“What worm is this?”, asks this reader about the small, black-headed organism pictured below. “I live in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and I just found these little worms all over my fireplace. I’ve never seen them before. Some were inching along but there were also a number of them hanging from the fireplace from very thin threads (so thin I couldn’t see them).” Now, the key phrase here is “inching”, as that describes pretty well the creature we believe our reader is dealing with: an inchworm. Why they are called inchworms is because of the exact motion that our reader describes; they pull their bodies across a surface using legs located at the front and back of their bodies, thus forcing them to arch the middle of their bodies (which does not have any legs) and ‘inch’ forward. Likewise, they are able to generate a silk-like string from which they can quickly eject and hang on to as they jump off a surface, which is a defense mechanism they use to get away from predators.

The name ‘inchworm’ really describes an entire family of moth caterpillars that fit these same descriptions, and all of them turn into varying species of moths. Inchworms are not harmful or dangerous: they do not bite or sting, and they are not parasitic. Of course, as with any caterpillar, it is best to avoid touching them, as unforeseen allergic reactions can occur. With that said, inchworms are harmful to plants, as they are voracious eaters, like most caterpillars. For that reason, it is preferable to keep them out of one’s garden. Of course, our reader found them on her fireplace, so she likely does not have to worry about this.

That said, a fireplace is a strange place for inchworms to hangout. We think it is likely the mother moth found her way into our reader’s home, via an open door or window, or perhaps through a torn window screen, and laid her eggs somewhere around the fireplace as she deemed it a safe place to do so. Scooping the caterpillars onto a dustpan and moving them outside will likely suffice in dealing with this apparent infestation. To be clear, we do not think the inchworms are purposefully infesting her home.

In conclusion, we think that the worm-like creatures our reader found on her fireplace are inchworms. Our reader has nothing to fear, though we understand that it is not a pleasant experience to find uninvited guests swarming one’s home. We hope this article helps and we wish her the very best!

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