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Posted in Parasite Worms Whipworm Worms Generally

Stringy Worm in Washing Machine Needs a Medical Professional’s Eye

“Can you please identify what type of worm creature/larvae this is?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the long, stringy, worm-like organism pictured below. “I live in Daytona Beach, Florida. I also live in the suburbs and have a well, not local city water. I had washed some towels in baking soda & vinegar, as my husband had changed the tub faucet earlier that day. When I went to take the towels out of the washing machine, this creature was sitting on top of the inside top part of the washing machine. I believe it could be a whipworm, but am having a difficult time 100% confirming this. If you could please help identify this, we would appreciate it. Thank you! One paranoid wife.”

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Posted in Dog Worms Parasite Worms Worms Facts

Segmented, Translucent, White Worm on Bed is a Flea Larva

“My sister found a small white worm on her bed”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the segmented, clear, worm-like critter pictured below. “What is it?” Based on the photo alone, it is hard to pinpoint one single species of worm-like creature. There are actually quite a worm-like critters that look like this that people have found in their homes in the past, including fungus gnat larvae (which eats decomposing organic materials in mulch) and lilac ash borer larvae (a pest which eats and through the wood in one’s home). However, the location in which this one was found tells us that this is probably a flea larva.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Generally Worms in Humans

Thin, Black Worm on Body Could be Horsehair Worm

“I’m in need of your assistance with the identification of the suspected worm in the short, attached video,” writes Helena in her submission regarding the super thin, black, worm-like creature pictured below. “More information will gladly be provided if needed, and upon your request. Your help is greatly appreciated! As the video shows, it was on me. I’m not suggesting it came from me. When I removed it, the worm had fallen to the floor and I couldn’t locate it to take any other photo or video of it. I’d just never seen anything like it and thought you might be able to identify it as such. If so I’d greatly appreciate your knowledge of what type of worm it could be or who might know, if not yourselves.”

Horsehair worm in pool
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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

Can Horsehair Worms be Killed with Vinegar?

“Can horsehair worms be killed or exterminated by spraying them with a vinegar mixture?” asks Tom in his submission. “Thank you.” Now, he does not send any photos of any worms, so we assume he is asking as he is generally curious. To answer his question, yes, it is possible to kill horsehair worm eggs with a vinegar mixture, though we do not know how effective it is against the adult worms. With that said, we do not recommend killing horsehair worms, as they are harmless to humans and pets.

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Posted in Caterpillars Inch Worms Parasite Worms

Small Worm with Needle Tip Could be an Inchworm

“I have looked through your site and can’t find exactly what I’m having a problem with”, writes this reader regarding the tiny critter pictured below. “They look like worm-type things, but they are as small as a needle tip, probably one millimeter long, and they seem to appear out of nowhere. They don’t seem to move while I watch them, and one minute out of nowhere they appear on my body. I’ll include pictures for you below.” Right off the bat, we will have to point out that, because of how tiny the worm is, and how blurry the photo becomes when we try to zoom in on it, we will not be able to provide an identification that is 100% certain or accurate. We understand that, given the minuscule size of the worms, it would have been extremely difficult to photograph these creatures.

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Posted in Garden Worms Parasite Worms Worms Found in the House

Tiny, White Worms Could be Flea Larvae or Fungus Gnat Larvae

“Is this a flea larva?” asks this reader about the array of worm-like critters pictured below. She does not include any more context, and the photo is quite blurry, so it will not be possible for us to give her a straight answer that is 100% certain or accurate. Of course, we will still do the best we can. Now, we assume that although she refers to a larva in the singular, she is actually referring to all of the organisms pictured below. If not, then we do not know which one she is referring to and wondering if it is a flea larva. But, since the organisms all look similar, we feel safe in assuming she is referring to them all. If that is not the case, she is welcome to let us know and resubmit a new photo with the one particular critter she is wondering about.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Generally Worms in Humans

Pink Worm in Nose Needs a Medical Professional’s Opinion

“This came out of my nose”, writes this reader regarding the pink matter pictured below. “What is it? I am in Whittier, CA.” More context than this is not provided, but in any case, we will not be able to identify this worm, given the nature in which it was found. Since it came from our reader’s body, it is possible that this is a medical situation. Since we are not medical professionals, we are neither qualified nor legally able to identify organisms that potentially could be negatively affecting a human’s health. That said, what we can do is point our reader in the direction of some resources she can use to get a medical professional’s opinion.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Worms That Eat Through Walls, Porcelain, Glass, and Humans

