The larvae of moth flies like to hang in and around drains, underneath drain plugs and screens, and inside of pipes. They feed on the gelatinous film found in these areas of bathroom sinks, tubs, toilets and kitchen sinks. Moth flies develop through four stages: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult. Moth flies have many generations each year and they occur anytime of the year in moist coastal regions – indoors and outdoors. Moth flies are common outdoors during the winter and spring months in California – mainly the interior areas.

If you want to avoid a moth fly infestation, there are several management methods you can use. You should screen windows and doors and reduce moisture and organic debris. To keep moth flies from multiplying, fix leaking plumbing immediately. You should also clean muck that collects in drains or under dripping taps, and brush or wash away slime under drain plugs, screens, and inside the top of drainpipes, above the water level in the J-trap. Biological control, such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), can be effective as well as insecticides. Bt is a naturally occurring bacterial disease of insects that are also the active ingredient in some insecticides. Bt is considered safe to people and nontarget species. Insecticides can be used outdoors, but they are not recommended for use in the home. Visit your local hardware store, home and garden store or retail superstore for insecticide options.

What About Millipedes?

If you’ve spotted a furry but wormy creature racing across your kitchen or bathroom floor on what appears to more than 100 legs, chances are it wasn’t really a worm. While it’s easy to mistake these leggy creatures for worms due to their elongated segmented-like bodies, the more accurate you are at identifying them, the better you will be at controlling a possible infestation. This worm-like creature can pass for a worm if you’re not paying attention, but the truth is, it’s actually an immature millipede.

When millipedes first hatch, they only have around three pairs of legs, giving the appearance of a worm. Keep in mind that the millipede’s legs multiply rather rapidly. Additional millipede legs grow after each molt. Millipede eggs are either white, creamy yellow, or brown. They are smooth and spherical, and toughly 0.4 mm in diameter. Because of a sticky secretion, millipede eggs adhere in clusters. Millipede larvae are smaller than adults, of course.

Adult millipedes range in color from gray to brown. These anthropods are worm-like with cylindrical bodies. They are typically 13 to 38 mm long with a pair of short antennae. The adult millipede has at least 30 pairs of legs, although it can look like they have much more. So much more that the millipede earned the nicknames “thousand-legged worm,” “thousand-legged spider,” and “hundred-legged worm.” Millipedes have a large number of segments with at least two legs attached to most body segments. While it may look like millipedes mover at warp speed, they actually move very slowly as their legs move in a wave-like motion.

Although millipedes and centipedes may look alike at first glance, a second look will reveal many differences. Centipedes have flattened bodies and a pair of long, slender antennae. They also have a pair of claws just behind the head. Centipedes have roughly 15 pairs of long legs and only one pair on most of its body segments. Centipedes are the faster of the two, so they are tougher to catch.

Millipedes (and centipedes) live in just about every part of the world. Millipedes prefer to live in dark, damp places, while centipedes prefer places where they can hunt for insects and spiders. The millipede prefers to eat moist, decaying organic matter. Chances are, most people will come across a millipede and not a centipede, specifically the greenhouse millipede.

The types of millipedes and centipedes that enter homes usually do not bite. This doesn’t mean that these anthropods are welcome visitors. If you see many of them in a short period of time, they can become a nuisance.
Outdoor millipedes feed on vegetation and they can do plenty of damage to turf. Fortunately, there are many ways to control them.

One of the easiest ways to control millipede populations is to take away their food and shelter source. If you destroy their feeding and breeding grounds they will hunt for another place to dine and reproduce. Other ways to control millipede populations in the home is to repair (seal) splits and cracks in foundation walls, and around doors, basement windows, and similar openings. Properly ventilated basements and crawl spaces are a turn off for millipedes (and centipedes) as well. And finally, some basic cleaning should help as well. If you remove food sources, clean, repair cracks, and destroy all food and shelter sources and you still see a millipede or two here and there, you can try chemical control. Visit any hardware or home and garden retailer to browse through a number of effective options.

There are 13 known terrestrial ribbon worm species recorded worldwide. Four exist in Australia (Argonemertes: australiensis; dendyi; hillii; stocki) and they are from the Argonemertes genus. Land-dwelling nemerteans need dark, damp, and cool habitats to live. They can be found under rotting logs, in leaf litter or under large rocks or stones. They are typically found in lands where the climate is calm and damp

Ribbon worms have muscular eversible (able to be turned inside out) proboscis (tubular feeding and sucking organ), housed in a fluid-filled enclosure above the belly or gut. This area is used to trap prey and it is used for burrowing. Land-dwelling ribbon worms may use it for fast movement. At a minimum of 8 inches long, the ribbon worms body is long and lean with finlike appendages. Some giant ribbon worm species or ‘Lineus longissimus’ may reach up to 100 feet long.

