When you hear the phrase 10 worms used by people, you might picture garden soil or fishing gear. In reality, worms have slithered into far‑more unexpected corners of our lives – from high‑tech silk to weight‑loss curiosities. Below, we crawl through each of the ten most fascinating species and reveal how they help (or sometimes haunt) humanity.
10 Worms Used By Humans: An Overview
10 Night Crawlers
The world of beauty products has long borrowed from nature, and one of the most unusual ingredients comes from earthworm droppings. After these wrigglers tunnel through soil, they excrete nutrient‑rich castings that are harvested and blended into anti‑aging creams. Manufacturers claim these worm‑derived castings deliver copper peptides, auxins, kinetins, humates and cytokinins, which together hydrate skin, firm tissue, stimulate collagen production and encourage healthy cell growth.
Night crawlers are among the most ubiquitous earthworms, thriving in gardens across the globe. Two main varieties dominate the market: the European night crawler, which tops out at about 7.6 cm (3 in), and the larger Canadian night crawler, which can reach a whopping 36 cm (14 in). Both are prized for multiple purposes, from fishing bait to composting to feeding pet reptiles.
European night crawlers are often employed as live bait, compost enhancers, and even as a food source for turtles and lizards. Their Canadian cousins are especially valued by anglers because they stay alive for up to five minutes underwater, their wriggling motions enticing even the wariest fish.
Believe it or not, the castings left behind by night crawlers are a commodity sold online. Suppliers collect, screen, and quality‑check the feces before storing them in moist, aerated conditions for shipment to cosmetic labs worldwide.
In addition to their skin‑care benefits, the worm castings are said to contain a cocktail of growth‑promoting compounds. Users of these products report smoother, more supple skin and an overall boost in the skin’s ability to repair itself.
9 Bloodworms
Bloodworms, named for their vivid scarlet hue, dwell at the bottom of freshwater and marine environments. Their bright color and high protein content make them a favorite snack for virtually every fish species, which is why they’re a staple in the aquarium trade.
Fishermen also prize bloodworms as premium bait. Roughly 121,000 tons of these marine worms are harvested each year, generating an estimated $7.5 billion in global revenue—more than triple what the U.S. sushi industry pulls in annually.
From a price‑point perspective, bloodworms are among the most expensive seafood items. A half‑kilogram (one pound) of live bloodworms can cost upwards of $80 in the United States, roughly four times the price of a lobster dinner.
8 Flukeworms
Consuming raw or undercooked freshwater fish that harbor liver flukes can lead to a chronic condition known as liver fluke disease. Approximately 35 million people worldwide are infected, suffering inflammation of the bile ducts and gallbladder that can linger for two to three decades.
The parasites are most prevalent across Southeast Asia—including Taiwan, Laos, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, eastern Russia and China—where an estimated 15 million Chinese are affected. While many carriers remain asymptomatic, severe cases feature fatigue, abdominal pain and a heightened risk of bile‑duct cancer.
Surprisingly, researchers have discovered a silver lining: flukeworms produce a specialized growth factor that encourages new blood‑vessel formation and tissue repair. The worms appear to secrete this factor to accelerate healing in their host, even as they feed on blood cells.
Scientists are now attempting to isolate this growth factor from the worm’s harmful components. The goal is to develop a wound‑healing vaccine that could treat chronic ulcers—especially those linked to diabetes—while also neutralizing the parasite’s carcinogenic properties.
7 Butterworms
Butterworms are the larval stage of a Chilean moth that is considered an agricultural pest outside its native range. Strict import rules keep them from establishing populations abroad, and low‑level radiation is applied to shipped larvae to prevent them from pupating and reproducing.
What sets butterworms apart is their strong, fruity aroma, which makes them irresistible to many fish species. Anglers often use them as bait for bass and panfish, where the scent and vivid coloration draw in even the most finicky feeders.
Beyond fishing, the same aromatic appeal makes butterworms a popular food source for reptile enthusiasts. Geckos, iguanas and other lizards readily accept these worm‑like treats, appreciating both the taste and the visual stimulus.
6 Mealworms
Mealworms have taken the concept of “homegrown food” to a whole new level. These beetle larvae are being farmed in kitchens worldwide as a sustainable protein source that rivals beef in nutritional value without the environmental toll of livestock farming.
Critics may balk at the idea of eating worms, but Livin Farms’ founder Katharina Unger likens them to “land shrimp.” She even notes that people allergic to shellfish should approach mealworms with caution, as the insects share some of the same allergenic proteins.
Livin Farms markets compact desktop hives that let users raise mealworms on kitchen scraps. The hives maintain a controlled microclimate, and LED indicators flash when the larvae have reached harvest size.
