntarily feed on polyethylene, a type of plastic commonly used in shopping bags.
Certain insect species, such as yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and superworms (Zophobas morio), have already demonstrated the ability to consume plastics. They're able to break down materials like polystyrene with the help of bacteria in their gut.
When they placed the worms on polyethylene plastic, they found that each worm created an average of 2.2 holes per hour. Overnight, 100 wax worms degraded 92 milligrams of a plastic shopping bag. At this rate, it would take these same 100 worms nearly a month to completely break down an average, 5.5 gram plastic bag.
Waxworms aren't the only plastic-eaters researchers are observing. It's been found that mealworms, for example, can digest plastic and still be nutritious food for other animals. And scientists have discovered a species of coral that cleans microplastics from the ocean too.
From there, the little bits of plastic may travel all the way up the food chain, from blue crabs, to small fish who are eaten by large predators such as seals, sharks, and dolphins. Plastics can also carry harmful pollutants or absorb pollutants and/or chemicals that are in the water around them.
Do Waxworms Bite? No. Waxworms have small, weak mandibles that are unable to significantly bite humans or reptiles.
Types of Microplastics: Primary & Secondary
Secondary microplastics originate from larger objects that have broken down. Secondary microplastics derive from typical plastic goods - most commonly trash bags, Ziploc bags, plastic water bottles, packaging, and fishing nets.
Mealworms in the experiment excreted about half of the polystyrene they consumed as tiny, partially degraded fragments and the other half as carbon dioxide. With it, they excreted the HBCD – about 90 percent within 24 hours of consumption and essentially all of it after 48 hours.
As Mealworm Care details, mealworms are not technically worms either. They are the larvae of darkling beetles. The larvae exist for about 8 weeks. Unlike waxworms, which are always soft, mealworms have a harder exterior that they will molt and shed many times during their brief life cycle.
The discovery of Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6, commonly renamed “plastic-eating bacterium”, belonging to the Comamonadaceae family of betaprotobacteria, therefore brought much surprise.
Plastic can be artificially manipulated to become more light-sensitive by adding certain chemicals to it during the production process. Chief among these additives (which are also known by the names photosensitisers, promoters or accelerants) are carbonyls such as carbon monoxide carbonyl and ketone carbonyl.
Thus, this shows that the digestive tract of earthworms can break down microplastics into smaller sizes; however, there is no degradation.
Safe Disposal
To dispose of live waxworms responsibly, place in an escape-proof bag or container, freeze for at least 24 hours, and then dispose of in the garbage can. Never release live feeders into the wild as they can be harmful to the native environment!
Wax worms are one of the best bait to use for ice fishing! They're considered an all-around favorite, as they catch everything from crappies to trout when dressed on a Swedish Pimple or Kastmaster.
Plump, hungry beetle larvae called superworms (Zophobas atratus) and yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), sold in pet stores as food for other animals, will consume tidbits of polypropylene, polyurethane and three more kinds of plastic.
In addition to the calcium issues, the high fat content of mealworms has obvious disadvantages. The tough exoskeleton of the mealworm can be difficult to digest and impactions of the gut from undigested mealworm skins is not uncommon.
These toxins mostly go through the skin and the body wall of earthworms. Even according to agricultural recommendations for dosage and rate of application, insecticides such as Pyrethroid, Neonicotinoids and Organophosphates are extremely toxic to earthworms.
Multiple studies have found that hard microwavable plastic products, such as Tupperware and plastic packaging considered 'microwave safe,' release staggering amounts of microplastics into food, especially when microwaved due to heat and chemical reactions.
About 79% of all plastic waste ends up accumulating in landfills or polluting the natural environment, such as oceans, soil, and rivers, with only about 9% being recycled and 12% incinerated, according to data tracking the fate of plastic produced since the 1950s. This vast majority persists due to plastic's durability and slow decomposition, making it a pervasive pollutant.
Many items seem recyclable but aren't, including soft plastics (chip bags, bread bags), soiled paper/cardboard (greasy pizza boxes, paper towels, tissues), small items (bottle caps, straws), ceramics/Pyrex, batteries, Styrofoam, nappies, and some mixed-material containers (coffee cups with plastic lining), as these contaminate loads or jam machinery, requiring special disposal.
Although Mealworms are not harmful to humans, they can do significant damage to food items, if infestations occur.
The life cycle of both species of wax moth consists of four stages: eggs, larva, pupa and the adult moths. The development of each stage of the wax moth's life cycle depends significantly on environmental factors, particularly temperature.
Yes, they can bite, but it's not likely to hurt. Their mouths are too small to damage human skin. They may be able to hurt reptiles and amphibians with thin or delicate skin.