Buzz
When most people spot a bug, their immediate thoughts often revolve around the bites, stings, the illnesses they might transmit, and the potential damage they could cause—typically negative associations. But what if the very bugs we fear could be lifesavers?
From detecting deadly diseases to alleviating skin conditions, several bugs and insects play a crucial role in helping humanity. So here are ten creepy crawlies that not only carry diseases but can also help cure them. Unfortunately, we may have to endure the bad to experience the good!
10. Flies
Although not as despised as roaches or mice, flies buzzing around your food are far from welcome. They carry diseases, lay maggots, and are an annoyance. But you might want to pay attention if they keep buzzing around your ear. Flies, mosquitoes, and other buzzing insects can sense humans, and it turns out that fruit flies may even have the ability to detect cancer.
In a 2014 scientific study, German researchers harnessed the remarkable sense of smell in fruit flies to detect cancer in humans. These flies have also served as test subjects in cancer research. Due to their short lifespan and similarities to human nervous systems, they are ideal for quickly and ethically testing experimental treatments. Plus, PETA hasn’t raised any concerns about this practice yet.
9. Beetles
Often confused with roaches, beetles are consumed as food by various cultures around the globe. As the most diverse insect group, it’s no surprise that beetles have numerous medicinal applications. Both traditional and modern medicine have found uses for different types of beetles. Historically, beetles were employed in treatments for removing cysts and easing fever and chills. They were also used topically to treat itching and eczema, and were believed to enhance blood circulation and alleviate inflammation and menstrual bleeding.
In recent years, scientists have tapped into the medicinal value of a blistering compound, cantharidin, found in beetles. Although the FDA denied its approval in 1962 due to insufficient data, cantharidin, which is difficult to replicate and naturally occurs in certain beetle species, has been used by dermatologists to treat warts and various skin conditions.
8. Worms
Though too tiny to be called snakes, worms are just as unsettling to some, yet they can be life-saving. For one, worms are a rich source of nutrients. Earthworms provide fats, free amino acids, protein, and essential vitamins like iron and calcium. Delicious, right? Throughout history, earthworms have been used in various cultures, from Laos to the Americas (including by the Cherokee Indians) to China, treating ailments like alopecia, bladder stones, rheumatic pain, and jaundice.
Silkworms, which aren’t technically worms (think moth larvae and caterpillars), have also made significant contributions to medicine. In Japan, scientists have successfully modified silkworms to produce collagen genetically. Silkworms already create small amounts of collagen inside their cocoons, and this collagen can now be used for creating artificial skin, bones, and even in cosmetic surgeries.
7. Termites
While discovering termites in your home is never a good sign, these small pests have benefits beyond their appetite for wood. Termites are one of the most commonly eaten insects, second only to grasshoppers, and have been used medicinally across various countries. In Brazil, they are used to treat asthma, influenza, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and whooping cough. In India, they are used for ulcers, body pain, and anemia. In Zambia, termites help combat child malnutrition, among other uses.
In Western medicine, researchers have successfully isolated potent antimicrobial compounds from termites. These substances show promise in combating viruses and bacteria resistant to other antibiotics. Around the world, people consume termites—not the tastiest treat, perhaps, but certainly a powerful source of protein.
6. Grasshoppers
Unlike many of the other insects mentioned here, grasshoppers and their large hopping relatives—such as crickets, locusts, and katydids—don’t usually attract much attention. But surprisingly, grasshoppers are a serious superfood! Reportedly tasting somewhat like shrimp (someone else will have to confirm that!), they’re packed with protein and fat and contain more antioxidants than fresh orange juice.
Grasshoppers also act as powerful diuretics, making them useful for treating conditions like kidney disease and gastrointestinal disorders. They also contain a substance called chitin, a polysaccharide that helps fight harmful bacteria. And if that’s not enough, grasshoppers are easy to digest and can provide more energy than a bowl of Wheaties! So next time you’re in need of a healthy, energizing breakfast, consider gathering some grasshoppers from the garden.
5. Ants
An entire Mytour article could probably be dedicated to ants, given their legendary status: they’re smaller, stronger, and more numerous than most other insects. When it comes to eating bugs for health benefits, ants are usually one of the first insects to come to mind. But did you know that ants are so beneficial that they’ve even been used to flavor alcohol as a medicinal remedy? Ant schnapps, anyone? No? That’s fine. With so many different species of ants, you can still enjoy their health benefits without having to eat or drink them.
