We had a reader ask us if horsehair worms could be pink. She found a pink worm in her toilet and was curious if it was a horsehair worm. She did mention that there were no dead insects around it. It is possible that horsehair worms can be pink. Most of the time, they are brown, but depending on how vibrant their color is, they can look pink.

Horsehair worms are part of the Gordian family and are threadlike worms that are considered to be parasites. There are about 350 different species of horsehair worms and they attack other insects like grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles. Horsehair worms are usually found next to the insects that they kill, but not always.

Horsehair worms are often found in or near water. The larva wait to be eaten by smaller insects like mosquitoes. Then, when the mosquitoes are eaten by grasshoppers or beetles, the larva can attack and feed. Once the worms have invaded the insects, they usually will tie themselves into knots. This is where the family name came from because of the resemblance to the Gordian knot.

These worms can be many different colors. They can be yellow, tan, black and brown and depending on the tone of brown, they can possibly look pink like the one that our reader has seen. Horsehair worms cannot do any harm to animals, humans, or plants. They are considered parasitic to other insects, but will not harm humans. It is not surprising for them to end up in a home near a water source, like a shower or toilet.

In summary, our reader asked us if it was possible for horsehair worms to be pink. It is possible for these worms to be pink and it could be the type of worm that she found in her toilet.