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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Tiger Worm

Big Purple Worm in Puddle is an Earthworm

“I found this worm in a puddle of water on top of a tarp”, writes Donna in her submission regarding the long, thick, purple worm pictured below. “It appears to not like to dry out. It seems happiest just laying in the water. The mouth has this white tongue it sticks out. When disturbed it does jump a little like the Asian jumping worms, but not as extreme. It also can crawl backwards as well as forwards. Pics attached. I am a returning reader.” Firstly, welcome back to Donna. Secondly, we think the connection she made to the Asian jumping worm is very appropriate, because just like the Asian jumping worm, we think the critter Donna found is an earthworm.

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Posted in Centipedes and Millipedes Composting Worms Earthworms

White and Brown Worm-like Organisms with Antennae in Compost Bin are Millipedes

“In addition to, thankfully, lots of earthworms, I often find small worm-like creatures in my (UK) home-made compost (see picture, which I will hopefully be able to attach)”, writes John in his submission regarding the tiny, cream-white and brown, worm-like creatures pictured below. “These are about three quarters to one inch long. What are they, and will they harm plants? Many thanks if you’re able to reply.” Upon zooming in on these critters, we can see that their bodies are segmented and that tiny antennae sprout from their heads. This fact, coupled with the shape of their bodies and the location in which they were found tells us that John has found millipedes.

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Posted in Black Soldier Fly Larvae - BSFL Interesting Worms Marine Worms

Black Maggot-looking Creatures Living in Creeks Could be Black Fly Larvae or BSFL

“What are the little black maggot-looking larvae that are in creeks?” asks Crystal in her submission. “They live under leaves and they are only in creeks once a year. I used to fish with them but I don’t know what they are.” Crystal does not attach any photos to her submission, which makes it much harder to narrow down the list of suspects for this creature that Crystal is searching for. Unfortunately, there are a lot of worm-like creatures that fit Crystal’s description. They could be anything from millipedes to rosemary beetle larvae to leeches. With that said, we have tried to narrow down our educated guesses to two species that are more “maggot-looking” than the others, and which tend to live near creeks and streams.

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Posted in Composting Worms Red Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Pile of Hundreds of Worms in Crevice are Red Worms

“I was blowing debris by the front door and I blew some pink stuff I thought was fungus from one crack, then when I was about to blow more of it from the other side of the porch, I noticed they were moving”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the mass of red worms pictured below. “There were hundreds of these worms in piles. If they are earth worms, which we do have around here, I will leave them be since they are good for the soil, despite the fact that I am very grossed out by this strange phenomenon and I would prefer they not be on our porch. If they are something invasive or going to turn into bugs, I would like to eradicate them. We have a lot of frogs and toads around so maybe they will take care of it for me tonight. I live in the Central Florida area. Thanks in advance.”

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Tiger Worm

The Various Species of Earthworms and Their Differences – Part 1

Earthworms: Earth’s best friend. We have often called these guys the “token worm”, as this is typically the organism people think of when they hear the word “worm”. Which is quite a lot of power for an earthworm to hold in its (nonexistent) hands. This article will be the first in a series that look at some of the most notable and often-discussed species of earthworms, if only to cover a small portion of this diverse suborder of annelids. We’ll start with some of the basics, and work our way up to the more exciting ones.

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Posted in Composting Worms Earthworms Tiger Worm

Striped Brown Worm is a Tiger Worm

“What is this worm?” is all Gemma writes in her submission regarding the segmented, worm-like creature pictured below. Since all we can go on is the picture and video, we would say this looks like some type of earthworm, maybe a tiger worm. Typically, tiger worms are more red than this brown color, but since the lighting is quite bad in the photo and video, it could very well be red. The movements of the worm in the video also suggest that it does not possess legs, as it has to lift its head to look around before squirming forward, much like an earthworm.

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Posted in Black Soldier Fly Larvae - BSFL Composting Worms Worms Generally

Segmented Worms in Sink are Black Soldier Fly Larvae

“I have found several of these worms in the last few days”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the segmented, black, worm-like creature pictured below. “Usually in my bathroom sink. I am in Angleton, Tx. What are they?” Based on the photo alone, we have concluded that this is a black soldier fly larva (BSFL): the shape and clear-cut segmentation of this creature’s body is characteristic of a black soldier fly larva. Not to worry, black soldier fly larvae are not harmful to humans at all. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Black soldier fly larvae are somewhat of a phenomenon.

