Question
I went to Illinois to see my sisters and brought back a few seed pods from a yucca plant. They were green and after a couple of weeks (still green) I split them open to get seeds. All the pods had live orange-color worms about 3/4 an inch long in them. They looked like orange maggots, and were very active. The pod skins are very thick and tough, with no openings or holes. My question...is this normal and how do they form and survive inside the pods. What are they and what's their purpose?

Answer
Hi Teresa,
Thanx for your question.  It sounds like you have yucca moths.  The moths pollinate the yucca flowers and then lay eggs in the ovary.  When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the seeds.  They usually won't eat all of the seeds as this moth has a symbiotic relationship with the yucca.  In the future, you don't want to pick the yucca pods until they are completely dry.  Green pods mean immature seeds that will never ripen.  I hope this helps.
Tom