A reader recently sent us a photograph and a short message about a specimen she discovered. She asked, “What is it?” She explained that she only found one of the creatures. She would like to know if it could be part of a larger problem, like an infestation, or if it could be from a shoe or something similar. She didn’t tell us where specifically she found the worm, and also did not describe its appearance. So we will have to work with the information already listed and this photograph:

We can see that the specimen is quite small (though we don’t know its exact size) and has a brown body. Based on the background of the photograph, we think our reader may have found this specimen on a blanket. From what we can see, it looks like a green and white striped comforter. This leads us to believe that she discovered the creature on a bed. Of course there is no way for us to know this for certain.

If she did find this creature on her bed, we think the specimen might be a carpet beetle larvae. Although we can’t make out the details of the creature’s appearance, we do think that there is a lot of resemblance to a carpet beetle larvae. Also, carpet beetle larvae are known to eat bedding such as a feather stuffed pillow or mattress. This is what a carpet beetle larva looks like up close, so that our reader can take a peek and see if it looks like a match:

If this is what our reader has found, then she might be dealing with an infestation, or just a small issue. She will need to search her bed and the area surrounding it for carpet beetle larvae. If she discovers more, we recommend she begin the process for getting rid of carpet beetle larvae. This includes thoroughly washing her bedding and cleaning every day to eliminate potential food sources and unseen eggs. Of course there is also the possibility that the creature she discovered isn’t a carpet beetle larva, and is just from a shoe as our reader suspected.

To conclude, one of our readers discovered a brown “worm” and wondered if it was a single sighting or if she might be dealing with an infestation. We weren’t able to determine how many are in her home, but we think the creature might be a carpet beetle larva.

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