Ribbon worms reproduce annually. Fertilization occurs externally, and the eggs and sperm are released separately. Ribbon worms develop by either the direct method or ciliated larval stage. The direct method does not include a larval stage and the ciliated larval stage is either a free-swimming larva called the pilidum or the Desor’s larva, which is similar to an adult. The larvae transform into ribbon worms in several days to several weeks after swimming among plankton.

Ribbon worms have several unique abilities and traits. Some may have separate male and female organs (dioecious) while others may have both male and female organs (hermaphroditic). Ribbon worms can regenerate chopped or damaged parts of their body. In fact, ribbon worms may break up into pieces on their own and the pieces will grow into new worms.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com, “in general, the ribbon worms are regarded as a distinct phylum at the highest point of acoelomate (without a body cavity) development; however, some evidence suggests that one proboscis cavity, or rhynchocoel, may be a true coelom. The important features used to classify the ribbon worms include the position of the brain relative to the mouth, the presence or absence of a stylet (or stylets) on the proboscis, and the position of the lateral nerves relative to the muscle layers.

For pictures or video of the giant ribbon worm or an average size ribbon worm in action, visit: http://www.seawater.no/fauna/slimormer/kjempe.htm or http://www.flickr.com/photos/pokerchampdaniel/3136421527/.

The case bearing clothes moth looks like a worm and it is white in color. It carries a “case” around that can reach up to 10 mm in length — a case that’s usually made from a combination of self-made silk and the very materials they feed on. While the larvae consumes a hearty diet of dried plant and animal material outdoors, they also feed on carpets, clothing, and general debris in the household as well as dried cereal and vegetable matter. They are likely to feed on wool and cotton, but rarely will they feed on nylon, acrylic, or polyester. In fact, they prefer not to gnaw on any type of synthetic fibers.

The larvae or caterpillars of the case-bearing clothes moth are among the few insects that have the ability to digest the keratin of feathers and hairs. It’s insatiable appetite for fabric, cereal and plant and vegetable matter make the case-bearing clothes moth larvae a serious household pest. Because of this, it is important to get rid of them before your home becomes infested. There are many ways to prevent and kill case-bearing clothes moth and its larvae.

If you notice a worm-like bug with a shell crawling along your walls or anywhere on the ground, chances it’s the larvae of the case-bearing clothes moth and there are plenty more where that one came from. To inspect for damage, which is a good indication of an infestation, begin by checking your cupboards, drawers, wardrobes, and storage areas. You should also inspect your carpeting (especially undisturbed areas), behind and under furniture, and in stored linen, such as in the linen closet.

After inspection, if you notice damage, holes or larvae, there are several ways to kill them. Insecticides such as Insect Guard are effective as well as pesticide free clothes moth traps. There are also al number of sprays available that can be used in carpet and around furniture to kill and/or repel the clothes moth and its larvae. Visit any local hardware store to find the best spray or call an exterminator for professional treatment.

The following tips should help to prevent a case-bearing clothes moth infestation.

·Dry-clean or launder woolens and other susceptible fabrics before storing. The case-bearing clothes moth prefers dirty fabrics, such as fabrics soaked in perspiration and urine. Cleaning these fabrics before storing actually kills any eggs and larvae that may be present. Once cleaned, seal all clothing in plastic. The moth cannot penetrate plastic.

·Susceptible fibers may also be treated with special mothproofing liquids, so speak with your local dry cleaner about options.

·If at all possible, purchase carpets and furniture made from synthetic fibers and be sure to keep them clean.

·To take it a step further; inspect roof spaces to make sure there are no bird nests present. Bird nests are perfect places for moths to hide and lay their eggs.

·Vacuuming works wonders, so be sure to keep your carpets vacuumed at all times. Vacuuming helps to remove debris that can actually support future infestations. Vacuum dark areas and underneath furniture where larvae like to feed and moths are likely to hide away from the light. Dispose of the contents of the vacuum bag immediately.

·Freeze-treatment is also an effective way to kill eggs. If you have small objects that can fit into a zip lock bag, simply place the item in the bag and freeze it for a week to kill larvae and eggs. After a week, clean the objects thoroughly.

