Category: Carpet Beetle Larvae
Segmented, Worm-like Creature on Bed Cover is a Black Carpet Beetle Larva
A reader in Cairo, Egypt asks for our help after discovering a worm-like creature crawling on his bed cover. The creature appears to be black and white, with a segmented, elongated body.
Segmented, Brown Worm on Dog Toy is a Beetle Larva
“I found this grub/worm on a packaged stuffed dog toy I ordered online”, writes Sarah in her submission regarding the segmented, brown, worm-like creature pictured below. “It was stuck to the fabric on a white patch that looked a bit like egg sac remnants? There was only one that I could find. What is it?” Now, what caught us off guard about this creature at first were the six appendages sticking out from one end of the creature’s body. It took us a moment to realize that the critter was upside down, and that these were its prolegs! Once we gathered that, we figured it must be some type of beetle larva, as the body shape, segmentation, and presence of prolegs point to this conclusion.
Tiny Worm on Bed is a Carpet Beetle Larva
The small brown worm our reader found on her bed is a carpet beetle larva. Unfortunately, these organisms can be really annoying and destructive, but luckily our reader only found a single larva, so she should be able to start cleaning in time to prevent an infestation.
Brown Striped Worms in Children’s Bedroom are Carpet Beetle Larvae
“What is this worm?” asks Billie in her submission regarding the brown-striped creature pictured below. “I found them on my children’s bedroom floor. We thought we had powderpost beetle infestation because we have small holes in some of our new hardwood floors. Maybe these bugs are unrelated? I found three at 6:30 in the morning after turning on the lights. The largest is probably less than 1/4 inch long.” We can tell Billie straight away that this is not a powderpost beetle or a powderpost beetle larva (which are white in color with a small black spot on its head), but is a carpet beetle larva. Billie may have heard of carpet beetles before: they are a notorious pest that do not feed on hardwood floors, but the rugs and carpets we put on top of them.
Striped Dark Bug Could be a Carpet Beetle Larva
“What kind of bug is this?” is all Kimberly asks in her submission regarding the dark gray-brown-colored organism pictured below. She does not include any context with her submission, and we do have to note that the resolution on the photo is poor, meaning that when we zoom in on the creature, the details become incredibly blurry. With that in mind, it will not be possible to provide an identification which is 100% accurate; the identification we are about to make is based purely on an educated guess we made, which is, in turn, based on the little we can make out from the photo.
Yellow Bristly Worms in Bathtub are Carpet Beetle Larvae
“I have found two of these very, very small larvae in my bathtub after returning home from being away for four days”, writes Nicole about the yellow, worm-like critter pictured below. “As a backstory, I have two dogs and we recently (within the past month) moved into a new home that is old and under renovation. About three weeks ago I found a few fleas which I had thought I had completely eradicated. I washed my dogs with Dawn dish soap a few times that week, vacuumed extensively, laundered all of the linen in the house multiple times, spread diatomaceous earth under baseboards, carpets (and then rolled them up) and around certain spots the dogs like to lay, and had a company come to spray the yard with an organic solution (safe for pets and children). I hadn’t seen a sign of a flea in two weeks. I do also see a lot of other bugs making their way into the house; mainly just some ants and small black beetles. I’m really hoping these worms I found aren’t flea larvae, but I can’t seem to be sure what they are. They look almost to be a light pinkish color and if you zoom in on one of the photos, it looks like the larvae may have legs. I’m very confused and hoping you can help!”
Black Bugs the Size of “Poppy Seeds” Could be Carpet Beetle Larvae
“My daughter and I both have had a bunch of itchy bumps on our legs and I’ve had a couple on my arms that made me afraid they were bed bugs”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the black bug with a long tail pictured below. “I’ve been digging around nightly but haven’t found any signs of them. Then tonight I saw this tiny thing – maybe the size of two poppy seeds. I have a video too if it’s helpful. We are in New York City. Thanks so much!” To begin with, we want to thank our reader for the photo, which shows us a lot of identifying information about the creature, particularly this tail-like appendage on its rear. The coloration, shape, and this tail tells us that this is likely a carpet beetle larva.
