“Could you please help me ID these two creatures?” asks “Becky Bee the Buggaphobic” from Eugene Oregon. “One was hanging from an electronic near my bed, and that is swinging back-and-forth in the short video that I’ve attached to this message. The other picture is of a circular glob of spider egg-like material that was also near my bed. However, it was just sitting, dangling like the brown mass, and sort of avoiding light perhaps, under some papers near my bed. I am not sure if the two masses are related nor am I sure what the white worm-like casing is that is pictured — heck maybe different stages of life and same species? The brown circular-shaped mass on the blue paper below was what dangled from the electronic device in the video.”

“What is this thing?” asks Kate, or as she asks us to call her, “Curious Kate in Colorado”. She refers to the big, white object pictured below. “I found it next to my front door! Should I move it? Let it be? It seems stuck, and this spot gets a lot of sun and gets very hot.” At first glance, we thought that this might be an egg sac of some kind – perhaps of some insect or species of spider. And it might be just that. That said, the size of it, as well as the fact that it is “stuck” on there (which we assume means that Kate had a hard time trying to pry it from the door frame) makes us wonder if it could be something else.

“I found these worms in my isopod terrarium”, writes Cynthia about the translucent worm-like creature pictured below. “I have been searching but am unable to find out what worm it is. Would be grateful for some help! The worms are less than 5mm long and this is the clearest photo I could get. The white part is the head and all of them are coloured this way. They are too small for my eyes to see if they are segmented or not. They seem to gravitate towards damp areas in the terrarium. I live in Singapore, which is a warm and humid place. Any ideas?” To begin with, we want to point out how cool it is that Cynthia has an isopod terrarium: it’s not everyday you hear that, and we appreciate her appreciation of such critters.

“This is really bizarre”, writes Sergio about the horde of worms he found inside a light fixture in his eight-floor apartment in Portugal. “I was recovering a room that was not used for many years. The ceiling light was out, so I dismounted the fixture and a lot of dirt was inside (possible biomass, in retrospect). I washed it all out, replaced the light bulb, mounted the fixture and I had light in that room again. A few weeks later I turned on the light and within a few minutes a worm fell from the ceiling. I discarded the worm down the toilet and didn’t think much of it until I caught movement in the light, and I found what you see in the video below. I’m sorry that I didn’t have the balls to dismount it and give a closer look but I’m kinda freaked out, especially because once I unscrew it they’ll start falling through the middle. Any idea what might be going on here? I took this video two weeks after the finding and they’re still moving once I turn on the light. I was hoping they’d die before I took it apart but it’s taking quite a while. I don’t see any opening but one fell through somehow so there should be one. Any idea what that might be? Are those larvae of something bigger or are those the final forms themselves? Is food getting in there? Are they eating each other to survive this long? Did some bug get in there and lay a bunch of eggs or is it possible that the eggs were in there the whole time and when I replaced the bulb they hatched with the heat? Can eggs survive for many years? I’m so confused. Here’s a video: https://youtube.com/shorts/1fQh6eDm1Dg”

“I found that these very tiny larvae/worms had taken over a corner of my kitchen essentially within hours,” writes Michelle about the tiny black worm-like creatures pictured below. We will acknowledge right off the bat that the organisms are not that visible in the photo, as the photo is taken too far from the organisms. That said, the video that Michelle also included shows much better, and much clearer, the critters she is referring to. “I have no idea what they are and how concerned I should be”, she continues. “They seem to be spinning a spider web-like web. They were found next to the fridge, not near a drain or the pantry. However, there was a new loaf of bread and package of tortillas nearby. Please let me know if you have any inkling as to what these are. There were a good number of them on that fake plant, however I have had that fake plant for months and never seen an issue. Thank you in advance for your help!”

“I found this very small black worm in a t-shirt that I left on the ground,” writes this reader in his submission regarding the black worm-like critter pictured below. “I live in the city and I would like to know what this could be. This picture was taken moments after I killed it (which was kind of hard).” First off, we want to note that we never condone killing the organisms our readers find in their homes, unless they are definitely a threat to the person or their pets, or if infestations of the given organism are particularly severe (eg: carpet beetle larvae). Secondly, we want to address the identity of the creature. At first we thought it could be some kind of clothes pest, based on the fact that our reader found it on his shirt. However, this critter does not really look like any of the common clothes pests. So, what is it?

“Can you please help identify this worm?” asks Ashley about the tiny, black worm-like creature pictured below (which is barely visible on the photo). “The pest control came and said that in 30 years he’s never seen this kind of worm. They are smaller than an eyelash. Thank you so much!” Firstly, we want to note to our other readers that, despite the photo being quite of poor resolution and not showing the worm clearly, Ashley did send in an excellent video (linked below) of the worm moving about. This brings us to our second point: based on the video, we would venture a guess and say that this might be a flea larva.

“What is this?” asks Shannon about the plethora of tiny, gray worm-like critters pictured below. “It was right inside the house by the sliding glass door.” Despite the lack of context, this is one of those instances where we can tell what these are based merely on the photos. This tight cluster of gray worms with black heads, next to the group of translucent ball-shaped objects, could only be American ermine moth caterpillars, otherwise known as white ermine moth caterpillars.

“What is this?” is all Rocky asks about the brown worm-shaped creature pictured below. It is unfortunate that Rocky does not provide any context, as that always helps us narrow down the possibilities for what the given organism might be, especially when the photo does not already tell us what it is. And in this case, we cannot tell what this critter is based on the photo: it kind of looks like a cigarette or a dried up worm. Our best guess is that this is a mealworm, and we base this solely on its coloration. Mealworms also possess clear segmentation that we cannot see from the photo, but we suppose that, given the low resolution of the photo, the segmentation could just not be visible on the photo.