About Moth Flies (larvae)

If you’ve noticed small worm-like creatures crawling around on your bathroom floor or around the drains in your sinks, chances are they are the larvae of the moth fly. Moth flies, also called “drain flies,” “filter flies,” or “sewer flies,” are grayish or dark. They have hundreds of fine hairs covering the wings and the body. You can find moth flies resting indoors with their wings held over their bodies, like a roof. They can be found resting on bathroom walls and around drain-like surfaces. The larvae are less than ¼ of an inch long. They have small suction discs along their bellies to help suction to slippery surfaces. They have a distinct head and a somewhat flattened body. They do not have legs.

The larvae of moth flies like to hang around drains, within drains, underneath drain plugs and screens, and inside of pipes. They feed on the gelatinous film found in these areas of bathroom sinks, tubs, and toilets and well as kitchen sinks.

Moth flies develop through four stages: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult. Moth flies have many generations each year and they occur anytime of the year in moist coastal regions – indoors and outdoors. Moth flies are common outdoors during the winter and spring months in California – mainly the interior areas.

If you want to avoid a moth fly infestation, there are several management methods you can use. You should screen windows and doors and reduce moisture and organic debris. To keep moth flies from multiplying, fix leaking plumbing immediately. You should also clean muck that collects in drains or under dripping taps, and brush or wash away slime under drain plugs, screens, and inside the top of drainpipes, above the water level in the J-trap. Biological control agents are also available for outdoor use as well as insecticides. Insecticides can be used outdoors, but they are not recommended for use in the home.

About Immature Millipedes

If you witnessed a worm-like creature, with what appears to be more than 100 legs, racing across your kitchen floor, chances are it wasn’t really a worm. While it’s easy to mistake these leggy creatures for worms due to their elongated segmented-like bodies, the more accurate you are at identifying them, the better you will be at controlling a possible infestation. This worm-like creature can pass for a worm if you’re not paying attention, but the truth is, it’s actually an immature millipede.

When millipedes first hatch, they only have around three pairs of legs, giving the appearance of a worm. Keep in mind that the millipede’s legs multiply rather rapidly. Additional millipede legs grow after each molt. Millipede eggs are either white, creamy yellow, or brown. They are smooth and spherical, and toughly 0.4 mm in diameter. Because of a sticky secretion, millipede eggs adhere in clusters. Millipede larvae are smaller than adults, of course.

Adult Millipedes

Adult millipedes range in color from gray to brown. These anthropods are worm-like with cylindrical bodies. They are typically 13 to 38 mm long with a pair of short antennae. The adult millipede has at least 30 pairs of legs, although it can look like they have much more. So much more that the millipede earned the nicknames “thousand-legged worm,” “thousand-legged spider,” and “hundred-legged worm.” Millipedes have a large number of segments with at least two legs attached to most body segments. While it may look like millipedes move at warp speed, they actually move very slowly as their legs move in a wave-like motion.

Although millipedes and centipedes may look alike at first glance, a second look will reveal many differences. Centipedes have flattened bodies and a pair of long, slender antennae. They also have a pair of claws just behind the head. Centipedes have roughly 15 pairs of long legs and only one pair on most of its body segments. Centipedes are the faster of the two, so they are tougher to catch.

Where Millipedes Live and What they Eat

Millipedes (and centipedes) live in just about every part of the world. Millipedes prefer to live in dark, damp places, while centipedes prefer places where they can hunt for insects and spiders. The millipede prefers to eat moist, decaying organic matter. Chances are, most people will come across a millipede and not a centipede, specifically the greenhouse millipede.

What Damages can Millipedes cause?

The types of millipedes and centipedes that enter homes usually do not bite. They do feed on vegetation and they can do damage to turf. Just because millipedes don’t bite, this doesn’t mean that these arthropods are welcome visitors. If you see many of them in a short period of time, they can become a nuisance.

How to Control Millipedes

One of the easiest ways to control millipede populations is to take away their food and shelter source. If you destroy their feeding and breeding grounds they will hunt for another place to dine and reproduce. Other ways to control millipede populations in the home is to repair (seal) splits and cracks in foundation walls, and around doors, basement windows, and similar openings. Properly ventilated basements and crawl spaces are a turn off for millipedes (and centipedes) as well. And finally, some basic cleaning should help as well. If you remove food sources, dust and clean the area, repair cracks (common in basements), and destroy all food and shelter sources and you still see a millipede or two here and there, you can try chemical control. Visit any hardware or home and garden retailer to browse through a number of effective options.

