“Can a human get worm borers from palm trees?” asks Chris in his submission. “I am a tree trimmer and want to know if the borers can get in a human?” Chris asks some good questions here, and the short answers to his question are ‘no’ and ‘yes’: we will explain why exactly that’s the case. To start with, we have to address that Chris did not send in any photos, and as there are multiple types of palm borers, we do not know exactly which species Chris is referring to. For example, there is the palm borer moth caterpillar (Paysandisia archon), but there is also the palm borer beetle larva (Dinapate wrightii), both of which resemble worms. Fortunately, it does not really matter in this case, given Chris’ question, as the answer will be the same across the board for every palm borer species.

What all the species have in common is that they love to munch on palm trees (different species will eat different parts, but typically they all bore through the tree to eat and then pupate inside) and they consequently harm the health of the tree (possibly killing it in the process). Since they only feed on the palm trees and give nothing in return, they are technically parasites. Now, we do not know if Chris was looking up palm borers and, upon seeing the word ‘parasite’, started to wonder if they might be harmful to humans, but if that is the case, it makes total sense. It is completely natural to see the word ‘parasite’ and have an anxious reaction. We need to stress that, yes, palm borers are parasites, but they specifically parasitize palm trees. They do not take humans or any other animals as hosts.

So, the reason we answered “no” to Chris’ first question is because humans cannot “get” palm borers, not in the sense that we could contract them as a parasite and they would start leeching our nutrients and affecting our health. However, can a palm borer “get in a human”? Technically, yes; if ingested, the palm borer would get inside a human’s body. This might seem like a cheeky answer, but there are actually cases of humans accidentally ingesting parasites that do not parasitize humans, like the handful of cases of people getting horsehair worms inside them (a parasite which only takes insects and some crustaceans as hosts). If a human ingests a parasite which cannot feed on the human’s nutrients, that parasite will just pass through the digestive system. If the critter is still alive, one might experience some discomfort as a result of having an unwelcome guest inside one’s body, but they will still pass out of the body, one way or another. They will not cause any significant or long-term damage/symptoms.

In conclusion, as long as Chris is not eating the palm borers, they will not get inside him, so he really has nothing to worry about when trimming palm trees. Of course, palm borers are still a concern for the palm trees themselves, as they have a negative impact on the health of the trees, but they will not directly affect Chris’ health. If he is worried about his health for any reason, he should consult a medical professional. We hope this helps, and we wish Chris the very best!