“I have the same worm in my house as this woman does in this article”, writes this reader in her submission. We do not know which article she is referring to, but we will nonetheless relay the rest of her story: “It can eat through walls, porcelain, wood, linoleum, tile, glass, and humans. My house is infested. My family and pets are all sick. And my research says that, based on our symptoms, it is some sort of fluke worm. But I can’t get any tests to come back positive for any type of worm, which I guess is normal for this type. They basically have to be tested while they’re still alive, which is absolutely impossible. I was wondering what type of specialist you were referring to in the article to get them out of the house. Because I can’t find anyone that deals with parasites. Not to mention the fact that you only get treated like you’re crazy.”

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Generally Worms in Humans

Mangled Worm Needs a Professional’s Eye

“What type of worm/parasite is this?” is all this reader writes in her submission regarding the white and red organism pictured below. From the looks of it, if this were a worm, it would be a pretty mangled one. It has lost the uniform, long shape that a worm possesses, and looks like a blob of tissue. For that reason, as well as due to the lack of context, we will have to say that the identity of this worm is inconclusive. We would not even be able to guess based on the coloration, as it is uncertain if the red color was actually a part of the worm originally, or if it is blood from its mangled body.

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Posted in Earthworms Parasite Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Thin Black Worms Could be Horsehair Worms or Earthworms

“May I ask what these are?” asks this reader about the black worms, as well as the single, beige, worm-like creature, pictured below. “Are they all the same? Location: Philippines.” Well, we have to say that the photos are quite blurry, especially the second one of the light brown worm. We can’t make out anything other than its color and general shape. For that reason, we have to say that we will unfortunately not be able to identify these creatures with 100% certainty or accuracy. Of course, we can still try our best to provide an educated guess, though this will also be based on very little as we were provided no context other than that our reader is based in the Philippines.

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Posted in Drain Fly Larvae Parasite Worms Worms Found in the House

Small Black Worms Infesting Home are Drain Fly Larvae

“I have an infestation in my condominiums in Henderson, Nevada”, writes Jennifer in her submission regarding the mass of black, worm-like critters pictured below. “They are parasites and live in the walls, under sinks, even the toilet tank. I’ve been spraying and cleaning everything, and it keeps it bearable, but never gone. I recently found a spider in my front door area, and I think there is a nest of some sort right outside of my house. Please help me if you can.” Right off the bat, we have to say that we will only provide suggestions for the creatures’ identities under the assumption that they are not parasites.

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Posted in Cat Worms Leeches Parasite Worms

Worms Near Cat’s Butt Look like Leeches, but a Vet’s Eye is Required

“I saw some of these worms in my cat’s fur, near his butt, but I’m not sure if it’s a parasite or just something from my garden”, writes Th?o in their submission regarding the black, worm-like organism pictured below. “It’s very small, like 5mm long, and very lithe. It’s a pinkish color (it looks darker in the picture). It also died (or dried out) soon after I found it, about 10-15 minutes later. We live in south east Asia, where there’s a tropical climate. Thank you for helping me.” To start with, we have to say that, whatever suggestions we make as to the worm’s identity, Th?o should take them with a grain of salt. The reason for this is that, since this worm was found on Th?o’s cat, it is possible that this is a medical situation.

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Posted in Marine Worms Parasite Worms Worms Generally

Thin, Black Worm in Toilet is a Horsehair Worm

“Can you help tell us what this is?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the thin, black worms pictured below. “And if it is common, or coming from one of us? And any possible ways of stopping worms in the toilet? My mum bleaches frequently and is super clean.” Despite our reader’s short submission, there are a lot of questions to be answered here. Firstly, we can definitely help our reader in identifying the worm-like creature pictured below. We think this is possibly a horsehair worm. These worms are somewhat common, though they are more common in nature than in people’s homes. They would not be coming from our reader or her mother, despite being parasites.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Generally Worms in Humans

Little Worms and Black Eggs Plague the Body of this Concerned Woman

“I vomited this animal”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the gray organism pictured below. She wrote to us in German, so the following is a rough translation: “Got little worms in me. They lay black eggs through the skin, these will fly. White coating comes out of my tongue and gums, and black eggs come out of it. If I touch meat with my hands, these things develop like in the mouth. Please answer quickly, nobody takes me seriously.” Right off the bat, we will unfortunately have to say that we will not be able to identify these “worms”, because this situation is clearly medical in nature.

