Mezcal worm

[1] Although the custom is relatively recent, larvae are used by several brands of mezcal to give flavor to the drink.

In 1950 Jacobo Lozano Paez first introduced the practice of adding larvae to mezcal.

[1] The other variety of "worm" in mezcal is the larva of a weevil known as picudo del agave, Scyphophorus acupunctatus, the agave snout weevil, that infests certain species of yucca and maguey.

In some cases, up to 40% of a maguey harvest has been lost to weevil infestations.

[citation needed] Picudo larvae may be roasted and eaten; they are a seasonal specialty of markets in southeastern Mexico.