We recently heard from a reader who discovered some dead “worm” segments near some rarely moved items in her home. She believes she also came across these creatures once under her shampoo bottle. She sent in some photos, and is hopeful that we can identify them.

The photos show a small, dark brown, segmented creature. Like our reader said, it appears to be a section broken off from a bigger organism. Even with a great photo, it can be difficult to identify a worm-like creature. We have some suggestions as to what this may be.

We will start by ruling out moth fly larvae. Although moth fly larvae are some of the most commonly discovered household “worms” (especially in bathrooms), we are quite sure that this is not what she found. Moth fly larvae are significantly smaller and lighter in color than the worm in the picture.

Our most confident guess is that she has discovered millipedes. Millipedes need moisture to survive, so it makes sense that she found these under a shampoo bottle. Millipedes are segmented and brown, like the creature our reader found. Their distinguishing features are their many legs, which line their underside, and their antennae. Without being able to identify these features in the photo, we aren’t able to make a firm identification on the critter.

Our reader should examine the creature for legs and antenna, and perhaps compare the organism to photos and descriptions of millipedes. This can help her determine if this is what she is dealing with.

If she is dealing with millipedes, getting rid of them is not too difficult. She should get rid of excess water in her home, and simply place the live creatures she finds outside. Sealing up doors and windows will also deter these organisms from entering her home.

In summary, one of our readers found some dead worm-like organisms in her home. We ruled out moth fly larvae as a possibility and have honed in on millipedes as a potential guess.

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