“I live in South Louisiana and have recently been having worms in my bed sheets”, states this reader in her submission regarding the minuscule organism pictured below. “They are black to white in color. I think they might be moths as I have let some clothes stay outside in the laundry room, but would like a more clear identification.” Upon zooming in on the photo, we would say that these are probably not moth larvae, but rather flea larvae. Not to worry though, flea larvae are not harmful to humans or animals, unlike their adult counterparts. While the adult flea is an external parasite (ectoparasite) that attaches itself to the skin of mammals and sucks their blood, their larvae solely feed on dead insects, faeces, hair, fur and other dead or decomposing organic matter.

It is not uncommon for people, especially those with pets, to find flea larvae on their bed sheets, as there would be plentiful food for them in this spot. To get rid of them, she should launder her sheets, and vacuum her bedroom. If she continues to find them after that, she will want to repeat this, as well as check the rest of her home for more roaming larvae (which she may want to do from the beginning anyway). In the case that she has a pet, she will want to take them to the vet to have them checked and possibly treated for fleas. The infestation will likely continue beyond the first clean if the pet is infested, as treating them for fleas can take up to 24 hours, so she may have to launder and vacuum multiple times anyway.

Most flea species that are found in urban homes (and specifically not on farms) will be dog/cat fleas, meaning the adult fleas will not feed on humans. That said, if our reader lives on a farm, then it is possible that these are pig fleas, which can also feed on humans. If this is the case, our reader may want to consult a medical professional for herself as well.

To conclude, the black and white, translucent worms our reader has been finding on her bed sheets are actually flea larvae. They are not to be feared, though if she has pets, then it could be a serious problem for them. As such, any pets should get checked at the vets, and to get rid of this infestation, our reader will need to do a lot of laundering and vacuuming. We hope this helps and we wish her the very best!

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