The bot fly is a relatively "friendly" parasite, according to Gil Wizen, the other bot fly host. "It does not transmit any diseases, does not cause any significant damage to the body, does not leave any scars, keeps its area clean from infections by antibiotic secretions and most importantly – unlike other parasites, once it finishes doing its thing, it leaves on its own!" he writes in his account of incubating the larvae. This was his second try; his first didn't go so well for the fly.

Once the fly is big enough, it drops out of its host's skin and forms a pupa. The adult fly emerges, but can only live for a few days, since it has no functioning mouth — and can't feed. Both Naskrecki and Wizen deemed their progeny pretty. "And what a magnificent fly it is!" Wizen writes. "Glowing red eyes, a pointy head with a bright silvery 'face,' and the most dazzling blue abdomen, striking with metallic gloss. For me, this was literally the miracle of birth. No matter how I look at it, this fly is my own flesh and blood." Parents, am I right?

In both cases, the scientists were accidentally infected in Belize — bot flies range from Central through South America. As interesting as the experiment was, Naskrecki writes, he'll make sure he's covered in insect repellent the next time he's in Belize.