“I am trying to figure out what these critters are in the carpet, so that I can eliminate them”, states this reader from Oklahoma in his submission. “I fear they are larvae of some type.”

Now, in the picture above, we really cannot see any type of larva or organism: we can only see the carpet. So, we do not know what it is we are supposed to be seeing here. Regardless, our reader adds that the organisms “keep reappearing in large numbers.”

Likewise, he “also found the ‘being’ in the second picture” (below) in his sink. “Is this an insect, or perhaps a parasite egg?” he asks. “I’m extremely grateful for any help you can provide, and greatly anticipate your reply.”

While we appreciate this sentiment, we hope we do not disappoint our reader too much when we say that it will not be possible for us to give a confident identification of either of the organisms he found. As we said, the organisms are not visible in the first picture, and the “being” in the second one does not resemble any organism we know of.

That said, there are a few organisms that typically infest carpet, such as carpet beetle larvae and clothes moth larvae, and the methods for controlling and eliminating infestations of them are practically the same.

These methods include: Vacuuming the carpets (and other textiles/items made from organic-based materials such as cotton, wool and silk) multiple times a week for a minimum of two weeks. Laundering those items the same number of times, for the same period of time. Storing unused garments in vacuum-sealed bags or cold vaults (and/or getting rid of those items that will never be used). Ensuring that his window screens do not have any holes in them, and if they do, replacing them.

Moving on, to answer his second question regarding the “being” in his sink, we would say it is more likely that it is some kind of secretion left behind by an insect, or perhaps it is a squashed pupa. Ultimately, we are not sure.

That said, since he mentions being concerned about parasite eggs, we think it’s important that we list some resources below that our reader can consult if he is genuinely concerned about parasites. So, if he has reasonable cause to suspect that he might be dealing with parasites, then what we can recommend is that he do one or more of the following:

1) Search for a medical parasitologist in his area using this directory of medical parasitology consultants: https://www.astmh.org/for-astmh-members/clinical-consultants-directory.
2) Search for a local parasitologist by doing a Google search for “medical parasitologist (name of the closest big city)” or “tropical medicine specialist (name of the closest big city)”.
3) Get in touch with Dr. Omar Amin at the Parasitology Center at https://www.parasitetesting.com.

To conclude, we are not sure what it is our reader found in his carpet or his sink. We would need better pictures to be able to make any kind of confident identification. Nonetheless, we hope that the information we were able to provide proves useful. We wish him the very best!

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