One of our readers discovered a brown worm in her toilet that she thought could be an earthworm. We agree with our reader, this is an earthworm!

Worms, grubs, and insect larvae are tasty treats for many individuals around the world. They’re also gaining popularity in the U.S., for their protein and low-fat value.

A reader discovered worms emerging from damp areas on his porch. We weren’t able to identify the worms, but we think he should focus on figuring out why the floor is wet! This will likely result in not finding any more worms!

“Can you please identify the worm in this picture that is found in human urine?” is all this reader asks in his submission regarding the gray and pink worm pictured below. The worm is rather long, segmented, and has semi-transparent skin: at least, so we think. Our theory is that the pink part near the end of its body is a view into the inside of the worm. Based on the photo, we would think this is some type of annelid, though our identification should not be taken at face value. The reason for this is the lack of context of our reader’s situation: he does not specify if the worm came from someone’s body, and was then found in their urine, or if somebody peed, then looked in the toilet, and saw the worm there.

“What is a small brown worm with antennae and definitely no legs?” asks this reader in his query to us. Although he sends no photographs with his submission, he describes the worm as being approximately one-and-a-half inches long and “very skinny.”

A reader writes to ask whether glowing green nightcrawlers are safe for turtles to eat. We’ve written previously about glowing green nightcrawlers, also known as glowworms, but this reader’s specific query, which we can surmise relates to a desire to expand a beloved pet turtle’s palate, has not been previously addressed. To that end, we’ve prepared a refresher on the nature of growing green nightcrawlers, as well as their suitability for animal consumption (we assume the possibility of human glowworm consumption is not of widespread interest). As you’ll see, some glowworms can probably be fed to pets and some cannot.

Grub worms feed on plants and the roots of turf grasses and the adult beetles feed on trees, shrubs, and other foliage. While grub worms are harmless to humans, they can be devastating to crops mainly because they feed on crop roots.

Worms prefer complete darkness because the light affects them in the worst way. Light does not kill worms, but if worms spend too much time in the light (typically one hour), they become paralyzed.

What is a night crawler? This is the basic question we are concerned with, and the answer is straightforward: a night crawler (also written as “nightcrawler”) is simply an earthworm, an extremely common worm we have written about dozens of times. After a brief refresher on exactly what earthworms are, we’ll explain why they are called “night crawlers” (or, again, “nightcrawlers”), and also list some of the other names that earthworms go by. Thus, our treatment of night crawlers and earthworms will be more linguistic than biological.

Other methods involve using a garden fork to create vibrations and sprinkling the tops of soil with water to trick the worms into believing it is raining. Rain causes earthworms to flee to the surface for fear of “drowning” beneath the top layers of soil.

We recently heard from a reader in Australia who has had a couple run-ins with a type of worm on the side of her bathtub. She said she hasn’t been able to find any information about it on the Internet, and therefore has no clue what it is. She mentioned that at first she though it was an earthworm, but she didn’t think earthworms swam or climbed. This detail could be useful in identifying the worm because if she thought it was an earthworm than it probably is similar in appearance.

We believe the brown worm our reader found in his toilet is an earthworm. Earthworms aren’t known to carry or transmit any human diseases, so they are generally considered to be harmless!

Much like worms, caterpillars also spit juices and produce bad smells to ward off attackers. Caterpillars also have the ability to create a silk line and drop out of site if a predator approaches.

A reader sent us a picture of a red worm that he found in his toilet. He simply wanted to know what type of worm it was. The worm he found was about 4 centimeters in length and is red in color. It could be a number of types of worms, but from doing our research, it looks to be an earthworm, although they are not generally found inside of homes.

One of our readers discovered a worm in his shower that he thought might be parasitic. We are confident that the creature is actually an earthworm. Earthworms aren’t considered to be dangerous or harmful, so our reader has nothing to worry about!

A reader asked us how long earthworms can live underwater. There isn’t a clear-cut answer to this question because it depends on the oxygen level of the water and the worms, but in general earthworms can be expected to live for about 2 weeks submerged underwater before they drown.

We believe the worm that our reader found in her toilet came from her pipes, not her body! We are confident it is an earthworm, not a parasite! Of course, if she is convinced that it came from her body, she should see a doctor ASAP since we are not licensed medical professionals. 

One of our readers has been finding worms in her bathroom over the course of a few months. We are confident these worms are earthworms, which are not dangerous or harmful!

The earthworm’s moist, sustenance rich environment plays an extremely important role in reproduction as well. Worms prefer to mate and reproduce in warm moist soil, away from the light. If the conditions are not suitable for reproduction, the worms won’t reproduce.

one of our readers discovered hundreds (or maybe even thousands!) of long, red worms outside of her home after experiencing some rain. We think these are earthworms.