Photo Vault

San Francisco-based Photo Vault features pictures of worms from A-Z as well as snakes, lizards, medical leeches, fish, and more. The site allows the user to enlarge images and it also offers basic information about each worm. Users cannot use the images without permission. If you are interested in using Photo Vault images, you must use the email function at the bottom of each enlarged photo to make a request, you can use the automated site called “Photovalet,” or you may contact Photo Vault directly by calling 707-775-2562.

Pic Search

Pic Search features more than 2,000 worm images. Users may search through images by entering the type of worm or search page by page. Pic Search has roughly 20 images per page. Each image offers basic information about the worm and/or a link to a website that offers more detailed information about each subject.

MSN Encarta

If you are working on a school project or you’re just curious about specific types of worms, MSN Encarta is a great place to find worm pictures as well as detailed information about any given worm. Just visit the MSN Encarta website and enter the name of the worm. Results may include an image and definition and/or a full description of the worm. Please scroll down to take a look at a typical MSN Encarta entry.

From the MSN Encarta website

Worm (animal), any soft-bodied animal, usually small and often elongated lacking well-developed limbs. The term does not refer to any particular animal group, but is applied to many unrelated invertebrates or their larvae and to a few vertebrates. The major groups are discussed here.

The familiar earthworm burrows in soil and feeds on dead materials, extracting organic matter from the soil. This moderately complex animal has a complete digestive tract and a circulatory system.

The flatworms are simpler animals that lack an intestine, an anus, and a circulatory system. Some flatworms are free-living and occur in the sea, fresh water, and moist land areas. A familiar example is the freshwater planarian, which crawls about and feeds on small animals. Others, such as the tapeworm and fluke, live inside other animals. The bodies of these parasites tend to be degenerate, or simpler in form than their free-living relatives, in all parts except the reproductive system.

The roundworms are inconspicuous but common. Many roundworms—the pinworm and the hookworm, for example—are parasites of plants and animals; some cause major health problems such as trichinosis and elephantiasis.

Many worms occur only in the sea. The acorn worm has features that suggest a relationship to the chordate lineage. The arrow worm is a peculiar creature that feeds on small animals in the open water and is often abundant. The peanut worm is a distant cousin of the earthworm, and the ribbon worm is related to flatworms. Tubeworms belong to various groups and often feed with tentacles.

Some marine worms belong to a category of organisms that scientists call extremophiles because of their ability to withstand extreme conditions once thought to be uninhabitable. The Pompeii worm, for example, lives in scalding water at the mouths of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Pompeii worms keep one end of their two-inch bodies in scalding water at 80° C (176° F), while the other end extends to far cooler water, at 20° C (68° F). This represents a 60° C (108° F) one-end-to-the-other temperature gradient, a condition that no other known animal can regularly withstand. Scientists have also discovered worms more than 550 m (1800 ft) beneath the ocean surface living on and in a freezing crystalline network of methane gas and water, called methane hydrate, that has seeped from beneath the ocean floor.

Scientific classification: Earthworms belong to the phylum Annelida. Flatworms make up the phylum Platyhelminthes. Roundworms make up the phylum Nematoda.

According to the Ohio State University Extension Center’s Entomology Department, there are four effective control methods including:

• Insecticide Sprays
• Timed Sprays Using Degree-Day Emergence
• Mechanical Hand Picking
• Bacterial Spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Insecticide Sprays
Stomach insecticides are very useful for control of bagworms. Remember that the plant foliage is to be thoroughly covered because the larvae are protected from contact by being in the silk bag. Again, early sprays against young larvae are more effective than later applications. Products registered for bagworm control are: acephate (Orthene), bendiocarb (Ficam, Turcam)(*), bifenthrin (Talstar), carbaryl (Sevin), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), cyfluthrin (Tempo)(*), diazinon, dimethoate (Cygon), fluvalinate (Mavrik)(*), malathion, nicotine sulfate, pyrethrum, permethrin (Pounce)(*), rotenone and trichlorfon (Dylox, Proxol)(*).

