Worms Near Dead Rat are Black Soldier Fly Larvae

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A reader recently reached out to us after she discovered a dead rat in her hallway. When she turned on the light to get a better look at the rat she saw two brown “blobs” further down the hallway. The “blobs” were moving. She believes they are some type of larvae. She suspects that the larvae killed the rat. She wants to know how the larvae got into her house and is curious if she should be looking for a colony of these larvae somewhere in her home. Here is a photo of the “blobs” she sent us:

 

We believe these “blobs” are black soldier fly larvae, or BSFL for short. BSFL are usually associated with composting because they are excellent at breaking down organic substrates and returning nutrients to the environment. In other words, they eat decomposing and decaying organic material. Unlike carpet beetle larvae or pantry moth larvae, these larvae aren’t considered household pests. They also aren’t known to carry or transmit any human diseases.

In a home, black soldier fly larvae are usually found in or near a trashcan or compost bin. We think the larvae our reader found probably smelled the dead rat and were snacking on its decomposing body when our reader turned on the light. We don’t think that these larvae killed the rat, though we can’t say for certain how the rat died. We think the larvae are probably hiding out in one of her trash or compost bins. She should empty them and also scrub the entire bin just in case there is some unseen material that is serving as a food source. This should also prevent future black soldier fly larvae from hiding out in her home.

In summary, a reader noticed two brown “blobs” on her floor near a dead rat. We are confident that these organisms are black soldier fly larvae.

 

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Worms Near Dead Rat are Black Soldier Fly Larvae
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Worms Near Dead Rat are Black Soldier Fly Larvae
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A reader noticed two brown "blobs" on her floor near a dead rat. We are confident that these organisms are black soldier fly larvae.
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Author: Worm Researcher Dori

2 thoughts on “Worms Near Dead Rat are Black Soldier Fly Larvae

  1. My cat found a mouse which I ended up killing with a shoe. After the mouse was dead, I thought it was pooping but soon realized it was one of these things. There was another one still moving in the body, and I didn’t get a great look at it before I threw the dead mouse outside, but it looked like the mouse possibly had a wound/hole by the butt (off centered and fairly large) which I’m assuming the worm/larvae came from. Is this still a black soldier fly larvae? My cat is mad at me for not letting him eat the mouse, but I wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get parasites

  2. Our cats are constantly bringing us dead rats. We find them right away, usually in the morning. Most of time these “larvae” are next to body. It is my belief that they are being expelled by the rats, as they are so large and found so quickly that this is the most reasonable explanation.

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