Gray Worm with Brown Head Found in Laundry Room is an Armyworm

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“I found one of these in my laundry room and would like to know what it is”, is all this reader writes in his submission to us. The creature he is referring to is gray in color, with a large, brown head and a segmented, bristly body.

To us, this looks like an armyworm, and it is most likely that it is specifically a fall armyworm (commonly referred to as FAW). Armyworms are the larval form of the armyworm moth, making them caterpillars. They are not harmful to humans or pets, but they are incredibly destructive to the plants they feed on.

As their name suggests, armyworms travel in large groups. In fact, the name for a large group of caterpillars is an army. And like an army, they come to gardens and farms and wage war against the plants there. In such large numbers, they can defoliate and chew through the stems of countless plants at a very fast pace. They have even been recognized as an international threat to agriculture, since they can be found in practically every corner of the world.

What makes them so aggravating is not only the sheer number of them that infest a given culture of vegetation, but also how difficult it is to get rid of just a small group of them. They have proven to be able to withstand multiple types of pesticides, and their green/gray coloration makes them hard to spot as they camouflage well with plant life.

With all of that said, there is no damage that an armyworm can do in a laundry room, and since it was found alone we reckon it ended up there by accident, perhaps wandering in through an open window or door, or on the shoes/clothing that were meant to be washed in the laundry room. We suggest that our reader simply move this armyworm outside and call it a day.

To conclude, the gray worm our reader found in his laundry room is an armyworm. They are completely harmless, or are at least not directly harmful: they do unfortunately pose an agricultural threat which in turn affects humans and animals alike. We hope this article proves insightful for our reader and we wish him the very best.

 

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Summary
Gray Worm with Brown Head Found in Laundry Room is an Armyworm
Article Name
Gray Worm with Brown Head Found in Laundry Room is an Armyworm
Description
"I found one of these in my laundry room and would like to know what it is", is all this reader writes in his submission to us. The creature he is referring to is gray in color, with a large, brown head and a segmented, bristly body.
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Author: Worm Researcher Anton

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