Can Carpet Beetle Larvae Bite People?
“Can the carpet worm bite a human?” asks Martha in her submission. “I was bitten in several parts of my legs two days ago, so I looked and found the larva. The bites look like so.” First off, we want to note that, going forward, we are going to assume that Martha is referring to the carpet beetle larva, which is commonly referred to as a carpet worm. Carpet beetle larvae do resemble worms, but are technically insects. Secondly, we will not be able to confirm what these are, as Martha did not send in any photos of the larva. Lastly, to answer her question, carpet beetle larvae cannot bite. With that said, they can cause rashes.
Segmented Worm is a Black Carpet Beetle Larva
“My sister found this in our front bathroom today and we were trying to figure out what it is,” writest this reader about the segmented, black, worm-like creature pictured below. “We live in Western North Carolina U.S. I fished it out of the toilet to get a better look and see if I could figure out what it was. We weren’t sure if it maybe came from her and, if not, where it came from at all. Based on what I have noticed just by watching it, it looks like it may possibly have legs but I’m not positive. Based on the direction it seems to move it appears to breathe through its butt. It is very small and thin, zoomed in it looks like it has stripes along its body but two very distinctive stripes towards the end. Because I had taken it from the toilet I put a dime under the dip cup I had placed it in for size comparison and labeled the mentioned characteristics in the picture.”
Orange and Brown-striped Grub is a Carpet Beetle Larva
“Is the grub in the attached video a carpet beetle larva?” is all this reader asks in his submission regarding the orange and brown-striped critter pictured below. Luckily for him, no context is needed in this case. We have identified so many carpet beetle larvae at this point that one look is all it takes. This is indeed a carpet beetle larva. And it is a grub too (a common umbrella term for beetle larvae, or just plump-looking worm-like creatures). Before we get into a brief overview on these creatures, we want to thank our reader for the excellent video he sent in. We do not have many videos showing how carpet beetle larvae move about on a piece of fabric, so to have that, and be able to share it with our readers, is invaluable.
Striped, Light Brown Critter on Kitchen Counter is a Carpet Beetle Larva
“Just found this on my kitchen counter that had a few closed bottles of vitamins and nothing else,” writes this reader in her submission regarding the striped, light brown creature pictured below. “What is it? Please.” Based on the photo alone, we know that this is a carpet beetle larva. We have covered this critter countless times at this point, so we could spot them from a mile away. There is good and bad news. The good news is that carpet beetle larvae are not harmful to humans and pets (though we should note that one can experience allergic reactions to them that can cause rashes to form). The bad news is that these are destructive pests that chew holes through the textile items in one’s home.
Rashes Coincide with Carpet Beetle Infestations: a Medical Professional’s Opinion is Recommended
“I’ve had six inspections for bedbugs”, starts this reader in her submission, who goes on to say that all six inspections have come out negative for bed bugs. “For five years, every spring from April to August, I get these horrific bites/rashes, and I can’t figure it out. I do see carpet beetles during this time in the doorways and windows, but I don’t sit on the floor or carpets. They itch terribly! They are also raised as welts. I thought carpet beetles don’t bite, so what the hell could this be? For five years I can’t figure it out, and then it disappears at the end of summer. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.”
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.
Brown Worm on Stuffed Animal is a Beetle Larva
“I saw something tiny moving on a stuffed animal, and upon taking a closer look, it was a tiny brownish worm, with a pointy ‘tail’, that hastily started hiding when I tried to pick it up”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the creature pictured below. “I shook the stuffed animal out over the bathtub – and here is what I saw (luckily only this one ‘worm’). What is it? Thank you.” Unfortunately, the photo and video our reader sent us were taken in quite poor lighting, which makes it harder to see the finer details of the critter’s physical characteristics.
