One of our readers has asked about “hard shelled worms about 1/2 to 1 inches long that curl into a…

We just received a photo from a reader without an attached question. However, we will assume that they are curious what they have discovered. The photo shows a worm-like creature that is longer than an inch, and probably about an inch wide. Its back is red, white, and black checkered and striped. Its edges are clearly defined in yellow, and it has two clear antennas on its head. From the angle of the photo, we can’t see what kind of legs it has, if it has any at all. Although we don’t know where our reader encountered this little guy, we will do our best to figure out what it might be!

We have a reader who recently found a type of worm in his living room, bathroom, and also in his daughter’s bedroom. He would like to know what they are and how can he get rid of them. He sent us a picture that gave us a little idea of how these worms looked. After looking at the picture and doing our own research, we have determined that first of all, it’s not a worm at all, it’s a caterpillar. The one that looks most like his picture is the Yellow-Striped Army worm.

The adult moth has a wingspan of about 1-1/2 inches and the hind wings are grayish white. The first pair is dark gray mottled with lighter and darker patches.

There are so many different types of worms that love to hang out in trees that it’s tough to keep track. Just a few of the different types of worms in trees include bagworms, Catawba worms, apple tree worms, Christmas tree worms, army worms, and catalpa tree worms.

The army worm lives mostly in the southern United States, South America, some islands of the West Indies, and the tropics of Central America. The army worm can only survive the winter in the tropics and the warm Gulf areas of the U.S.

Cutworms are moth larvae that can create widespread damage in home gardens and commercial crops. Many types of cutworms exist that feed in different ways to destroy various parts of plants.

Army worms are serious pests for residential turf and commercial crops. Before turning into moths, army worms have voracious appetites.