A reader of ours in Seward, Alaska sent us a photograph of a cluster of worms that he found in Exit Glacier. The group of worms look to be small and white and seem to move together like a snake. After viewing the photograph, it is very possible that these are fungus gnat larvae.

Yesterday we received one of the simplest questions we have ever been sent. The reader submitted a photo of a creature and asked only if it is a centipede or millipede. There were no complicating factors, so he was basically looking for a one-word answer. We think our reader found a millipede, and in what follows we explain why. In doing so, we will outline the difference between centipedes and millipedes, providing a concise guide that will help you determine whether you have found a millipede or centipede.

One of our readers sent us an email about some orange worms that she had found in her laundry basket. She was inquiring about what they were and if she needed to get rid of her clothing. She did not include a picture, but there is a strong possibility that these worm-like creatures could be carpet beetle larvae.

“I was wondering if you could help to determine what this stuff in the photo is that I found while cleaning a small tray I had on my bureau”, writes Sandra in her submission regarding the gray matter pictured below. “I just turned it over and this stuff came out. The tray is basket weaved and I had no idea the stuff was even there! I don’t know if it is eggs (although I have not seen any bugs) or what it could be but I tried looking for it online without success. I was hoping you could help me out with this and maybe what I should do? Thank you.”

“Is this a case-bearing clothes moth?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the silver moth pictured below. “I’m in Georgia. Thank you for your time.” Now, while we are in the business of identifying the worm-like offspring of insects, we are not the best people to ask about adult insects, so we will have to warn our reader that the information and advice we provide may not be the most credible she could find. With that said, we will do our best to identify this organism and help her. With that said, our opinion is that she has already done the bulk of the work for us, because this does indeed look like a case-bearing clothes moth.

“What kind of bug is this that I found in the seam of my pants?” asks Shanan in her submission regarding the six-legged, winged bug pictured below. “Thank you for your time.” Right away, we will have to state that since we specialize in identifying worm-like organisms, this is a bit outside of our area of expertise, and for that reason we cannot promise an accurate or confident identification. The best we can do is provide an educated guess. On top of that, the photos she sent in (the best of which we included below) were pretty blurry, which makes it even harder to arrive at an identification.

“Can you please identify this moth type?” asks Shanan in her submission regarding the white moth with delicate, feathery wings pictured below. “I’m in South Georgia. I found this moth in my bedroom dresser. Thank you for your time.” Typically, we do not identify full-grown insects, but rather their offspring: larvae. That is simply because the nature of our website is to identify worms and worm-like organisms, which larvae are included in. With that said, we will still give this a crack, though Shanan should keep in mind that this identification may not be 100% accurate given that this is not our area of expertise.

“I’m a wildlife carer and currently have two baby noisy miners. Today I found the photographed larvae (?) in their nest”, writes Lee in her submission regarding the translucent creature with dark entrails pictured below. “Was hoping to find out what it is.” For context for our other readers, a noisy miner is a type of bird endemic to Australia. It is very pretty, with grey, white, and yellow markings, and is named after its noisy nature. From the photo alone, we are not sure what these creatures are that Lee found, though we do agree that they are probably larvae of some kind, given their shape and general physical appearance.

“I’ve been stumped after finding this creepy bug in my bathroom”, writes Kristina in her submission regarding the stick-like object pictured below. “I realize this isn’t a worm, more like a walking stick. And they bite! Notice the strange head.” Now, we do not know which end of the organism is the head, as it is not clear just from the picture since the organism does look exactly like a stick. We also do not know which of the two twigs is meant to be the organism, though we would assume it is the thinner one since the bigger one clearly has a splintered end (which would not be possible if it was an organism). If it was not for Kristina telling us that this was a bug, we would not have been able to tell. We will do our best to help Kristina arrive at an identification, but we must say that we will not be able to provide an accurate or confident identification, given that we are not insect experts: we specialize in worms and worm-like critters.

“What is this bug?” is all this reader asks in his submission regarding the black and yellow, winged bug pictured below. We have to admit, we are no experts on insects, despite identifying a lot of insect larvae. Our speciality is worms and worm-like organisms (which includes larvae), but not fully-grown insects. Nonetheless, we will do our best to give some possible identifications of the creature in the photo. From the sleuthing we did, we think this could be a fruit fly or a wasp. Specifically, it looks most like a Bactrocera jarvisi, AKA Jarvis’ fruit fly.

“What is the specific type of this worm?” writes Imina in her submission regarding the segmented, cream-colored worm pictured below. “It is from my ceiling and drops onto my pillow every night.” To begin with, we have to commend Imina on the excellent photo she took, and thank her for taking a photo next to a rule, which is the best way for us to understand its size. This creature does not even reach one centimeter (approximately 0.4-inches) in length. It has a bulbous brown head and a similarly-colored prong on its rear. Based on its physical characteristics, we have concluded that this is a beetle larva.

