How Did Worms Get Into Reader’s House?

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A reader recently reached out to us from Wimberley, Texas. Her short message explained that she discovered a worm on a carpet in her house, which she keeps “very clean.”  She ended her message with two questions: What is this creature? How did it get into the house?

The photo shows a thin brown worm that we assume is a few inches long. We are a little confused by the picture because our reader explained that she found the worm on the carpet, and yet this worm is in the toilet. We believe that our reader probably moved the worm from the carpet to the toilet in order to flush it down the toilet, which explains why the worm is in the toilet in this photograph. So, what is this specimen?

We don’t know exactly what kind of worm our reader has found in her house. It might be an earthworm, but we aren’t entirely convinced this is a match. Earthworms are commonly discovered in homes, and they have similar appearances to the worm in the photo (thin, long, brown), but most earthworms have segmented bodies that are thicker than the creature in this photo. So, this might be an earthworm that is just skinnier and smoother than others, or it might be another creature. Without more information or a better photograph from our reader, we unfortunately can’t identify this creature with confidence.

We also cannot claim with certainty that we know how this specimen got into our reader’s home.  We are confident that this creature is not a household pest that breeds and thrives inside a home, such as carpet beetle larvae or pantry moth larvae, instead we think it came from the outside. No house (no matter how modern and new it is) is completely sealed from the outdoor environment. Small creatures sneak in through open doors and windows, tiny gaps in the foundation, and through improperly sealed vents and entryways. We recommend that our reader focus on sealing these small openings and making sure her doors and windows are properly screened while open.

To wrap up, one of our readers discovered  a brown worm on the carpet in her home. We don’t know the identity of the worm, but we believe it came in from the outside and isn’t breeding or damaging her home. If our reader continues to discover these worms, we invite her to share another detailed photograph or more information to help us solve this mystery!

 

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How Did Worms Get Into Reader's House?
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How Did Worms Get Into Reader's House?
Description
One of our readers discovered  a brown worm on the carpet in her home. We don't know the identity of the worm, but we believe it came in from the outside and isn't breeding or damaging her home.
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Author: Worm Researcher Dori

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