When prepared, mealworms offer a nutty flavor and a crunchy texture, making them a versatile ingredient for everything from protein bars to snack mixes. Their low carbon footprint and high feed‑conversion efficiency position them as a promising solution for future food security.
5 Red Worms
Vermicomposting (composting with worms) is a convenient way to dispose of organic waste. Homegrown compost is great for feeding and nurturing plants. This organic garbage disposal recycles food waste into garden soil conditioner by letting worms simply live as they normally would.
While many earthworm species can help break down waste, red wigglers excel at the task. Unlike night crawlers, which need supplemental food, red worms thrive on kitchen scraps alone, and under optimal conditions their population can double every ninety days.
All organic material naturally goes through the process of decomposition over time. But the process is significantly hastened by the nutrient‑rich vermicompost. Farmers can also predetermine the manure content. Feeding the worms with eggshells results in a calcium‑rich end product. Meanwhile, feeding them with coffee pulp leads to fertilizer rich in phosphorus and potassium.
Other red worm foods include tea bags, bread, all fruits apart from citrus, vegetables, grains, and cereals. It is also advisable to avoid feeding meats, dairy products, fats, and oils to the worms. Moisture plays an important role in the well‑being of worms, and 240 milliliters (1 cup) of water per day is recommended.
4 Fly Larvae
Italy may be famous for pizza and pasta, but Sardinia has a culinary curiosity that will make most tourists squirm: casu marzu, a cheese teeming with live maggots. The cheese’s fermentation is driven by fly larvae, which break down the fats and proteins, turning the curd into a soft, almost liquid substance.
Some diners choose to remove the maggots before eating, while others eat the maggots while they’re still moving. The cheese is considered unsafe once the maggots die, so it remains a controversial, illegal food within the European Union.
Beyond the cheese, maggots have a medical claim to fame. Maggot therapy involves cultivating sterile fly larvae and applying them to chronic wounds. The larvae secrete enzymes that liquefy dead tissue, then ingest the debris, effectively cleaning the wound from the inside out.
These secretions also produce antibacterial compounds that kill a range of harmful bacteria, making maggot therapy a powerful alternative to conventional antibiotics for stubborn infections.
3 Hookworms
Hookworms are tiny parasites that pierce human skin with tiny barbs, then journey via the bloodstream to the lungs. From there, they travel up the trachea, are swallowed, and finally settle in the small intestine where they latch onto the wall and sip a few drops of blood each day.
While residing in the gut, hookworms cleverly modulate the host’s immune response. They dampen overactive immune activity without shutting it down completely, which can inadvertently protect against autoimmune disorders.
In 2011, a pharmaceutical company launched a trial to see if controlled hookworm infection could reverse autoimmune conditions. The study showed no statistical difference between the worm‑treated group and a placebo group.
Nevertheless, anecdotal reports exist of individuals experiencing relief from allergies, hay fever, and Crohn’s disease after hookworm exposure. The downside includes occasional diarrhea and abdominal cramps, which may outweigh any potential benefits.
2 Silkworms
Silkworms entered human history roughly 8,500 years ago in ancient China, where people first learned to unwind the cocoons into a lustrous fiber. This precious silk was initially reserved for royalty, and its production secrets were fiercely guarded for millennia.
The craft spread to Korea by AD 300, later reaching Japan, and eventually Europe after monks smuggled silkworm eggs under the orders of Emperor Justinian. Over centuries, sericulture blossomed across the continent.
Modern science has taken silkworms a step further, genetically engineering them to spin spider‑silk proteins—something spiders can’t do in large farms because they’re cannibalistic. The resulting silk is stronger than steel and can absorb over 100,000 joules of kinetic energy.
One breakthrough product, dubbed “Dragon Silk,” has been used to fabricate lightweight armor for U.S. soldiers. The military funded the research with a $1.02 million contract, and the company continues to develop even tougher fiber variants.
1 Tapeworms
Tapeworms are flat, ribbon‑like parasites that live inside the digestive tracts of humans, dogs, livestock and fish. Infection typically occurs after eating raw or undercooked meat from an infected animal, but it can also spread through contaminated water or from person to person.
Once inside the host, the tapeworm latches onto the intestinal wall, absorbing nutrients directly from the host’s digested food. Some species can grow to astonishing lengths of 4.6–9.1 meters (15–30 feet) and live for up to twenty years.
While most people strive to eradicate tapeworms, a small subculture deliberately ingests them for rapid weight loss. The parasite steals nutrients, causing the host to lose 0.5–0.9 kg (1–2 lb) per week while still consuming calories.
After reaching a desired weight, patients pay roughly $1,500 in Mexico for a deworming drug to kill the tapeworm. However, the weight loss is often temporary; the parasite’s removal is typically followed by rapid weight gain, and the host may suffer vitamin deficiencies, a swollen abdomen, and in severe cases, death.