A larva which devours plastic, a new hope for the environment

Insects to get rid of plastic

Researchers have just discovered that the worm of a butterfly was able de get rid of polyethylene, plastic used to make supermarket plastic bags, water bottles and others drinks. This larva, the Galleria mellonella nicknamed the false wax moth, is a caterpillar which settles in beehives. A beekeeping woman noticed que the plastic bags in which she poured wax contaminated by the Galleria mellonella, had many holes and that they were nearly destroyed in a few hours !

Fighting against oceans’pollution

This discovery announced by the Current Biology review, means great hope for oceans. It would allow mankind to get rid of plastic which pollutes them! 80 millions tons of polyethylene are made every year in the world. When you know, it needs 400 years to be crumbled away, you just feel frightened.
Researchers have proved that one hundred of these worms could destroy one of these plastic bags in one hour and so thanks to a substance produced by their saliva glands and that, after twelve hours, there was quite nothing left. So the researchers have to conclude their demonstration by synthetizing the right molecule to be at least produced on a industrial scale.