Eww! Family stunned by plump, pink caterpillar inside Mao Shan Wang durian
As the Ko family were about to feast on durians at home on Monday (July 18), they soon realised that they bought a little more than they bargained for.
Power 98 DJ Jerald Justin Ko said he was in the kitchen preparing food for dinner when he heard his mother screaming outside.
“My natural reaction was to run out with my phone and record,” he told Mothership.sg
His mum had prised one of the durians and found a plump pinkish worm inching about.
He posted a video of the creepy crawly on TikTok.
Ko said the worm – or caterpillar – was about the thickness of his little finger. "And I have chubby fingers," he added.
@jeraldjustinjk Durian Season SURPRISE ?
♬ 오리지널 사운드 - ??
Repulsed by the sight, his mother kept screaming vulgarities, and told Ko to take the durians. However, Ko said he did not dare to do so.
Eventually, his wife who was busy with a work call at the time emerged as the hero and discarded the durian.
Ko said his family purchased 10 Mao Shan Wang durians from a stall in Lorong 31 Geylang, spending $80 to $100 on the fruits.
Only one out of the 10 durians Ko bought contained the worm.
Ko's mother said she would still use the flesh from the other durians to make durian desserts – though Ko wants none of that.
"I'm defo (definitely) not eating those desserts," he quipped.
When asked if he would return to the durian stall to inform the sellers about the worm, Ko said that considering the price was rather cheap, he would simply avoid patronising that stall again.
"And no durians for a while," he added.
According to Mothership, the caterpillar Ko and his family found is the larvae of a group of moths belonging to the Mudaria genus.
The species in this group are called Durian seed borers, and are considered pests of the fruit.
Adult moths lay eggs on the fruit, and the larvae bore into the fruit to eat the seed. They live inside the fruit until it is mature, and leave brown frass (or poop) on the durian flesh.
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