"Tequila Worms' True Identity Revealed by Scientists"

A recent study has identified the species of larvae found in bottles of Mezcal, a distilled alcoholic beverage made from agave, as the caterpillars of agave redworm moths. The researchers suspect that accounts of white gusanos de maguey come from caterpillars that have been stored in alcohol for long amounts of time and have consequently leached their color. The sale of mezcal is expected to increase by 22% in the next decade, reaching $2.1 billion in profits by 2030, riding a growing wave of interest in artisanal, ethically manufactured products. However, the impact of mezcal becoming popular can have long-term negative effects on local populations because they are harvested in the wild.