Plastic-eating bugs? It’s a great story – but there’s a sting in the tail | Philip Ball
by Philip Ball from on (#2MA7B)
Breeding wax moth caterpillars to devour our waste sounds good. But they would attack bee colonies too, and ultimately put crops at risk
Caterpillars that can munch up plastic bags have just been identified, fuelling excited speculation that this could one day eliminate global pollution from plastic waste. The chance discovery, initially made by a scientist and amateur beekeeper whose plastic bag had been eaten through by the moth caterpillars, was reported this week by researchers at Cambridge University and the Spanish National Research Council.
Related: Plastic-eating worms could help wage war on waste
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