Timed Sprays Using Degree-Day Emergence
Using a base temperature of 14.4 degrees C (57.9 degrees F) the median first emergence is 380 DD base 14.4 degrees C (716 DD degrees F) and the median last emergence is 572 DD base 14.4 degrees C (1062 DD degrees F). Allow for an extra week of ballooning after the last emergence mark has been reached before applying Bt or an insecticide. A less precise degree-day model uses a 50 degrees F base, which calculates last emergence around 900 DD units.

Mechanical Hand Picking
If the bags are few in number and easily reached they may be picked off the plant and squashed. This can be done easily in the late fall when deciduous foliage has been dropped or the bits of plant material on the bags turn brown and can be easily located on evergreens. Be sure to cut the attachment silk band so that the branch will not be girdled in the future.

Bacterial Spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
Bt is effective against bagworms if it is used against young larvae. Applications should be made at the end of June after all the eggs have hatched and the larvae are through ballooning.

From Ohio State University Extension Center, Entomology Department, D.J. Shetlar.

About the Bagworm

If your home is surrounded by trees, chances are there are bunches of little bags hidden in the bark of the tree trunks. Inside, you may find anywhere from 300 to 1,000 eggs containing bagworms (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis). The bagworm larva prefer red cedar and arborvitae above all as well as apple, birch, black locust, cypress, elm, juniper, oak, pine, poplar, spruce, and sycamore. The bagworm occurs mostly from New England to Nebraska and south through the state of Texas.

Inside of the bag, which may be camouflaged with foliage, bark, and other debris, the larva is tan or brown with black spots. Once it emerges, the larva is black. It spins down on a silk string in search of a host plant. In some cases, the larva never makes it all the way down on the string, but rather it is picked up by the wind and whisked off to nearby plants. Once the larva has found a host plant either on its own or via the wind, it begins to spin a new bag over its body. The larva feeds and grows inside of the bag. It feeds by sticking its head out to eat, and then it retracts. It protects itself from any perceived threats by retracting into the bag and holding it shut.

By around mid-August, the bagworms mature and they migrate to another area in search of a sturdy host or structure. After the move, the larva pupates. This is the non-feeding stage where the bagworm begins to transform into its adult form. The female bagworm transforms into a wingless moth, which actually looks much like its larva and the male transforms into a winged moth.

About the flat worm

In general, most garden worms are quite harmless and in most cases they can be beneficial to your garden, plants, and trees. Most garden worms help to control destructive termite larvae and grubs, as well as other destructive garden pests. They can also help mix the earths soil by burrowing into the ground or even writhing around in topsoil. While most garden worms are helpful, so they should be left alone, there are some that are dangerous and should be eliminated. One such worm is the flat worm (land planarian).

The flat worm does not help to control other pest populations as most worms do. They actually kill and eat earthworms, exclusively. The flat worm is considered a parasite and it devours its only prey by pushing its throat outside if its mouth and snapping up any part of the earthworm’s body. It melts the earthworm’s body with an enzyme and slowly eats it until the earthworm is completely consumed.

The flat worm can reach up to 20 inches long and its body is very slimy, which allows it to move along the ground in a gliding motion. The body secretes mucus from glands on its belly or underside. The flat worm is native to Indo-China, but it makes its way around the world by traveling in greenhouse plants. For the most part, flat worms can survive just about anywhere, so no one region is 100% safe. While this unique worm can survive in scorching hot to freezing climates, they may suffer somewhat in drier regions.

Flat worm sightings are common in the early morning hours, especially after a hard rain. They are nocturnal however, and they love wet surfaces. This means that they will stick to just about any surface that’s wet or moist, as well as on tree branches and trunks. Keep in mind that there are several varieties of land planarians. Two of the most common sightings are the hammerhead flat worm and the flat worm with a pointed head (instead of a hammerhead), with a dark brown body. The flat worm is usually medium-brown in color with dark markings or stripes. Some worms may appear gray to greenish/gray as well. All types feed on earthworms, so beware.

Adult cucumber beetles will also feed on peas, corn, beans, and other plants. They will feed on host plant as well. Mush like the human immune system, this weakens the plants defenses, making it susceptible to a host of other problems. The cucumber worm and beetle also carry a number of viruses such as “squash mosaic virus” and “cucumber mosaic virus (CMV).”

Cornell University, Department of Plant Pathology offers the following descriptions of both viruses:

Squash mosaic virus (SqMV) can cause an important disease of melons and squash crop. The virus is seedborne in muskmelon and is spread in nature principally by the spotted and striped cucumber beetles. The virus is carried within the seed and cannot be eliminated by hot water or chemical treatment with tusodium phosphate.

