So if maggots are fly larvae, how is it that maggots help a body decompose underground? Or do they?

Question

Do maggots help bodies underground to decompose? If so, how did the maggots get there if maggots are larvae put there by flies?

Answer 1

They dont do it underground.The female lays the eggs on a dead body above the ground,and maggots hatch and start to eat the body(maggots only eat dead cells).Decomposition under the ground are done by other organisms(like bacteria).

Answer 2

Maggots usually are involved with bodies or other animal matter that is above the surface of the ground (not buried). It is possible that some maggots might hatch after burial of a non-embalmed body, if the eggs were laid on the body before burial. However, this really would defeat the purpose, from the fly's perspective. The idea is that the maggots will pupate, and then hatch out as flies, which will then fly away. They can't do that if they are underground.