TikTok Videos Show That Worms Live in Strawberries & It’s Apparently Normal


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TikTok is known for many things.

Ok, it’s only known for one thing: dumb kids and even dumber challenges.

Who could forget the Skullbreaker challenge? Two friends trick an unsuspecting victim into jumping before sweeping his legs out from under him so he falls on his back and hits his head on the ground.

And what about the Penny Challenge? This is where participants had to slide a penny behind a phone charger that was partially plugged in so that sparks would fly.

Sounds dumb right? Welcome to the world of TikTok.

There’s another side to TikTok, however. The side that most of us don’t see.

Because if you watch enough videos on TikTok, you might actually learn something useful.

TikTok Videos Show That Worms Live in Strawberries 

While scientists around the world are still working on a vaccine for the coronavirus, a few TikTok users have discovered how to make bugs come out of strawberries.

This week, several TikTokers have shared videos online explaining that you should wash your strawberries in saltwater because there are bugs that live inside them, and saltwater forces them out.

Image: Giphy

Sounds crazy? Well, it’s true.

Many other users who tried it out found the same thing, so it’s clearly not a one-off.

Image: University of New Hampshire

At this point, you’re probably trying to remember the last time you ate strawberries, and if it was recent enough, you might feel like throwing up all your vital organs.

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But contrary to what we all think, this is actually completely normal.

Image: Giphy

Chill, It’s Normal

According to entomologist Sriyanka Lahiri, PhD,  the tiny white worms inside the strawberries are actually the maggots of a fly, known as spotted wing drosophila (SWD).

Image: AgriLife Today

Warning: If you ever want to eat strawberries again, you should probably stop reading here.


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See, the female SWD lays its eggs inside the strawberry, and once the maggots hatch they will continue feeding inside the fruit.

Reader: I don’t feel so good.

It lays its eggs in other fruits as well, so it’s not just strawberries.

Reader: Gee thanks, I was worried for a second.

The worms are not harmful if ingested, however. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually allows foods to have a certain amount of bugs.


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Reader: You’re really not being as reassuring as you think.

While we’re strongly advised to wash strawberries, it won’t draw all the bugs out of the fruit. That’s okay though, because there are no known negative health effects associated with ingesting these tiny creatures.

So carry on eating strawberries like you’ve been doing this whole time.

Reader: You’ve got to be joking.

I’m not. If all these maggots are in your strawberry, it must be pretty tasty, right?

Reader: I think I’ll go back to reading articles about the coronavirus to feel better.


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