Symptoms consist of pronounced chlorotic mottle, green veinbanding, and distortion of leaves of young seedlings. On mature plants, leaves show intense dark green mosaic, blistering, and hardening, suggestive of a hormonal herbicide effect (fig. 1). Infected fruit coming from such plants show a strong mottled pattern with a lack of netting on melons (fig. 2). Control measures include selection of disease-free seed and cucumber beetle control.

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is probably the most widely distributed and important virus disease of cucurbits. The virus overwinters in many perennial weed sources especially attractive to aphids when weed growth resumes in the spring. Early infection of squash and melons is particularly common. Aphids are the main and most efficient method of virus spread. Summer squash displays severe downward cupping along the midvein and leaf reduction from which the plants fail to recover (fig. 3). Color breaking of squash fruit is usually seen, but is not unique for this virus; other viruses causing this symptom include watermelon mosaic viruses 1 and 2, squash mosaic virus, and zucchini yellow mosaic virus. Early decline of muskmelon vines is usually attributed to CMV infection and should not be confused with collapse or “sudden wilt,” which is a more complex disease and a plant-stress-related syndrome. CMV may be seedborne to a limited extent in some crops and weeds such as common chickweed (Stellaria media). Good CMV-resistant (actually tolerant since plants are infected by the virus) cucumber varieties are commercially available and produce a high percentage of unmottled fruit. All other commercially grown cucurbits are susceptible to CMV, although in yellow summer squash varieties that also carry a “precocious yellow gene,” this gene serves to mask the color breaking common with cucurbit viruses (see discussion under WMV-2).

Unfortunately, once the fruit or vegetable becomes infected with a virus, there is no way to control it. There are ways to prevent cucumber worm infestations and treat infestations. According to the American Gourd Society and Ohio State University Extension the following methods may be effective in prevention and control.

Prevention
Inspect plants frequency for beetle infestations. Row covers can provide protection, but during blossoming time, tile covers must be removed for several hours each day, to allow pollination. Plant wilt-resistant varieties and use trap crops, if appropriate.

Insecticides
Although there are several insecticides that control the beetle, only a few chemicals can be used on cucurbit plants because of their sensitivity to chemical injury. Application of an insecticide is usually recommended as soon as the plants begin to emerge through the soil. For prevention of bacterial wilt, it is often advisable to spray at 5-day intervals, beginning when seedlings emerge or after transplanting and continuing spray schedule until vines run. If rain occurs within the 5-day period, repeat the treatment promptly and then return to the regular 5-day treatment interval.

Sprays prepared from wettable powders are less phytotoxic than sprays prepared from emulsifiable concentrates. Dusts are likewise effective if plants are Thoroughly covered. Rotenone 1% dust gives good beede control. Malathion may cause injury to plants if applied before they start to vine. Malathion may cause some foliar burning and should not be applied when plants are wet. Do not combine Malathion and Sevin for application to cucumbers due to possible phytotoxicity.

Recommended chemicals include rotenone, methoxychlor, malathion and carbaryl (Sevin) applied according to label directions and safety precautions.

Predators and Parasites
Natural predators include soldier beetles, tachinid flies, braconid wasps and certain nematodes.

Good luck!

In addition to finding worms in your pet’s stool, other symptoms to look for include:

Weight loss
Dull coat
Weakness
A change in your dog’s appetite
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Distended abdomen in puppies
Inability to exercise
Coughing and hiccupping (due to heartworm)

It’s also important to recognize what the different types parasitic worms look like. Round worms look like spaghetti and tapeworm segments look like grains of rice. In addition to your dog’s food, dog worms can be found in on or buried in your dog’s fur, around his anus, around his paws (from scratching) and it is not uncommon to find them in your dog’s ears.

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent dog worms. One of the most important ways to prevent a serious dog worm infection is to have your pet screened for worms twice per year. If your dog is considered high-risk for worms, you should have him screened more than twice a year. High-risk dogs typically live in condensed urban areas and they usually live in a home with more than one pet. Show pets and hunting dogs are also considered high-risk. Caring for a dog with worms should be done only under the care of a vet. Most non-prescription medications don’t work. Your vet will have access to a number of cutting edge preventatives that are extremely effective against the most aggressive types of parasites such as roundworm, whipworm, hookworm, and heartworm.

