She didn’t elaborate on what she meant by aggressive, but we will assume she means something along the lines of biting, stinging, or not running away at a human’s presence.

Based on the photo and “aggressive” description, we believe that our reader has discovered carpet beetle larvae.

Carpet beetle larvae are quite small, and often orange or brown in color. They are most distinguishable by the visible hairs that line their bodies. Carpet beetle larvae are often described as destructive, which might be why our reader suggested the larva was aggressive. Carpet beetle larvae have a very broad diet. They eat a wide variety of fabrics, as well as animal products and several other fibers. They can survive for long periods of time without food, so they can be difficult to remove.

Since clothing is often a main food source for carpet beetle larvae, our reader should dry clean her clothes or wrap them in plastic. She should also clean all of her upholstered furniture and any carpet thoroughly. Finally, she should clean all dust and crumbs from her home to eliminate any food source that the carpet beetle larvae might be surviving on.

Summary

Article Name

Aggressive Brown Worm

Description

We received a picture from a reader, of a creature that has invaded her room. Using the photo, we can safely say the creature is small, roundish, and has a clear head and tail (although it is impossible to tell which is the head and the tail). It has a dark brown body, and possibly a darker brown or black head/tail. Also hard to decipher from the photo, but we think it also has little legs or hairs sticking out of its sides. The reader said that the creatures are slightly aggressive for their size. She wants to know what it is. We too are curious and will explore some options!

Author

Dori Franklin