“What is this?” is all this reader asks about the minuscule, gray, worm-like creatures pictured below. They seem to be swarming a laundry basket. Despite the lack of context, and the low resolution photo, we do have a couple of suggestions for that these critters could be. Given their gray coloration and bulbous black heads, these look like newly-hatched armyworms or American ermine moth caterpillars. It is odd that our reader found them on her laundry hamper, only because neither of these species feed on textiles, like the clothes moth caterpillar or the carpet beetle larva.

Armyworms are the caterpillars of armyworm moths. They are named after their tendency to travel in big groups, even after hatching. In fact, the name for a group of caterpillars is ‘army’. These little guys are harmless to humans and pets, so our reader does not need to worry about that. That said, they can do substantial damage to a garden or farm, so we do not recommend releasing them into her yard if she does have a garden. The reason is because, just like they travel in groups, these guys feed in groups. And they are not picky eaters. They’ll eat anything ranging from vegetables to fruits, to even different types of grass. They are notorious in the agricultural industry, and are considered pests.

Similarly, the American ermine moth caterpillar is also harmless. They also eat vegetation, though they prefer trees, shrubs, and various types of weeds. Their caterpillars look almost identical to armyworms when newly-hatched, though quite different once they mature. While armyworms have dark green or brown, bristle-less bodies, American ermine moth caterpillars are bushy with bristles and black in color. They are not considered pests. The adult moths are quite regal-looking, and we have compared them before to Cruella de Vil. Regardless of what these are, we recommend that our reader gently brush them onto a dustpan and move them outside.

To conclude, we think that the worms our reader found on her laundry hamper are newly-hatched caterpillars, either armyworms or American ermine moth caterpillars. Of course, given how blurry the photo becomes when zooming in, we cannot say this with 100% certainty. The caterpillar likely ended up here because the moth laid her eggs somewhere near the laundry basket and they fell in. Or they laid them in the basket (though it is an odd spot). We hope this helps, and we wish our reader the very best!

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