Maggot spit
Do you know the superpowers of maggots?
Over lunch, two quails discuss the potential of fly larvae: extraordinary growth, fantastic nutritional value and remarkable medicinal properties. An unpopular animal that nonetheless has many strengths.
Fact sheet
| Author | Gunter Pauli |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Annabelle Carneiro |
| Fable | #44 |
| Category | Food |
| Age | Ages 3 to 15 |
| Characters | Quail & Quail |
| Pagination | 40 pages |
| Format | Paperback, 24 x 16.7 cm |
| Blue Education publication date | 2023 |
| Available in the box set | Hare |
Maggot Spit: An Educational Fable on Food
“Maggot spit” is inspired by Godfrey Nzamujo, an engineer and doctor of science specialising in integrated farming systems. Through his work, he highlights a surprising resource: maggots. Often seen as repulsive, these larvae hatched from fly eggs actually have remarkable qualities. Raised on organic waste, they produce a biomass rich in protein to feed livestock, while helping recycle farm residue. But their potential does not stop there. Maggot spit and secretions also interest medicine: they can clean wounds, promote healing and limit certain infections. This simple, circular approach turns waste into a valuable resource for farming, health and the environment.
Available in the Hare educational box set
Discover the box set
Additional resources for parents and teachers
Fable inspired by Father Godfrey Nzamujo
Father Godfrey Nzamujo was born in Kano (Nigeria) and was sent to California (USA) to study. He started a successful career as an academic, with degrees in agronomy, economics and information technologies. However, he had a vision to contribute to the well-being of the people of Africa. So instead of dedicating his life to the improvement of the lives of Americans, he decided to return to Africa to create the Songhai Centre in Benin. He did this in 1985, after his home country refused to make land available.
He has dedicated the rest of his life to the creation of a production centre where those who cannot read and write and those who are destitute have a chance to produce their own food, and maintain their own jobs. He appointed a blacksmith to make equipment and trained farmers to keep seeds and convert waste into value. It is in this quest to extract all benefits that Father Nzamujo integrated maggot farming into the value and job generation chain. The first centre in Porto Novo has expanded to additional centres in Parakou, Savalou and Kinwedji (Benin). Every year, the Songhai Centre trains 300 Africans in how to provide their own food and jobs, lifting them out of poverty by creating wealth with what they already have.
A few videos to go further
Start your own fly larvae production: this tutorial explains how to raise maggots at home, mainly to feed poultry and fish farms. Maggot production relies on collecting organic waste, particularly meat and fish scraps from butchers and fishmongers, as well as kitchen leftovers, while keeping humidity at 60 to 80% and a temperature of 25 to 30°C to ensure good growth. It also requires organising several bins in rotation to guarantee continuous production, and ultimately yields a protein source that can be used to feed poultry, fish, pigs and reptiles, whether live, dried or ground into meal.
Take it to the next level: discover step by step how to turn biowaste into protein using the black soldier fly (PDF published by Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology).
What do these 3 animals look like?
A quail: /wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Les-Fables-de-Gunter-Caille.jpg
Fly larvae: /wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Les-Fables-de-Gunter-Larves-de-mouches.jpg
Black Soldier Fly: /wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Les-Fables-de-Gunter-Mouche-Black-Fly-Soldier.jpg
Why this fable
Educational fables like “Maggot spit” offer children a fresh perspective on food innovation. This educational fable about food shows how even the most unexpected resources, such as fly larvae, can play a crucial role in nutrition, medicine and sustainability.
What you’ll find in Gunter’s Fables
A captivating story
Stories full of surprises in which Nature reveals all its secrets. Always an incredible yet true story to tell young and old alike... in French and English!
An exploration
A three-part exchange to learn, question and experiment. A playful exploration that encourages curiosity and active learning.
Stimulating the 5 intelligences
Supporting the child’s development so they discover the intelligence within them, broaden their knowledge, and confidently develop their full potential!
Want to go further?
This fable is part of the Hare box set, also available as a pack with the other box sets in the collection.