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Posted in Caterpillars Parasite Worms Worms Facts

Segmented Worm on Daughter’s Leg Could be a Caterpillar

“This was stuck to my daughter’s leg after a day of being outside in the garden”, writes this reader about the segmented, brown creature pictured below. “It didn’t bleed when I pulled it off but was definitely stuck to her. It did curl up when I pulled it off. We are in Connecticut. What is it?” Right away, we have to point out that we will only be able to make an educated guess as to what this creature could be. The reason for this is that our reader’s photo is low resolution and was taken quite far away from the creature, meaning that when we zoom in to try and get a better look at the creature, the details become blurry.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

Long, Brown Worms Could be Horsehair Worms or Flatworms

“Are these guys horsehair worms?” asks this reader about the two long, brown worms pictured below. “Picture was hard to get but I did manage to catch two in one picture. I live in Northern Alabama.” It would have been great to receive more context in this instance, as the photos he sent in are slightly blurry. We understand, of course, that it was hard for him to capture the photo, which tells us the worms might have been moving pretty fast. Horsehair worms are typically found on land after having just burst out of their host insect (as they are parasites which develop inside insects), while they look for a mate. So, if these were horsehair worms, it is possible that they are about to mate.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Generally Worms in Humans

Two Years of Burrowing Organisms Causes “Misery” for Man Seeking Help

“After two years of misery, I finally dug out from a burrow this parasite, three days ago”, writes this reader about the organisms pictured below “Please help me identify it. I have nowhere to turn. The one I dug out has the worm body. The other is the same I believe without the body. Please help me.” Unfortunately, we will not be able to help our reader in the way that he wants us to. The reason for this is because our reader believes he is dealing with parasites, which makes his situation medical in nature. We are not medical professionals, and so we are not qualified or legally able to identify any organisms that could negatively affect the health of a human or pet.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Generally Worms in Humans

Translucent Organism Found in Dentures Causes Parasite Concerns

“Can someone please help to identify this parasite”, asks this reader about the tiny, translucent object pictured below. “I dug it out of a burrow on my top denture. I tested negative for parasites a year ago but I know the doctor missed it. I now have the actual parasite you see in this picture. After rinsing peroxide these S-shaped scars appeared on my cheek. Please help.” Straight off, we have to tell our reader that we will not be able to help in the way that he wants us to. We cannot identify parasites because they always pose a medical concern, and in any situation where an organism is affecting someone’s health, we cannot identify that given organism. Doing so would be tantamount to diagnosing the problem, and only a medical professional is qualified and legally able to do so, which we are not.

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Posted in Garden Worms Parasite Worms Worms Generally

Translucent, Tiny Worm Could be a Fungus Gnat Larva or Flea Larva

“Do you have any idea what this could possibly be?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the minuscule, translucent, brown creature pictured below. “Watching it, it moves like a caterpillar or worm and will either stand up or put one side up and wiggle into the air. Thanks so much!” First of all, we have to point out the size of the creature. As we can see from the photo, it is very tiny. That tells us that this organism is probably at an early stage of maturation, which means a lot of its defining physical characteristics will not have developed yet. For that reason, whatever identification we end up making is not 100% certain. Secondly, the lack of context also makes it harder for us to say it is any one species for certain.

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Posted in Interesting Bugs Parasite Worms Worms Found in the House

Black Mold, Beetles, and White ‘Ear Worms’ Plague This Woman and her Home

“We have black mold and have had beetles, but no bed bugs or anything”, writes this reader in her submission. “But I also found a white worm-like thing in my ear and now this is what my leg looks like. I will send both pictures. Also these little black dots in my wife’s hair.” Our reader sent in multiple photos, two of which we have included below. The first shows the black mold growing in her home, and the second shows her leg, which she reports is a consequence of finding a “white worm-like thing” in her ear. The photos we did not include showed another picture of the mold, and a picture of our reader’s wife’s hair, though the “little black dots” were not visible in the photo.