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Posted in Caterpillars Pest Worms Worms Facts

Five Black Worms in Home Could be Cutworms

“What are these?” asks Erin in her submission regarding the black, worm-like critter pictured below. “I found about five in my house.” She does not include any more context, and the photo is unfortunately of a low resolution, meaning the details get blurry when you try to zoom in on the little guy. For that reason, we will only be able to provide an educated guess as to what this is, rather than an accurate and confident identification. In any case, we think this is a larva of some kind, possibly a beetle larva.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Array of Worm-like Critters Invade Home, Including Microscopic Worms From Faucets

“Translucent, striped, microscopic, hairlike worms in Miami Beach apartment water faucets”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the array of organisms pictured below. “I had previously found this after bathing my dog with Septol. This nightmare never ends. Now I noticed they come from our faucets. What is going on? I’m so scared. Thanks for your help.” The first thing we want to bring attention to is our use of the phrase “array of organisms”; we do think our reader is actually dealing with multiple different organisms that are not necessarily related. For example, the yellowing, segmented worm-like creature pictured below looks to us like a fly larva (maggot). People can commonly get these during the summer as flies enter the home and lay eggs in one’s organic compost. The best way to tackle these is to consistently throw out compost and larvae in trash cans outside, keep one’s kitchen clean, and maybe buy fly traps if the issue is bad enough.

Posted in Pest Worms Thread Worms Worms Generally

Clear, Thread-like Worms Coming from Faucet After Water Main Break

“I am very worried: there’s a water boiler alert in Miami Beach and here is what I find in my bathroom faucet running water,” writes Elodie in her submission regarding the thin objects pictured below. Right off the bat, we have to tell Elodie that we will not be able to provide a confident or accurate identification, due to the near-microscopic nature of these organisms. From the pictures alone, which are not too clear to begin with, we cannot see any identifying information about these organisms other than that they are thin and long – hairlike. We would not even be able to confirm if they actually are organisms or not, and Elodie does not necessarily state that she is confident about this either.

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Posted in Garden Worms Interesting Bugs Pest Worms

Black and Yellow-winged Bug is a Jarvis’ fruit fly

“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.

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Posted in Pest Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

Fabric and Wood-eating Pests Infest Home Along with Web-like Growths

“Is there a worm that can live off of fabrics as well as wooden structures?” asks this reader in his submission. “I’ve been seeing damage to wooden furniture as well as drywall and fabrics in our home. There’s also a dramatic increase in the quantity of dryer lint produced when I do laundry. Like I mean an extreme amount. Our clothing and bedding is riddled with holes and loose threads hanging down. There’s also strange markings on walls and ceilings (etc.) that I can’t explain. These weird fuzzy web looking things that appear to be growing out of the wall, I don’t know? Do we have some sort of house pest or is there something else contributing to these issues? I’ve been searching for answers and coming up empty. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.”

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Posted in Grub Worms Parasite Worms Pest Worms

Do Palm Tree Borers Infect Humans?

“Can a human get worm borers from palm trees?” asks Chris in his submission. “I am a tree trimmer and want to know if the borers can get in a human?” Chris asks some good questions here, and the short answers to his question are ‘no’ and ‘yes’: we will explain why exactly that’s the case. To start with, we have to address that Chris did not send in any photos, and as there are multiple types of palm borers, we do not know exactly which species Chris is referring to. For example, there is the palm borer moth caterpillar (Paysandisia archon), but there is also the palm borer beetle larva (Dinapate wrightii), both of which resemble worms. Fortunately, it does not really matter in this case, given Chris’ question, as the answer will be the same across the board for every palm borer species.

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Posted in Garden Worms Pest Worms Worms Generally

White Organisms Near ‘Dog’s Toilet Area’ are Wax Scales

“I found these near my dog’s toilet area in the garden,” writes Mary in her submission regarding the white organisms pictured below. “Are they larvae of some kind? They are about a quarter of an inch, the two bigger ones. Thank you for your help.” First off, we want to thank Mary for the excellent photos, the best of which we included below, as well as the context, which always helps us identify the organisms we are asked about and tailor our advice. The organisms Mary found are not larvae, but fully-grown insects known as wax scales (Ceroplastes). They are not harmful to dogs or humans, so Mary needs not worry on that front, but they are parasitic, and thereby harmful, to the plants they infest.

