How YOU could end up swallowing deadly insects in your coffee: The disgusting hidden dangers of drink vending machines that can be a breeding ground filled with larvae

While you’re in a hurry, it might not seem like a bad idea to get a hot drink from a vending machine, until you realize that you could unknowingly swallow a mouthful of deadly larvae and insects.

Earlier this week, a 21-year-old woman suffered anaphylactic shock and went temporarily blind after ingesting fly-infested coffee from the Son Sant Joan airport vending machine in Palma, Spain.

Horror footage captured after the woman consumed half the drink showed the cup teeming with flies – while she was unaware of the creepy contents hidden inside.

Vending machines in public areas can be refilled regularly, but if an infestation is spotted in the equipment it may not be noticed until it is too late.

MailOnline has looked at the hidden dangers of drinks machines and how you can swallow deadly insects in your morning coffee.

How do insects get into vending machines?

Vending equipment is often located indoors in warm and dry areas, making it the ideal breeding ground for larvae.

Pests are attracted to sheltered, warm, dark and moist conditions with high concentrations of available food, and often focus on the contents of the machine rather than the equipment itself.

A coffee machine offers milk, coffee granules and sometimes sugar and syrups, attracting the little critters that can eat their way into the products before they are served to you.

According to the Automatic Vending Association (AVA), ants and flies are ‘attracted to food waste and are found where bins are not emptied often enough’.

Because vending machines are often placed in open, public areas, waste bins are usually located nearby, making the vending machines easy targets for insects.

The AVA warns ‘the pests pose a health hazard and the problem (infestation) must be taken very seriously’.

Sales solutions saying that ‘beverage and food vending machines have compressors and condensers that require monthly cleaning and maintenance’.

If they collect dust and slowly rot the products, users may be unaware that insects have infested the location and may order from the machine assuming the contents are fresh.

Coffee machines in particular should be flushed with hot water at least once a day to remove the build-up of waste products. This can attract pests and form the basis for where they lay their eggs.

Spills not only allow the insects to hydrate themselves through these consumable liquids, but they also stay put as they are attracted to the sweet flavors.

What happens if I ingest insects and larvae?

A person can accidentally consume maggots if he eats or drinks rotten produce contaminated with fly eggs and larvae.

Intestinal myiasis can occur when a person’s internal organs become infected with fly larvae.

The larvae live on or in the person and survive by feeding on their tissues.

Some people with intestinal myiasis experience no symptoms and may not realize they have an infestation until they notice larvae in their stool.

Deafness and blindness can also occur as a symptom of myiasis.

It is well known that a disease called ‘EKC’ or ‘Epidemic Conjunctivitis’ is caused by flies or maggots.

This disease causes red or pinkish eyes and swollen eyelids, as well as sensitivity to light or mild photophobia, blurred vision and eye pain.

Bacterial poisoning can also result from ingesting the creepy crawlies, as flies can visit multiple food sources during the day and they can carry harmful bacteria they have picked up from human or animal waste.

They can then transfer these deadly bacteria to foods and drinks that people consume.

Larvae that develop in the contaminated products can also ingest the bacteria.

People who eat this contaminated food or the larvae are also exposed to the bacteria and may become unwell.

Salmonella is another potential illness that can arise after eating pests.

It is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness and symptoms of infection can include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever.

Have people found pests in coffee equipment?

Earlier this week, an airline worker nearly died after drinking an insect-filled coffee she bought at an airport in Mallorca.

Speaking about the ordeal on Thursday, after spending 36 hours in intensive care, she told of her shock after discovering “tiny antennae and wings” in her cup while halfway through her drink.

She noticed that the drink tasted strange and upon closer inspection she saw a swarm of winged insects crawling around in the cup.

The woman then revealed the terrifying moment she returned to her partner to tell them she couldn’t see anything.

Her condition continued to worsen until she went into anaphylactic shock, where her face and throat swelled so much that she struggled to breathe.

Her family has now filed a complaint against the airport with the National Police.

Last year, an Australian mother issued a dire warning to coffee machine owners after discovering maggots in the water and crevices in the equipment.

The shocked mother said that despite her best efforts to clean the machine, maggots were still moving around in hard-to-reach areas under the drip tray.

“I emptied the drip tray and it’s in the dishwasher, but I see a maggot (and I’m sure there are more) in places I can’t reach,” she said at the time.

Another Los Angeles woman was shocked to discover maggots in her blender just 24 hours after using it.

Niki Detrich was trying to make breakfast when her attention was caught by suspicious movements.

The woman was shocked to see the larvae crawling over the blades of her blender and along the edge of the base.

She admitted that she only rinsed her blender with hot water after each use and used soap every third day.