Are those white, wiggly things on your fruit actually worms?

Be eaten whole, mixed in smoothiesor baked into pies (or even… grated into shaved ice?!), berries are a deliciously refreshing snack. But it’s not just humans who enjoy their juicy texture and sweet flavor: dozens of videos posted on TikTok show tiny white worms crawling out of them when they’re soaked, a sight that might convince you to stop eating fruits and vegetables forever.

Or, at least, throw away your bounty and don’t look back: “That’s probably the first time I’ve ever seen that in my life,” TikToker @jennifer.diazzz, who filmed them getting out of their strawberries, tells SELF in a DM. “I ended up throwing the whole thing away.”

Unfortunately for all fruit lovers (myself included), this type of infestation is a very real possibility, Anna Wallis, Master, DoctorThe fruit IPM coordinator for the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program and a senior extension associate at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, tells SELF. Especially, that is, if you’re eating fruit you grew yourself. But as gross as it may sound (or look), it’s actually nothing to worry about.

Here’s what’s going on: While all sorts of insects have a taste for berries, one of the most likely culprits is the spotted wing fruit fly (SWD), a invasive species of fruit flies that have become “a major problem” in fruit, says Dr. Wallis. Unlike other fruit flies and vinegar flies, which lay eggs in ripe or rotting fruit, SWD does its work inside the fresh stuff, compromising what would otherwise be a marketable product, according to Cornell. In the absence of precautions such as hanging exclusion nets (which create a barrier against pests), the university reportsthe economic impact could be severe: More than 80% of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries—some SWD favorites—can be damaged by the insect.

So, those little white worms in the TikToks? They’re likely SWD larvae (technically, gross, maggots) that hatched in the fruit and spent their entire lives munching on the pulp, according to Dr. Wallis. The immersion works to lure them out, forcing them to the surface. Once they emerge, they eventually metamorphose into full-fledged fruit flies destined to continue the cycle.

Before you freak out any more than you already do, the first thing to know is that worms pose no health risk, according to Dr. Wallis. “Aside from looking pretty gross, they are not harmful to humans,” she says. They won’t change the flavor of your fruit and, she jokingly adds, they can even add a little flavor. protein—a nutritional “bright side.”

Either way, consumers tend to be strongly anti-maggots, so TikTok is flooded with suggestions for expelling the critters — which, as we mentioned, involve submerging them. One video recommends leaving the fruits to soak in salt water, other in a solution of vinegar and water, and a third add baking soda to the mixture.