Black Bug with Many Legs Could be Duff Millipede
“Really appreciate your response to my last question where you surmised, based on poor photos, that I had carpet beetle larvae/maggots”, writes Billy in his submission regarding the spiky, black, worm-like critter pictured below. “However, I continue to have these random appearances from these creatures, and the behaviour didn’t seem to make sense. I’m attaching what I hope are better pictures, where you can see that these creatures have legs rather than bristles. As mentioned previously, they seem to appear in random places on the wall (high level) and ceiling but always gravitate towards bright areas of the room. I’d appreciate it if you can have a re-look at the attached. Thanks.”
Carpet Beetles and Cream-colored Worms Invade Linen Closet
“I found these larva-like creatures in the bottom of my linen closet, where I found beetles coming from an enclosed space where it is difficult to get to clean”, writes Jeanna in her submission regarding the black, speckled beetle pictured below. “These beetles have brown larva, so I know it’s not their larvae. Besides, one of these worms is much longer than the others, leading me to believe they are not larvae at all but perhaps worms or some other creature. They are tiny. I couldn’t see them with my naked eye; they just looked like dust balls. But when I took a picture with my phone camera and magnified it, these worm-like creatures appeared. They are cream-colored, with a black spot on one end that seems to be a head or eyes. There are different lengths of them here. I found more of them in other locations in my house, in varying humidity levels: at the base of the toilet, behind my sofa, on the baseboard of the hallway, on the rug in my bedroom, behind the washing machine, etc. What do you think they are?”
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.”
Dozens of Brown-striped Worms Under Bed are Carpet Beetle Larvae
“We have a problem with dozens of worms under the bed”, writes this reader about the brown-striped bug with bristles on its rear pictured below. “The first issue happened about 1.5 years ago. We found lots of worms under the bed, then made sure to clean it all up, by moving the bed and every closet in the room, and made sure the floor was clean. Then, we kept looking under the bed for several weeks and made sure they didn’t get back. We thought the worms may be related to food, so we made sure no food would enter the bedroom. Yesterday we found out there is a new occasion of the worms, again under the bed. This time we know it’s not related to food, we wonder maybe they are related to the wood of the bed, but we’re still trying to figure out what it is. Location is Israel. Thanks.”
Dark Brown-striped Worms in Bathroom Could be Carpet Beetle Larvae
“I am finding a ton of these tiny worms in my bathroom”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the tiny, dark brown critter pictured below. “I vacuumed and sprayed some pest spray, but within two days they’re back in full force (close to 100 worms will cluster up within a week). I’ve done this at least four times. I RARELY see them move. It’s like they show up and 90% are immediately dead? At first I thought it was drain fly larvae, but we’ve never seen a single drain fly. After seeing your articles on CARPET beetles, I’m noticing it looks identical, but it’s weird that it’s only by our toilet! We struggled last fall with cigarette beetles, but now I’m wondering if they were carpet beetles. Again, the beetles were only in the bathroom (but in the shower, not by the toilet). Help! Here are photos of the worms!”
Brown-striped Bugs on Couch Cushions are Carpet Beetle Larvae
Segmented, brown larva-like creatures were found on the couch cushions of this reader’s couch, pictured below. Her story is as follows: “We went in to tidy up a guest room ahead of some relatives visiting. There is a couch in the guest room – it’s only a few years old (we had purchased it new) and is rarely used (maybe a handful of times a year), except as a napping spot for our cats. We noticed some small larvae on the couch cushions towards the end of our clean up. At first I just started picking these up with a tissue, but became concerned, so I emptied our handheld vacuum that we had just used to vacuum the couch onto a white trash bag to see if I could see any others. I’ve included photos below, but am having trouble identifying what they might be as they are varied in size and color. Any insight would be appreciated! There were quite a number of them. Thank you!”