Category: Interesting Worms
Yellow Worms Found in Backyard are Mealworms
“Found these worms in the backyard and there are a lot!” exclaims this reader in his submission regarding the segmented, yellow worm-like critter pictured below. “I have a small garden there with an orange tree, but the garden is unattended. What are those? They seem to be active in the night and light attracts them I think.” Based on the excellent photo our reader sent in, as well as the helpful context, we would conclude that these are mealworms. Mealworms are the larval stage of the mealworm beetle, which is a species of darkling beetle. As our reader correctly stated, mealworms are nocturnal, and while they are not necessarily attracted to light, they can sense it.
Gray ‘Worms’ in Toilet are Probably Fly Larva
We recently received a question from a reader who found an interesting creature in her toilet. She found it a while after anyone had last used the toilet, so it is unlikely that it came from a human. She said she has done a lot of research, but has been unable to match it to anything she has discovered.
Can worms see and how?
One of our readers wrote to us and asked us if worms can see and if so how do they do so. This is a question that has come up a lot with our readers. There are quite a few types of worms that are blind, but some worms have specific ways of seeing or sensing light in order to crawl their way around the soil or a specific place.
Moldy Home Infested with Drain Fly Larvae
We just received a message on our Facebook page from a concerned reader about some worms she spotted in her house. She wrote that there are a ton of very small black worms that she didn’t notice at first because her house is covered in mold. She said there are “millions” of these worms spread throughout her bedroom and that she no longer wants to sleep in that room because one of the walls is soaking wet with mold. The walls that aren’t covered in mold are infested with these worms. She is in distress and needs help with this infestation
How to Get Rid of Worms in Your House Using Natural and Non-Toxic Methods
Although our site is called “All About Worms” we deal with a variety of different creatures that aren’t technically worms. Often, when people reach out to us about a specimen they have discovered in their home, it is actually larvae of a moth or fly. However, on occasion, our readers do in fact discover worms. Most often, these are earthworms, and so this is what we will focus on. This post will inform readers of the simple way to remove earthworms from their homes using natural and non-toxic methods.
The Woolly Worm Festival (a/k/a Wooly Worm Festival)
The Woolly Worm festival (sometimes spelled as “Wooly Worm” festival) draws 25,000 Woolly Worm enthusiasts annually to Banner Elk, North Carolina to see these fuzzy, woolly worms (actually caterpillars) race.
The Mongolian Death Worm
The Mongolian Death Worm, a deadly beast said to be two to five feet in length, has never been confirmed. Nor, however, has the Mongolian Death Worm ever been disproved.
The Tequila Worm
While many myths surround the tequila worm, the number one question about the tequila worm is “do people really eat it?”
Spade-shaped Worm with Antennae-looking Appendages is a Mystery
“I’m hoping someone can help me ID this very weird worm I found in a drop of water in our shower stall (hours after its last use)”, writes Leah in her submission regarding the creature pictured below. “I’m in Eastern Ontario. I thought maybe it was a drain fly or centipede but have been told it appears to be a worm. Any thoughts? Sorry for the poor quality photo. I’d really appreciate any assistance!” We do agree that this is a very strange-looking worm. It has qualities that remind us of creatures we are familiar with: the triangular-shaped head reminds us of a hammerhead worm or even a snake, but the two thin string-like appendages at the rear look like antennae (which would normally be on the head of an organism) which remind us of centipedes, which Leah already picked up on. That said, we do not think it is a drain fly (or drain fly larva). We also agree that the photo is unfortunately quite poor quality, which makes it hard for us to discern any other identifying features and give a confident identification.
Tubular, Orange ‘Worms’ are Actually Mushrooms
“At least, I think they are worms”, writes Jay in his submission regarding the tubular, orange objects pictured below. “They are in my garden, and clearly invertebrate. I’m in south-central Wisconsin, north of Madison by about 1/2 hour drive.” We have certainly never seen worms that look like these. At first sight, we thought of carrots, albeit hollow carrots. But these are clearly not carrots. That said, they are also not worms. They are actually a species of fungus called Mutinus elegans. These guys have many nicknames, including elegant stinkhorn, dog stinkhorn, headless stinkhorn, and much more.
Translucent Larvae in Bird Nest Might be Beetle Larvae
“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.
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.