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Posted in Earthworms Tiger Worm Worms Generally

Mangled Red Worm in Toilet is a Tiger Worm

“This was found in our toilet bowl on its own”, writes this reader about the red-striped worm pictured below. “Do you know if it’s a parasite? Thank you for your website. It’s a really useful website and very informative. Thanks!” To that we want to thank our reader for the compliment, and for coming to us to have this worm identified. And with that in mind, we think our reader has found herself a tiger worm, albeit a mangled one. Like most worm species, tiger worms typically have a uniform shape to their bodies, and we can see how this worm’s body is very irregular. How we were able to tell that this is a tiger worm is by the parts of its body that are still intact. The stripes, coloration, and shape of those parts indicate that this is a tiger worm.

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Posted in Composting Worms Marine Worms Red Worms

Red Worms Under Pool Pavers are Bloodworms

“We have found these worms underneath the pavers around our pool”, writes this reader about the red worms covered in sand pictured below. “Do you know if they are blood worms? Also how do we get rid of them? They seem to be pushing moist dirt up through the pavers. Thanks!” Given the color of the worms and the location they were found, we would say it is likely that these are bloodworms. We cannot say this with 100% certainty, as we cannot really see the physical characteristics of the worms, seeing as they are covered in sand. But assuming these are bloodworms, we will do our best to give our reader the information she asks for.

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Posted in Marine Worms Red Worms Worms Found in the House

Red Worm in Toilet is a Blood Worm

“Is it a blood worm?” asks Almohannad about the bright red, worm-like creature pictured below. He also sends in an excellent video of the “worm [he] found in [his] toilet.” He does not provide more context than this, but based on the photo and the little context he did provide, we would say this likely is a blood worm. The term “blood worm” does not refer to any one species of worm, but is actually an umbrella term for those worm-like organisms which have a bright red color due to the excess amount of hemoglobin they produce, which enables them to sustain for long periods of time in low-oxygen conditions: like underwater. In fact, a lot of blood worm species are marine worms.

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Posted in Composting Worms Worms Facts Worms Found in the House

White Worms on Carpet are Fly Larvae

“I would love to get identification of these little things I found on my carpet”, writes Stef from Ireland about the white, semi-transparent, worm-like creature pictured below. “I have a dog and I’m worried that she could have worms, but possibly thinking it could be some kind of fly larvae that came in on wood that we bring in for the fire. Any help is much appreciated!” Without wasting any time, we will confirm Stef’s second guess, that these are fly larvae (commonly known as maggots). The white body and tapered ends, with the small black head, points to this conclusion.

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Posted in Gross Worms Red Worms Worms Found in the House

Red Worms All Over Breaded Green Beans

“Found these in the Birdseye breaded green beans!” writes Susan about the tiny, maroon worms pictured below. “Yuck! Are they parasites? Concerned that my family and I have been eating these before seeing!” Yuck indeed: Susan seems to have lived many people’s worst nightmare, finding worms in their food. It reminds us of that scene from Mousehunt where someone finds a cockroach in their food. In any case, we have to tell Susan right off the bat that we will not be able to confirm or deny if these are parasites.

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Posted in Black Soldier Fly Larvae - BSFL Composting Worms Worms Generally

Segmented Bug on Bed Sheets Could be Black Soldier Fly Larva or Fiery Searcher Larva

“Found this on a bed sheet”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the segmented, black, bug-like critter pictured below. “Pic is of back and front. At first I thought it was a leaf. Do you know what it is? Thank you!” Well, we can say that this is definitely not a leaf. We think it is an insect larva of some kind, either a beetle or fly larva. At first glance, given the shape, color and segmentation, we thought it was probably a black soldier fly larva (also known as BSFL). Black soldier fly larvae are an underappreciated, yet quite famous, bug. They are composting larvae that efficiently break down organic materials, producing little waste, and from whom organic plastic can be produced.

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Posted in Composting Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

“Nasty Sight” on Ham and Cheese Could be Maggots

“I bought a ham and cheese and found this nasty sight”, writes Sandra about what we presume to be an organism in the photo below. “My husband ate about half before noticing!” No more context is provided, and unfortunately it is very unclear what the photo is depicting, so we will not be able to provide a certain identification. All we can do is give an educated guess based on the types of worm-like creatures that would be eating ham and cheese, which would be maggots. Finding maggots in one’s ham and cheese would definitely constitute a nasty sight, and most people are revolted by the sight of maggots.