“Can you help me identify these insects?” asks Jen in East Yorkshire, UK about the little, black and white-striped bug pictured below. “We have been finding these larvae in our bed for several weeks. Are they carpet beetles? Is it possible these might be falling from the ceiling / wood beams, as the way they have turned up makes us think this is a possibility? Thanks.” To start with, we think Jen is right in identifying these as carpet beetles, though we want to point out that, in this case, they are the larvae of the carpet beetle. We can tell based on the shape of the body, as well as the black and white stripes.

An All About Worms reader has discovered that the symptoms they were experiencing, including little threads of hair-like things, and the thread-like things stinging them, are not parasites at all but instead turned out to be mold illness caused by previously undetected mold in their house. Ken urges people to consider this possibility and get your house tested for mold.

“Can you help me identify this?” asks Cheryl about the white and brown, organic-looking matter pictured below.” I live in Las Vegas and found this while cleaning my broom.” Firstly, we must point out that the matter in the photo does not have any recognizable characteristics of a living worm-like organism, especially the two oddly-shaped, brown pieces of matter next to the long, white thing, which looks more like it could have something to do with worms. Secondly, we want to bring attention to the brown object nearer the bottom of the photo, and the seemingly translucent nature of what looks like folded pieces of thin material. We think this looks like it could be the shed skin of a larva or full-grown insect.

“I found this worm in our bathroom,” writes Christina from Texas. She refers to the long, yellow creature pictured below, of which she also sends an excellent video of it slithering around. “It has no legs but it does have two antennae. It’s flipping and slithering like a parasite. Please help. What is it? Thank you.” From the photo and the video, we would say that this organism best resembles a centipede. Centipedes are infamous for their many pairs of legs which sprout from the sides of their bodies, which make a lot of people fearful of them. Because of these many legs, all of which move in unison, they can appear to be slithering over surfaces, especially when their legs are as thin as this one’s, making the legs hard to see with the naked eye.

“I found this thing in the bathroom!” writes Sade about the little black bug in the picture below. “Horrifying! It seemed to have fallen off somewhere – either from the toilet or the toilet paper hanging beside the toilet as I didn’t see it when I first opened the toilet, then noticed something plopped into the water a second after. I hope it didn’t come from me!” Upon zooming in on the photo, the organism looks to have legs, and a translucent body. That said, the photo is taken in quite poor lighting, and the resolution is not the best, so we will say that any identifications we make are educated guesses, and are not 100% certain.

“I am finding these tiny dark brown worms all over my cubicle desk at my work”, writes Una in San Diego about the darkly-colored creature pictured below. “I’ve also found tiny worms in green also. I’m freaking out because I read on your post that they could be flea worms!? I do have dogs but I haven’t seen any worms like this at home. I live in San Diego, California.” The photo alone does not really help us much, unfortunately. Even when zooming in, the worm looks like nothing more than a black blob. Additionally, Una does not send any photos of the green worms she mentions.

“I found this worm on my sink, what is it?” is all Shelley writes in her submission regarding the long, thin, dark-colored worm pictured below. Unfortunately, the photo is of a poor resolution, and the lighting is also poor, meaning that it is impossible for us to make out the finer details of the creature’s physical characteristics. Because of this, it becomes very difficult for us to identify the organism based on its appearance, and without any context, it becomes virtually impossible.

“Is there something in the carpet or is it just old/cheap?” asks Laura in La Mesa City, San Diego county, California. “It was professionally cleaned about two weeks ago. Additionally, and not 100%, I positively believe there are some creatures with white heads and darker bodies in the soil of a Money Tree that is on our catio. I’m used to the drain fly larvae or whatever that stuff is but these just seem different. Also, I do NOT feel anything in or on my body. These look too small to be carpet beetle larvae but my entire carpet looks like that. My photography skills are horrible and I could not get a good shot of these lines that run through the substrate. In conclusion, I have touched them but cannot just pick them up; they seem too deep. Sorry for yet another paranoid sounding inquiry; I just don’t want to get in trouble with property management. Thank you.”

“What are these brown worm-like bugs in my toilet?” asks AnnaMarie in her submission regarding the two, segmented creatures pictured below. She offers no further context, and, unfortunately, the lighting is not the best, and it is hard to make out the organisms’ finer characteristics. That said, based on their shape – particularly the little tapered tip at one end of its body – we think that these might be black soldier fly larvae. How these two critters would have come to show up in AnnaMarie’s toilet is a mystery to us, as black soldier fly larvae are not typically found in this spot.

“What is this?” asks Ayoade in his submission regarding the bristly, striped, bug-like creature pictured below. He does not provide any further context – something that we always advise our readers do. Fortunately, in this case, we have seen this creature so many times that we do not need more context to identify it. This is a carpet beetle larva. We can tell that it is a carpet beetle larva based on its brown coloration, stripes, long bristles, six prolegs, and the ovate shape of its body. Now, although we were able to identify the organism without it, context would have still come in handy when it comes to knowing how many of these Ayoade found, and where he found them. Regardless, we will simply give a basic overview of carpet beetle larvae.

“Can you kindly identify this worm?” asks Lindsey in her submission regarding the white, worm-shaped organism pictured below. “The hair on top moves around like a feeler.” She does not add more context than this, and given how vague the photo is, we are not sure we can give her a concrete answer to her question. The worm almost looks like it is under a sheet, or some kind of fabric – as if it is struggling to break through it. As such, the hair on top looks like it is likely just a stray fiber from that material. For these reasons, we are not even sure what the true color of the organism is.