A reader wrote to us a few days ago to ask about some larvae and beetles she found, sending us some excellent pictures of the creatures in question. She suspects she found carpet beetle larvae, an idea she wanted us to weigh in on, and she also found some sort of beetle that she wasn’t able to identify, which she also wanted our help with. In addition to the matter of identification, the reader wanted to know how to get rid of the carpet beetle larvae – or whatever they may be – that she is finding.

One of our dedicated readers just wrote to us about some “worm-like centipedes” she found on her kitchen tiles. She wonders where they are coming from and how to eradicate them.

We received a very short question a while back about worms that smell bad and shed their skin. More precisely, we were asked “what kind of earthworm sheds its tail and sprays a strong smell in defense?” So, the reader is wondering about earthworms specifically (or technically the tail of earthworms) that produce some sort of odor in self-defense. Regardless of our reader’s interests, though, we suspect he is misusing the word “earthworm.” For reasons we will spell out below, he seems to be describing a millipede, or potentially some type of caterpillar, both of which molt (shed) and can smell bad.

One of our readers discovered a brown worm in her toilet that she thought could be an earthworm. We agree with our reader, this is an earthworm!

If you’re interested in downloading songs by Arrogant Worms, you’re in luck. Amazon.com offers several dozen Arrogant Worm songs for around $.99 each. You can also buy Arrogant Worm CD’s at Amazon.com or you can purchase them from Maplemusic.com.

Centipedes have flattened bodies and a pair of long, slender antennae. They also have a pair of claws just behind the head. Millipedes and centipedes have segmented bodies, but millipedes have short antennae.

Worms, grubs, and insect larvae are tasty treats for many individuals around the world. They’re also gaining popularity in the U.S., for their protein and low-fat value.

A reader recently sent a picture to us of two worm-like creatures that she found in her carpet in her home. Because of the two pairs of legs per body segment, it is very possible that these creatures are millipedes.

A while back, we were sent one of the grimmer questions we’ve ever encountered here at All About Worms. The reader reported that after smoking crack, she saw and felt small white worms all over her body. The worms crawled out from between her toes and protruded from every part of her skin. The reader is a seasoned crack smoker, having used the drug for years, and nothing like this has ever happened before. The reader is scared to go to a doctor because she doesn’t want to reveal her drug use and she also doesn’t want to get sent to a psychiatric institution. She therefore wrote to us, asking us this question: “What do you think is going on and how do you think I can get help?”

A reader recently shared a video link to our Facebook page and asked us “What kind of worm is in this video?” We are happy to identify this specimen!

A reader in Buffalo, NY sent in a photograph of a long brown worm found in a toilet and asks if it is an ascaris worm, which is a type of roundworm. According to our reader, her bathroom has not been properly cleaned and the worm has been eating and growing inside the toilet.

Marine worms come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They may be long and thin, plumb and short, flattened and floppy, bright and colorful or dull and dark.

We recently received a couple of great photos of a brown caterpillar (or rather a brownish, tan caterpillar) from a reader. The reader correctly assumed he had found a caterpillar (as opposed to a worm, which is what many people who find caterpillars assume them to be), and he was wondering what kind of caterpillar he might have found. It has dark stripes on its body and what appear to be large eyes. We can’t be sure how big it is because there is no scale in the picture other than a leaf (which we also don’t know the size of), but we would guess it’s around an inch or so in length (most caterpillars are around this size). So, what is this brown, striped caterpillar?

A reader discovered worms emerging from damp areas on his porch. We weren’t able to identify the worms, but we think he should focus on figuring out why the floor is wet! This will likely result in not finding any more worms!

“Can you please identify the worm in this picture that is found in human urine?” is all this reader asks in his submission regarding the gray and pink worm pictured below. The worm is rather long, segmented, and has semi-transparent skin: at least, so we think. Our theory is that the pink part near the end of its body is a view into the inside of the worm. Based on the photo, we would think this is some type of annelid, though our identification should not be taken at face value. The reason for this is the lack of context of our reader’s situation: he does not specify if the worm came from someone’s body, and was then found in their urine, or if somebody peed, then looked in the toilet, and saw the worm there.

A reader wrote to us recently about some worms she is finding in “dark places” around her house. More specifically, she is finding the worms “in lounge, under sofa, behind sofa,” so evidently the worms have taken to hiding around or under furniture. The worms, which are about an inch long, are a cream color with brown tips, although some appear to be mostly brown, which makes them difficult to see because they are the same color as her carpet, and they are always on her carpet. The reader wants two questions answered: what are the cream and brown one-inch worms she is finding, and how can she get rid of them?

A couple of days ago a reader sent us an amazing picture of a yellow caterpillar with black eyes. (These “eyes” are in fact eyespots, which serve no optical function, but more on this in a moment.) She had found a couple of the yellow caterpillars on her back porch and was wondering if we might be able to help with the task of identification. Although caterpillars can be extremely difficult to identify because of the sheer number of different species, we are reasonably confident our reader found a Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar, one of the hundreds of species of Swallowtail caterpillars.

We don’t expect you to eat worms on Thanksgiving so we’ll give you the wormless version of this delicious dessert.

The ability of banded woolly worms to predict the weather is the basis for a popular festival. Their all-white “cousins” and a host of other insects are also part of the many truths and folklore revolving around the seasons.

Morgellons worm – or Morgellons disease – is a misunderstood disease that, while very real to the Morgellons sufferer, is rarely recognized as a parasitic affliction by members of the medical community.