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Posted in Meal Worms Pest Worms Worms Generally

Segmented Brown Worm on Kitchen Counter is a Superworm

“I found this small worm on the kitchen counter”, writes Joseph in his submission regarding the brown, segmented, worm-like creature pictured below. “It’s possible it came from a box that was brought up from the basement. It moves slowly, has a couple of pairs of legs near the head, and reacts very fast if you touch it. I live in Connecticut.” Based on the excellent photo Joseph sent us (for which we thank him), we would say that the critter he found is a darkling beetle larva. The most ‘popular’ darkling beetle larva is the mealworm, which we thought this could be at first (and which it might still be), but there are actually many species of darkling beetles, and this could be one of them.

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Posted in Case Bearing Larva Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Yellow Worm Dangling from Silk Line is a Clothes Moth Caterpillar

“Any idea what this worm is?” asks Luke in his submission regarding the tiny, yellow, worm-like creature pictured below. “It looks very similar to a meal moth larva but more yellow, with a larger spot on its back, and a light colored head. I found it dangling from a really thin silk line off a tree.” Now, if it were not for that last piece of context, we would have identified this as a mealworm (which is not to be confused with the Indianmeal moth larva that Luke mentions). Mealworms are larvae of darkling beetles, but as such, they cannot produce silk/web like many species of caterpillars can. This is why context is so important. Without that piece of information, we would have provided a false identification (which is not to say that we have not provided incorrect identifications in the past, even with ample context: we’re only human after all!).

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Posted in Caterpillars Garden Worms Pest Worms

Black Caterpillar on Patio is a Cutworm

“What kind of worm is this?” asks Harriet in her submission regarding the black creature pictured below. “I found them on my patio after watering and I have a picture.” We think the worm Harriet found is not a worm at all, but a cutworm, albeit a very young one at that (given the size). Cutworms are caterpillars of the cutworm moth. They are notorious agricultural pests, as they come in large droves and kill plants. The way they do this is by munching through the stems of the plants, thereby cutting them down (hence the name). If their populations are big enough, they can even eliminate entire fields of crops.

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Posted in Caterpillars Garden Worms Pest Worms

Pink Worm on Bed is an Erythrina Stem Borer

“I read an article about trying to identify a pink worm in the bedroom, but it was difficult to do so without seeing the legs”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the pink critter pictured below. “I found a similar worm on my bed and wanted to share the video I took. I live in Toledo, Ohio. Thank you!” Based on the great photo he sent in, we have identified this is an erythrina stem borer caterpillar. These creatures are unfortunately pests of coral trees, which they are named after. They can be found all over the Americas where there are coral trees, from South America and the Caribbean, to California and Florida. Similar species have also been found in Asia and Africa, though they are not the same species.

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Posted in Caterpillars Pest Worms Worms Facts

Pink Worms in Dining Area are Erythrina Stem Borer Caterpillars

“I found these four worms in our dining area”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the segmented, pink, worm-like creature pictured below. “Near the back door. What kind of worm is this? How did they get inside? Thank you.” From the looks of it, we think our reader may have found erythrina stem borer caterpillars. The name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. The erythrina stem borer moth is native to the Americas, and the adult moth is a tiny, brown creature. However, its harmless appearance shouldn’t fool you: they are actually pretty destructive creatures. At least, their caterpillars are.

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Posted in Meal Worms Pest Worms Worms Facts

Tan, Segmented Worm is a Mealworm

“What kind of a worm is this?” asks this reader about the light brown, segmented, worm-like critter pictured below. “It’s tan and one-inch long, with legs in the front and back that crunch when killed. Found on the floor. We live in Vermont and they have just been showing up lately (March and April).” Naturally, we have gotten to this submission very late, as it was sent last spring, so perhaps this issue has already been resolved. In any case, we still wish to cover the story, in the case that other readers have found similar things, or will find similar things this upcoming spring, and wish to know what it is.

