“I found this in my backyard the other night while digging up roots”, writes Marlene about the milky-white, worm-like creature pictured below. “I have never seen anything like this before, and it is quite ugly. It was about three inches long, rather chubby, and black on one end, with what looked like purple veins going through it. I live in southern New Jersey (Gloucester County). There are no lakes or ponds close to my yard. Just curious about what is living in my yard and possibly creating a family. Thank you.” Well, based on the excellent photo that Marlene sent in, we think that the “ugly” worm-like critter she found is a wood-boring beetle larva.

Its shape, color, and segmentation give it away; the wood boring beetle larva has a distinct body, its head an oval shape that is wider than its body. Wood-boring beetle larvae are notorious wood-eating pests, and Marlene should count herself lucky that she found it outside and not inside her home. Of course, if there is a family of wood-boring beetle larvae in her yard, there is nothing stopping them from coming to her home, so she might want to consider relocating the little buggers. Wood-boring beetle larvae will, as their name suggests, bore through wooden structures, creating significant damage over time. Like termites, they can cause serious structural damages to ones home if they get in the walls or beams, and they can likewise cause damage to wooden furniture.

Naturally, wood-boring beetle larvae have been around longer than furniture, and their primary source of food is the natural source of wood: trees. Now, Marlene did not specify what type of plant the roots belonged to that she was digging up. Assuming it was a tree or some type of wooden bush, it would make sense for the beetle larva to be found here. If it was not a wooden plant, then we might have to reevaluate if this is a wood-boring beetle larva. In any case, we think it is definitely some type of beetle larva. There are other species of beetle larvae that feed on roots, or can at least be found at the root level underground.

To conclude, we think that the white worm-like critter Marlene found when digging up roots is a wood-boring beetle larva. They are not dangerous, but they can cause damage to wooden structures, so she might want to move them further away from her home if she finds more. We hope this helps and we wish her the very best!

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