“What is this?” asks Shannon about the plethora of tiny, gray worm-like critters pictured below. “It was right inside the house by the sliding glass door.” Despite the lack of context, this is one of those instances where we can tell what these are based merely on the photos. This tight cluster of gray worms with black heads, next to the group of translucent ball-shaped objects, could only be American ermine moth caterpillars, otherwise known as white ermine moth caterpillars.

These moths most commonly host nettle plants, and really want nothing to do with anything you’d find inside a home, and yet, we have had multiple readers report finding similar caterpillar clusters in their homes. Why is this? Well, it is important to note that these caterpillars are newly-hatched, which explains their size, and the reason they are found by people inside the home is simply because the mother moth deemed it a safe place to lay her eggs, not because it would be a great place to infest. And our reader is lucky because of this: it means that there are no other caterpillars wandering around her home that she will have to look for. She can simply scoop these caterpillars onto a dustpan and move them outside.

If Shannon wants to, she might want to check if the mother moth is still alive and present in her home. She should look out for a white moth with black polka dots on its wings and a fluffy white mane: basically the moth form of Cruella de Ville. Shannon was lucky that, in her case, the bugs that decided to enter her home are completely harmless and are not pests, but what if she does not get as lucky next time? Plenty of our other readers have had to deal with carpet beetle infestations, or pantry moth infestations, and those are really not fun to deal with. For that reason, it is important to take preventative measures against future invasions. We suggest Shannon make sure that her window screens are intact, and if not, that she replace them. This is especially prevalent during the summers. Likewise, we can also recommend installing bug screens in her vents.

To conclude, the cluster of tiny, gray worm-like creatures Shannon found on her sliding glass door are newly-hatched American ermine moth caterpillars. They are nothing to be feared, so she can just move them outside. Definitely do not kill them: in certain countries they are considered a priority species. We hope this helps, and we wish Shannon the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Cluster of Gray Worm-like Critters are American Ermine Moth Caterpillars

Description

"What is this?" asks Shannon about the plethora of tiny, gray worm-like critters pictured below. "It was right inside the house by the sliding glass door." Despite the lack of context, this is one of those instances where we can tell what these are based merely on the photos. This tight cluster of gray worms with black heads, next to the group of translucent ball-shaped objects, could only be American ermine moth caterpillars, otherwise known as white ermine moth caterpillars.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton