One of our readers recently sent us a photo of a cluster of worm-like organisms she found on the side of her limestone house. The specimens have brown, segmented bodies and black heads. We can also see that they have tiny legs:
We are confident that our reader has discovered some sort of larvae. We aren’t totally sure what type of larvae, but we think they could be moth larvae. Since most larvae are dark and tiny, it is hard to recognize these! We have written several articles about readers who discover clusters of larvae on their walls, houses, and windows. Our reader can get rid of these specimens with ease, and since they aren’t harmful or dangerous, she doesn’t have anything to stress about.
Adult insects typically lay their eggs either in or near the food source that their larvae will eat. For example, a wood-boring beetle will burrow into a tree and lay her eggs inside the tree, then the beetle larvae will hatch and eat their way out of the tree. The larvae our reader found have probably just hatched! An adult moth likely laid her eggs on the limestone where there was some decaying organic material that the larvae would be able to eat. This decaying organic material could be the remains of a dead bug or something similar to that. To get rid of them, our reader can simply wash off the sides of her house. This should eliminate whatever organic material is serving as a food source for these larvae.
Since these larvae were found on the outside of our reader’s home and not in one of the indoor rooms, she doesn’t need to worry about a potential infestation. Also, while there are several steps one can take to prevent worm-like organisms from getting inside their home, there aren’t many ways to keep bugs from the outside. If our reader notices more specimens than usual around the perimeter of her home, she can sweep away leaf litter and debris and keep her yard as tidy as possible!
In summary, our reader discovered a cluster of moth larvae on the limestone wall of her house. She can wash her walls to get rid of these creatures, but they are nothing to be worried about!
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I found some tranches-like carvings in my limestone and was wondering if you know whether this can be termites or other type of bugs that eat through limestone