Could Worm Found In Sheets be Fly Larva?

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We recently got this message from a reader, “I found this tiny ‘worm’ in my bed in between the sheets. I thought it was a tiny piece of pasta from lunch…but it moves! It is sticky and white. I took some pictures on a single square of toilet paper…. I can’t zoom in too far or it’s blurry. I do not see any color at the head or tail.I do sleep with dogs but the sleep on the outside of the sheets but this was found inside. I’m freaking out. What is it?”

Just as our reader described it, this worm-like organism is very small and white. It almost blends in with the square of toilet paper. After looking at the photograph and reading the description our reader provided, we think we can rule out the possibility of this creature being a carpet beetle larva. Carpet beetle larvae are the most common worm-like organisms that readers discover in their beds and bedding. Since these larvae eat wool and feathers (among many other things), a mattress and pillow often makes an ideal home for them. However, carpet beetle larvae aren’t “sticky and white” like the specimen our reader found. Carpet beetle larvae have brown segmented bodies that are covered in hair-like bristles. So, not a match for this organism!

In this next photograph, we can see the general shape of the specimen. We think this creature is probably a fly larva, a.k.a a maggot. A maggot is a general name for the larval stage of several different species of flies, including houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies. We aren’t sure which species of larva this is, or how it got in our reader’s bed. She mentioned that her dogs sleep in the bed, so one of the dogs might have accidentally transported the maggot from outside. Sometimes readers discover flea larvae in their beds, especially when a pet shares the bed with them. However, flea larvae have thin black bodies, not round white bodies like the specimen our reader discovered. Therefore we are confident the creature isn’t a flea larva. Since she only found one larva, we don’t think she is dealing with an infestation or has anything serious to be concerned about. We recommend that she wash her sheets just to be safe.

To conclude, one of our readers found a maggot in her bed. We don’t know where the maggot came from, but we don’t think our reader has anything to worry about.

 

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Could Worm Found In Sheets be Fly Larva?
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Could Worm Found In Sheets be Fly Larva?
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One of our readers found a maggot in her bed. We don't know where the maggot came from, but we don't think our reader has anything to worry about.
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Author: Worm Researcher Dori

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