Stringy White Worms on Dashboard Might Not be Worms at All
“Is this a worm?” asks Darlene in her submission regarding the thin, white worm-like organism pictured below. “And if so what kind? I find these in my car and they always look the same. I can wash my car completely and when I come back in they are on the dashboard. They’re very hard to see – either white or translucent. The only time you can really see them is on the black dashboard. I used a piece of tape to keep it intact.” Now, some extra context would have been super helpful here. Like, where is the car parked and does she leave the windows open? Are the worms found mangled, and that is why Darlene needed a piece of tape to keep them intact? Regardless, we will do our best to provide Darlene some info based on the different possible scenarios.
Black Worms Hiding Under Sprinklers Could be Millipedes or Sawfly Larvae
“I noticed my solar sprinkler bucket was empty yesterday, so I filled it with fresh water. When I looked today, all these little black things were scooting around the bottom of the bucket”, writes this reader in her submission, which unfortunately does not include a photo. “When I move the sprinkler to see them, they scuttle under it again. Can’t get a good photo. The biggest one is about a quarter inch. They move like caterpillars but faster. Don’t know if they were nesting inside the sprinkler head or if they fell off the honeysuckle.” Since our reader did not send in any photos with her submission, nor did she describe them in much detail, we will say right off the bat that we will be unable to provide a certain or accurate identification.
Tiny Clear White Worms in Soil are Pot Worms
“I can’t figure out what this is”, writes Thomas in his submission regarding the thin, white worm-like creature pictured below. “I found it in my backyard soil. It’s extremely thin and maybe four inches long. You can see how small it is by the wire it’s crawling on for size and the mite that goes near it. It looked like a piece of fishing line at first but then I noticed it moving. It’s mostly clear/white in color with some black insides. I’ve been trying to find what it is but I can’t find anything similar to this. Do you know what it is? Thanks.” To start with, we want to thank Thomas for his incredible photo, which has definitely been magnified, as the green wire that the worm is crawling on looks like a pipe! We also want to thank him for the context which is super helpful.
Insect Larvae the Length of an Eyelash Found on Arms
“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.
Creatures That Look Like Worms, but Aren’t
At AllAboutWorms.com, we get a lot of submissions about worms and worm-like creatures. This article will briefly outline some of the creatures that belong to the latter group. When we think of worms, we often think of an earthworm. But typically, when we find any elongated creature in the wild that remotely resembles a worm, we also assume it is one. Now, one might argue that one should not get hung up on details, but it also isn’t just a case of semantics. Knowing the difference between various species will determine how you react to a given animal, and will equip you with the knowledge of how to deal with them: are they likely to infest your home? Is your health and safety at risk? Of course, even within the category of animals that are strictly worms, you can ask these same questions, as there are thousands of worm species. But the point of this article is to identify the most common critters which are mistaken as worms, so as to educate people, but also just for fun.
Luminous, Segmented Worm is a Mystery
“What is this?” asks Amanda in her submission regarding the organism pictured below. “How is it luminous and segmented, in so many colors? Is that a second eyeball half way down its body or a second head? It’s about the size of a cat hair, small to medium in length.” To answer Amanda’s first question, we have no idea what this is. Not only does the description of the worm not sound familiar to us, but the photo is too blurry for us to make out any identifying information. All we can see from the photo is that the worm is very thin, indeed like “cat hair”, and that it does possess the luminescence that Amanda describes. But we cannot think of any worms that are hair-thin, luminous, multicolored, and segmented.
Black and White-striped Worm on Portuguese Beach is a Ribbon Worm
“Today I found this kind of worm on a beach (underwater by the rocks) and I’m wondering what it is,” writes Nuno in his submission regarding the black and white-striped creature pictured below. “Can you please help me? Thanks!” Firstly, we want to thank Nuno for the fantastic picture. The lighting and resolution are so good that we get a lot of identifying information from this photo: such as the the minute white stripes that form incomplete circles around its body, the inconsistent shape of its body, and even down to the texture of its skin (or at least, the kind of texture it looks to have). Secondly, we definitely can help Nuno given that he provided such a good photo and a vital piece of context: he found the worm on the beach.
Yellow and Black Caterpillar on Rock is Actually a Dogwood Sawfly Larvae
“I found this caterpillar crawling on this rock outside my garage”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the black and yellow creature pictured below. “I live in Central Minnesota. I haven’t been able to identify it and I’m hoping you can tell me what it is? Thank you!” To start with, we want to thank our reader right back for this absolutely incredible photo! It is photos like these that make identifying the organisms we are asked about so much easier. Besides, they make a wonderful addition to our library. And because of this, we can indeed tell our reader what this is. This is a dogwood sawfly larva.