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Posted in Fishing Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

Red Organism Could be Red Midge Fly Larva or Lint

“Can you help me identify what this thing might be that I found on my bathroom counter?” asks Linda in her submission regarding the photo she sent in below. “Sincerely appreciate your time and effort.” We were not sure what she was referring to in the photo below. There are some black, hair-like objects, as well as a red, lint-like object in the photo. But since Linda refers to the “thing” in the singular, we are going to assume she means the red thing. In our opinion, this does not look like an organism, but just like a piece of lint, but that could be because the photo is so blurry that the details of the organism’s identifying features are muddled, making it look like a piece of lint. Regardless, since the photo is as blurry as it is, we will not be able to provide a confident or accurate identification.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Worms Generally

Dark, Small Worms Found in Minnesota Lake Pose Concerns for Residents About Invasive Species

“When I came out of our northern Minnesota lake in early October (cooling off on a warm fall day), my legs and swim trunks were covered in over 100 small dark brown to black larvae/worms”, writes this reader to us in his submission. “My guess is that they detached from the weeds that I had walked through and floated onto my legs. It is a deep (50 ft) soft bottom lake. Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera to take any photos. I saw an article on midge fly larvae but none of these were lighter-colored (all very dark) and they were all about 3 mm (0.1-inches) in length and 1mm (0.04-inches) in diameter? I would not call them slender. They didn’t fall off easily but I was able to brush them off. My neighbors say they have never seen this before and we had multiple new (to our lake) watercraft put in at our shore this summer so my main interest/concern would be whether this might be some sort of invasive species.”

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Posted in Caterpillars Fishing Worms Worms Found in the House

Long-tailed, Black and White-striped Worms Found on Bathroom Floor are a Mystery

“Found about 10 of these on my bathroom floor”, states this reader about the black and white-striped worm-like creatures pictured below. “Less than a centimeter each.”

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Posted in Earthworms Fishing Worms Red Worms

Worms as Fish Bait: A Brief Look

“I am seeking insight into how common it is for fish to encounter earthworms and/or aquatic worms”, states this reader in his submission. “I am aware that fish use a keen sense of smell to find food and are often triggered by movement to prey on organisms.

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Posted in Earthworms Fishing Worms Worms Generally

Dark-Red Worm that May be a Horsehair Worm Found Alongside White, Cloud-like Matter

“I need help please” starts this reader in his query in which he asks for our “thoughts on these” organisms pictured below. The first photograph shows what looks to be a long, thin, dark red worm-like organism tangled in hair and other debris, and the second photo displays what we can only describe as white, cloud-like matter.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Dead, Pink-Brown Worms by Kitchen Sink are Tubifex Worms

“What on Earth are these worms?” asks this reader, who found a batch of pinkish, dead worm-like creatures beside her kitchen sink. She has since cleaned the worms up and bleached her entire counter and sink.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Worms Generally

Bloodworms: The Various Types and Why You Don’t Need to Fear them

When someone says ‘bloodworm’, it may not bring up the most pleasant of images if you have never seen one of these critters before; the word itself is somewhat creepy! This article will detail the various worms that fall under this umbrella term, and why they are not nearly as terrifying as their name makes them out to be.

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Posted in Earthworms Fishing Worms Marine Worms

Reddish-Brown Worm in Woman’s Toilet is Likely an Earthworm or Bloodworm

A red/brown worm was spotted in this woman’s toilet after her cousin used the bathroom. She states that she has never experienced any worms in her bathroom before, and asks if she should be worried.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Worms Found in the House

Red Worms Infesting Woman’s Bathroom are Bloodworms

Red, “free-moving, thread-like” worms of varying lengths were discovered in the bathroom of this concerned woman. She says they look “dangerous and unpredictable” given their speed, and worries that they might be parasitic to humans.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Round Worms

Red Worms in Man’s Toilet are Midge Fly Larvae

Red worms were found in the toilet bowl belonging to this man, who wishes that we identify them and provide instructions on how to get rid of them. The picture provided does not offer much insight into what these worms look like, other than the fact that they are minuscule in size, and that their bodies are very flexible, and they can bend and curl in many different ways.

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Posted in Composting Worms Earthworms Fishing Worms

Long Worm Found in Toilet is a Lumbricus Rubellus Earthworm

A reader recently sent in this image of a long, brown worm she found in her toilet. She is trying to determine if the worm is an earthworm or an intestinal parasite.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Worms Found in the House

Red-striped Worm in Toilet is a Red Midge Fly Larva

A man from the UK recently sent in this image of a small, thin, red-striped worm found on the rim of his toilet bowl. According to him, the worm is 1cm (0.39-inches) in length and was found after his son had used the toilet.

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Posted in Fishing Worms

Are Frozen Bloodworms in Freezer Safe?

One of our readers dropped a few frozen bloodworms in his freezer and asked us if it was safe. Since bloodworms are generally considered to be harmless, we believe that it is perfectly safe.

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Posted in Bristle Worms Fishing Worms

Is Worm Used as Fishing Bait a Bloodworm?

One of our readers asked us to identify a bloodworm she used for fishing in Maine. Sadly, we don’t know the species of this marine bloodworm.

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Posted in Fishing Worms

Black Plastic Fishing Lure Worm with Yellow Stripe

A reader asked us about where he can purchase a plastic worm fishing hook that is 3 inches long, has a black body with a yellow stripe from head to tail, and has two hooks.

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Posted in Fishing Worms

Buying Tubifex Worms in Miami, Florida

One of our readers wanted to know where to buy tubifex worms in Miami, Florida. We don’t know specific locations in Miami, Florida, but we did provide some information about tubifex worms!

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Posted in Fishing Worms Interesting Bugs Interesting Worms Worms Generally

Creatures on Dubai Beach Offer Little Identifying Information

Today, we’re addressing a question from a reader in Dubai. She writes because she has found some creatures on the beach, and she’s wondering if they are worms. She adds that it is the first time she has seem such critters there, and she has included a picture.

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Posted in Fishing Worms

Purchasing Tubifex Worms

A reader recently commented on one of our posts about leech fields wondering where she can purchase tubifex worms in the United Kingdom. Before we speculate on where she can buy these worms, we will provide some background information for our unfamiliar readers.

Bloodworm
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Posted in Fishing Worms

Rearing or Cultivating Glycera dibranchiata (Bloodworms)

We received a very specific question from a reader a few days ago about cultivating the “marine bloodworm Glycera dibranchiata.” Glycera dibranchiata are commonly used for fish bait, so the reader’s motivation for rearing or breeding bloodworms – essentially, setting up a bloodworm farm – is presumably tied to fishing. The reader was first of all wondering if bloodworms can be cultivated “successfully,” and if so, he was wondering how he might go about doing so. He also wanted to know if there are any publications that are available to assist with the rearing task.

Catawba worm
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Posted in Fishing Worms

How to Attract Catawba Worms to Your Catalpa Trees

A reader asked us a couple of days ago why there are no longer Catawba worms on her Catalpa trees (or Catalpa worms on her Catawba trees – “Catalpa” and “Catawba” are interchangeable). Catawba worms make excellent fishing bait, so the reader was keen to find out how to attract them back to her trees. Since she gave no information about her circumstances, it’s of course very difficult to say why the Catawba worms left, and for similar reasons it is hard to say how to get them back. (Obviously, the two questions are related.) Even in the absence of specific information, we can still supply some general information about attracting Catawba worms to Catalpa trees, and what keeps them away.