“While sitting on the couch, I noticed there was something very tiny and dark moving on my arm”, writes Catherine in her submission, which unfortunately does not include a photo. “About the length of an eyelash and not much thicker. I could distinguish a small head and it was moving around like a caterpillar. The more prominent head and movement makes me think of a larva. After hours of internet searching, the closest comparison I found was that it looks like a dark, micro-sized moth larva. After finding the one, I noticed three more on my other arm. That’s when I ran for the shower. I shook my hair over the sink and nothing. I did find a dead one on the shower wall after rinsing myself.

“What could these be from?” asks Dustry in her submission regarding two, brown, pod-shaped objects, as well as some pus-like, white substance on some wooden baseboards. She does not give us any more context, which makes this identification difficult, as we do not recognize the organisms purely by their appearance. With that said, our sleuthing tells us that the brown objects could be goldenrod gall fly larvae, or seeds from the rough barnyard grass. The white substance looks to us like it could be a sac of eggs, or perhaps a secretion of some kind. We will say right off the bat that we cannot be sure what the white substance is, but that we doubt it is linked to the brown objects.

“Right now here it’s the rainy season and I’ve seen this worm multiple times but I don’t know what it is,” writes this reader in her submission regarding the red-brown bug pictured below. “Is it harmful?” To start with, we have to point out how fantastic this photo is. We can see every minute detail on the creature’s body: its antennae, legs, segmentation, and coloration. Based on this photo, we have concluded that this is a footspinner. Also referred to as webspinners, or by their scientific name, Embioptera, these guys are not worms at all, but insects. They are somewhat unusual, and the one our reader has caught in her photo is a likely female one. The reason we can tell this is because the male footspinner often has wings. Of course, the male footspinners can be wingless too.

“I pray you receive some of my emails and can help with identifying these”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the two, distinctly different-looking organisms pictured below. “I have hours of digital footage on a cheap microphone and so many pics. I live in Richmond Hill, Georgia.” Firstly, we have to point out that, from what we can tell by looking at these photos, it looks like they were taken through a microscope. We cannot know that for certain, but when we compare it to other submissions we have received where the photos were taken like that, the similarity is significant. In any case, the photos have a strange quality about them.

“Can you identify these larvae or worms?” asks Lisa in her submission regarding the white, worm-like creature pictured below. “They were laid on my roller blinds. I’ve been experiencing bites and I’m trying to find the source. Thank you kindly for your time.” Firstly, we must point out that, due to the picture being somewhat blurry, we will not be able to identify the worm with 100% certainty or accuracy. All we can go on from the picture is the worm’s coloration and general shape: no other identifying information is visible, unfortunately. Secondly, we will also not be able to identify the worm based on the fact that Lisa has been experiencing bites, and any suggestions we make as to the identify of the worm will ignore this piece of context.

“I purchased mystery snails and one laid a clutch”, writes Jessica about the black, worm-like critter pictured below, as well as the clear-white objects, also pictured below. “Well, I thought it was hatching last night, and these tiny shell-less, slug-like, tiny, black worms were inside. Only like five of them, but they have antennae and kinda the same ribbed look as the snail’s siphon. They kinda move in an ‘inch worm motion’. Not sure if they prefer water habitats, but they are inside an empty aquarium and seem to be able to survive and swim. Are these the newborn snails? They don’t look like them, because they have no shell.”

“Can you please identify these?” asks Shanan in her submission regarding two, green and black objects, as well as a bug-like organism, all pictured below. “I’ve been living this nightmare for three years now. I just assumed that they were fabric moths and carpet beetles in different stages. I live on an island off the southern tip of Georgia called Saint Simons Island.” At first glance, we can tell Shanan that these are not fabric moths (AKA “clothes moths”) or carpet beetles. We think the green objects could be the product of leafcutter bees, and that the bug is a weevil.

“Saw this on my walk with my two doggies in the woods in Hevingham, Norfolk today, and am wondering what kind of creepy crawlie it is”, writes this reader regarding the segmented, dark green creature pictured below. “When I attempted a closer look it appeared to play dead!” Firstly, this is an excellent photo! The lighting is brilliant, and the details are crisp and clear, which makes it all that much easier for us to try and identify the critter. Secondly, we have to acknowledge what a strange-looking creature this is. The segmented body is very caterpillar-like, but the bulbous, bordering-on-giant, head is really odd.

“For the past six months, I have been seeing these tiny worms, or creatures that look like worms, on my bathroom floor”, writes this reader concerning the gray critters pictured below. “They are not near the drain and that is what made me write to you, because I saw previous posts and you mention that these worms hang out near drains. We keep our bathroom clean, and once a month I put bleach down the drain with hot water. But I still see them come not only on the floor, but on the bathtub, sometimes on the window porch, they’re practically everywhere. I live in a house near London. Can you please advise what to do? Many thanks.”