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Posted in Grub Worms Pest Worms Worms Generally

Yellow Worm in Dead Wood is a Wood Boring Beetle Larva

“What is this yellow worm that was found in dead mesquite wood when turning it on a lathe?” asks this reader about the wide-headed, worm-like creature pictured below. “It was about one inch long. There were probably 20 of these in a piece of wood, about one square foot big . The wood came from central Texas.” To start with, we want to thank our reader for the excellent photo she sent in, as well as the context; both of these factors together greatly contribute to making our job easier. With this information in hand, we can more efficiently identify the creatures we are asked about and answer the questions that our readers have!

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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 Pest Worms Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Wood-boring Beetle Larva-shaped Object Could be a Paint Chip

“I need your help identifying this worm or parasite I found in my house on the floor”, writes this reader about the white critter pictured below. “I am genuinely scared. I have a video of the movement as well. Thank you for your time and looking forward to hearing from you.” Now, as helpful as this video would have been, our reader did not send in any videos, only the picture below. From the picture, all we can see is the worm’s odd shape, white coloration, and what to us looks like a pretty flat body. We don’t know if that’s naturally the worm’s shape, or if it has been stepped on. In any case, it reminds us of a wood-boring beetle larva.

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Posted in Carpet Beetle Larvae Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Segmented “Creepy Crawly” in Linen Closet is a Black Carpet Beetle Larva

“I have found this segmented creepy crawly with “tail” on several occasions in our laundry hamper and linen closet”, writes this reader concerning the black-striped creature pictured below. “Should I be concerned? They’re about one cm in length. What are they? Thank you for your help.” To start with, we just want to thank our reader for the excellent photo she provided. It gives us a detailed view of the creature’s body, which always makes it easier to identify any given organism we are asked about. In this case, we think our reader has found a black carpet beetle larva.

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Posted in Caterpillars Centipedes and Millipedes Pest Worms

Host of Worms Infesting Coconut Palm Trees Include Caterpillars and Millipedes

“Many of our coconut palms that have been here for more than 30 years are suddenly dying”, starts this reader in her submission regarding the palm tree and the associated worm-like creatures pictured below. “The man that trims the fronds and fruit took the attached photos. The critters look like caterpillars and maybe something that is larvae. The creature with the stripe on its back almost looks like a millipede of some sort, maybe? It’s not clear if the creatures have created the problem OR there is some other problem which the critters are taking advantage of for their reproductive pleasure. I am located in Hawaii on the island of Hawaii.”

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Posted in Carpet Beetle Larvae Caterpillars Pest Worms

White Worm Sticking Out of Carpet is a Clothes Moth Larva

A woman in Texas has been finding all sorts of critters across her home, including the white, worm-like creature pictured below. Her story is as follows: “Since mid-July, I have dealt with the repercussions of forgetting to leave my A/C on during the day time, and coming home two or three times to see that my thermostat read 90°F or higher. Here is one of the many bugs I’ve come across after. I’m assuming some eggs hatched in the midst of the extreme heat. This particular one I found in my carpet, burrowed upside-down where I can see the butt sticking out from the carpet. Along with others that are along my baseboards, and black, cocoon-type things the size of rice. There have been moths and flies, as well as carpet beetles that are tiny. And long, oval-shaped, brown-with-light-brown patches all around my house (we live outside of town in west Texas, where the dirt blows and the heat/rain brings all the bugs inside). Can you tell me what kind of larvae these are? They’re literally everywhere.”

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Posted in Caterpillars Garden Worms Pest Worms

Translucent Goo on Six Year-Old Peach Tree Turn is not Worms but Gummosis

“We have a six year-old peach tree”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the translucent organisms pictured below. “This is the first year that we’ve had any peaches. Some of them have things on them. Are they worms/larvae or sap? Thank you.” Now, after we did some sleuthing, we came to the conclusion that while these clear objects are the result of insect larvae, they are not the larvae themselves. Let us explain. Although we are no experts on gardening and fruit, we believe our reader’s peaches are experiencing trauma due being fed on by some type of insect.