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Posted in Composting Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

Giant Worm with Eyes All Over Body is actually a Fungus Gnat Larvae Train

“?Can you please identify this strange-looking worm?” asks Bryan about the odd-looking creature pictured below. “It’s approximately six-inches long, and if you zoom in it looks like it has eyes all over its body, very strange! I took this video in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina.” Well, Bryan might be surprised to know that those are indeed eyes all over the “body”, though it isn’t just one body, but many. This isn’t just one worm, it’s a moving pile of them, kind of. They’re not technically worms, but larvae: specifically, fungus gnat larvae.

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Posted in Earthworms Marine Worms Red Worms

Clear, Red Worm in Cat’s Water Dish is a Square-tailed Worm

“My mom found this worm in her cat’s water dish”, writes Jade in Atlanta, Georgia about the red, clear worm pictured below. “My mom said that it was not happy to be removed from the water/seemed like it belonged in water. We sent a photo to her vet and are waiting to hear back, but I am very curious what it is, even if it’s not a kitty parasite. Thanks so much! Attaching two photos and a video showing how it moves.” Firstly, we just want to thank Jade for the ample context and the excellent photo and video: they really help us narrow down the possible identifications for a given organism. Secondly, we have to say that, given that this was found in her cat’s water dish, we will not be able to give an identification that is 100% certain, given the possibility that it is related to the cat’s health – which Jade makes clear by affirming that she has consulted her vet. Since we are not medical professionals, we are neither qualified nor legally able to provide advice in these types of instances. Such advice includes making identifications. So, in the case that her vet decides that this worm is tied to her cat’s health, then Jade should disregard any of the information we give in this article.

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Posted in Black Soldier Fly Larvae - BSFL Composting Worms Worms Found in the House

Brown Worm-like Creatures in Toilet are Black Soldier Fly Larvae

“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.

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Posted in Black Soldier Fly Larvae - BSFL Composting Worms Worms Facts

Bristly Black Worm-like Critter Found in Toilet is a Black Soldier Fly Larva

“I’ve found this worm/larva a few times recently in one of my toilets”, states our reader from South Carolina in his submission regarding the black, segmented worm-like critter pictured below. “At first I thought it was a leaf that might have fallen off my dog’s face, but when I saw it the second/third time I noticed it was moving. It’s about 3/4-1” long, about 1/4 wide and 1/4” high. It’s dark brown/black, segmented, has hairs (legs?) at the lower side or underside, and moves like a caterpillar. The narrow tapered end seems to be the head as that’s the direction it crawls. No one has used the toilet prior to finding them. YES, my dogs do drink from the toilet. I’m concerned now that I see it’s alive, that it may be coming from my dog as he drinks? It does look similar to a few things I’ve seen on your site, but finding them in the toilet is throwing me. I’m located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and have seen them four times in the past two weeks. Thanks for any guidance you can offer.”

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Posted in Black Soldier Fly Larvae - BSFL Cat Worms Composting Worms

Segmented, Black Worm Found Near Cat-caused Carnage is a Black Soldier Fly Larva

“I found this thing apparently crawling away from a scene of carnage in my dining room in Fayetteville, NY, not far from Syracuse”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the black, segmented worm-like creature pictured below. “One of my cats got a mouse, started eating it, but apparently was grossed out and threw up not far from the headless corpse of the mouse. In the process of cleaning that up, I noticed what I thought was a small cat turd about 3-4 ft away, but as I picked it up with a paper towel, it moved. And it appeared to have crawled away from the kill site.

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Posted in Composting Worms Interesting Worms Worms Found in the House

Long, Dark Worm in Loo is Likely a Detritivore

“I found this in my loo”, writes this reader about the long, dark worm pictured below in a toilet bowl. “Please help.” He provides no further context, and we must say that the photo he provided is quite dark and not the best quality, which makes it harder to see the worm’s physical characteristics (other than the obvious ones). With that said, we can still make an educated guess as to what it is, and in any case, we would guess that it is some kind of detritivore. Detritivores are organisms that feed on decomposing organic matter, and there are plenty of worms and worm-like organisms that fit this description, including earthworms and millipedes.