For instance, red wood ants use formic acid to protect their nest and queen from predators, and this same acid can be applied topically to treat skin conditions like warts. Leafcutter ants have developed a strain of pseudonocardia bacteria to combat the harmful fungi surrounding their colony. This specially evolved bacteria acts as a potent antifungal agent, now utilized in modern medicine. Even more fascinating, ant heads were traditionally used as a substitute for stitches—simply have the ant bite a wound shut and twist off its head, leaving the body behind. Ants are such adaptable creatures that new medical uses for them continue to emerge.
4. Leeches
Having already discussed worms, let's turn to their muscular parasitic relatives, the leeches. You’ve probably seen them in movies—someone wading into water only to emerge with a large, dark-red leech stuck to their face or hanging from their arm. But beyond these cinematic moments, leeches are incredibly useful, and leech therapy remains a common practice in modern medicine. The saliva of a leech contains hirudin, an anticoagulant and antiplatelet compound that helps prevent blood clots and reduces blood congestion in the tissues.
Thanks to their saliva, leech therapy is used in cosmetic surgeries and microsurgeries to prevent blood clotting and minimize blood pooling around the small veins and incisions doctors make. This can help avoid a wide range of medical complications, including amputations. Leech saliva has been used in treatments for hypertension, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, skin disorders, and arthritis. Leech therapy has also proven beneficial for patients suffering from heart disease and cancer.
3. Bees
Bees are truly the unsung heroes of the insect world, offering life-saving benefits that are far-reaching. Whether it’s the endless advantages of honey (seriously, it’s practically a miracle food!) or the medicinal properties of bee venom, or even their vital role in pollinating plants that sustain life, bees are a crucial part of our ecosystem. They are often overlooked but indispensable in both nature and modern medicine. Let’s begin with honey. This liquid gold, produced from nectar and enzymes in bees' specialized stomachs (yes, it’s essentially bee vomit), has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties. It’s often used to soothe sore throats, treat coughs, and heal minor cuts and burns.
Bees are essential to human survival in more ways than one. Not only do they pollinate trees and plants that provide food and oxygen, but even their venom plays a life-saving role. Bee venom, delivered through their stings, is used in apitherapy, an alternative medicine practice. Apitherapy harnesses the anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties of bee venom to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, and many others. These tiny creatures contribute much more to our lives than we often realize.
2. Maggots
We’ve already touched on their buzzing relatives, but maggots are a fascinating case all on their own. You might have stumbled across a rotting animal carcass teeming with maggots—the perfect meal for them, as rotting flesh is their delicacy. A fly’s short life span of 30 days sees them laying between 500 and 2000 eggs, approximately 20 to 70 per day. While some maggots are downright unnerving—check out bot fly larvae for a real nightmare—others hold unexpected medicinal value.
The medicinal use of maggots was first recorded during World War I when two soldiers with severe flesh wounds were stranded without food or water for a week. The soldiers were expected to succumb to infection, but doctors found them alive, with thousands of maggots in their wounds. Upon cleaning the wounds, they found the maggots had kept the wounds clean and free from infection. Since then, maggots were widely used in medicine to treat wounds until the 1990s. Today, researchers are investigating the chemicals that maggots release while consuming dead tissue, and they’ve found that these substances may help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
1. Spiders
Spiders have long been a subject of mixed feelings. Some people appreciate them, while others find them downright frightening. If they’re not actively controlling pests, spiders tend to be regarded as a bigger threat than an asset. It’s easy to see why—after all, they’re venomous. But here’s the twist: in many places, like North America, their venom is specialized to work on tiny insects, not humans or larger animals. In fact, spider venom has some surprising medicinal applications that go beyond simply being harmless to us. (This, of course, excludes Australia, which is home to far too many deadly spiders!)
Arachnid venom, which includes that of spiders, scorpions, and ticks, has found its way into medical treatments for conditions ranging from cancer to heart disease. However, some types of spider venom stand out in the medical field due to their unique properties. For instance, spider venom works by paralyzing the nervous system of its prey, and researchers have found that this effect can be harnessed to target the human nervous system as well, making it a potential painkiller. Additionally, certain spider venoms contain proteins that prevent muscle cells from breaking down, potentially offering treatments for diseases that cause muscle deterioration and impair movement or even basic functions like swallowing.
