What is a bamboo worm?
A bamboo worm is the pupa of the grass moth, from the Crambidae family of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). They are quite variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae taking up closely folded postures on grass-stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly colored and patterned insects, which rest in wingspread attitudes. Local people throughout Thailand and other regions ranging from the Amazon to China, collect “bamboo worms,” which are the pupae of a common species of moth endemic to that region. The moths lay their eggs in a lower segment of the bamboo and the worms eat their way up segment by segment. When they are ready to emerge, they climb back down to the segment where they were born and eat through the wall of the bamboo. Local people know when this cycle occurs and make cuts in the bamboo to extract the worms.