It is important to keep in mind that fleas are a source of certain types of tapeworms. When a dog accidentally swallows an infected flea, the tapeworms can hatch in the dog’s intestines. These types of tapeworms can also be transmitted to humans as well. Animal carcasses such as rodents and rabbits may also contain tapeworms, so be sure to keep your pets away from them at all costs.

It’s also a good idea to keep your dog clean and well groomed. You should also dispose of dog feces immediately. Never leave it in piles around your yard, dog run, etc. Whipworm and roundworm eggs can remain infectious for years, and hookworm larvae can multiply in the soil in and around a dog run.

If your dog shows symptoms of heartworm or intestinal parasites, please contact your vet immediately.

How to Get Rid of Horsehair Worms

Horsehair worms can only parasitize suitable insect hosts, so after crushing pests such as crickets, millipedes, or centipedes, the worms will quickly exit the body and crawl for cover. Unless you kill them right after exiting the body, they parasitize another insect. That said, because they are not harmful to humans and because they actually kill harmful pests such as grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, beetles, millipedes, centipedes, snails, slugs, etc., no control measures are recommended. If you feel that you have a horsehair worm infestation and they need to be controlled, you can:

• use plain water to get rid of them (you can spray them)
• install a mesh filter or screen to keep the worms from water pumped from a surface supply such as a farm pond or canal
• treat domestic water supply systems by filtering and treating with chemicals under the direction of the local health department

To keep parasitized insects out of your home, you should caulk or seal entry sites. If you kill an insect, make sure you take it out of the home immediately. If you flush it, the horsehair worm will escape from the insect’s body through the toilet. You can also place an insecticide barrier around your house foundation to kill any arthropod pests infested with horsehair worms.

About Horsehair Worms

Horsehair worms belong to the roundworm family and they earned the name because they look just like the thin hair of a horse tail. Horsehair worms are typically dark brown in color, but some are tan, yellow or black. They usually peak during the late summer as well as during the fall months. Finding horsehair worms in odd places is not uncommon. They have been spotted emerging from a cricket on the kitchen floor of homes or in the toilet after a cricket has been dumped there, and they have even been spotted in pet’s water bowls. They can also be found swimming around in lakes, rivers, streams, and garden ponds.

The life cycle begins when a male and female horsehair worm mate in soil or freshwater. The female can lay as many as 10 million eggs. She typically lays her eggs in water plants. Once the eggs hatch into larvae, they live inside cysts in vegetation — vegetation that is ingested by crickets, grasshoppers and other insects or bugs. Once ingested, the cysts dissolve inside of the grasshopper or cricket gut. The parasite makes its way into the body cavity of the insect where it absorbs nutrients from the insects’ food through the body wall. The horsehair worm is so thin that it can develop and grow to its maximum length inside the body cavity of small cricket. However, the usual length of time that a horsehair worm will develop inside the host is 4-20 weeks. Amazingly, once the horsehair worm reaches maturity inside of the host, it can live out the rest of its life from the nutrients and energy obtained from the host. Another amazing thing about the horsehair worm is its ability to manipulate its body into many forms. The horsehair worm can even twist itself into a ball that resembles a Gordian knot. Hence the name, Gordian Worm.

When the horsehair worm is ready to exit its host, usually when the host is near or in water, it will wiggle out of the nearest opening. This is not always the case, however. They have also been known to exit on dry land. Once the horsehair worm exits the body of an insect (and if it does not find another host), this emerging actually completes the life cycle. If you dare, you can witness the horsehair worm exiting the body of a cricket here. Warning: this is not a pretty sight.

The larvae of moth flies like to hang around drains, within drains, underneath drain plugs and screens, and inside of pipes. They feed on the gelatinous film found in these areas of bathroom sinks, tubs, and toilets and well as kitchen sinks.

Moth flies develop through four stages: egg, larvae, pupa, and adult. Moth flies have many generations each year and they occur anytime of the year in moist coastal regions – indoors and outdoors. Moth flies are common outdoors during the winter and spring months in California – mainly the interior areas.

If you want to avoid a moth fly infestation, there are several management methods you can use. You should screen windows and doors and reduce moisture and organic debris. To keep moth flies from multiplying, fix leaking plumbing immediately. You should also clean muck that collects in drains or under dripping taps, and brush or wash away slime under drain plugs, screens, and inside the top of drain pipes, above the water level in the J-trap. Biological control agents are also available for outdoor use as well as insecticides. Insecticides can be used outdoors, but they are not recommended for use in the home.