
We recently heard from a reader who found some dark grey larvae in her home. She doesn’t know exactly what they are, but she was told they could potentially be black soldier fly larvae or webbing carpet moth larvae. However, she doesn’t keep clothes in the cupboard where she found them, and she doesn’t know why there would be soldier fly larvae in there either. She also hasn’t noticed any damage on her clothes or carpeting, so she is skeptical of these potential identifications. She is hoping we can tell her what the mysterious creatures are and advise on how to get rid of them.
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The larva is grey, plump, and about an inch long. We can see how this specimen looks a little bit like a black soldier fly larva, but we agree with our reader that this isn’t a likely match. Black soldier fly larvae are notorious composting creatures, and they are most commonly noticed in or around compost bins, trash cans, and rotten meat. Also, when we look more closely at the specimen, we can see that it isn’t a black soldier fly larva:
While we are confident that this isn’t a black soldier fly larva, we aren’t quite sure what it is. It could be a webbing clothes moth larva, but it just doesn’t look quite right, and since our reader hasn’t noticed any damage in her home, we aren’t convinced this is the correct identification. Luckily, being able to get rid of larvae doesn’t always require knowing exactly what kind of larvae they are. This is because eliminating larvae usually just comes down to cleaning!
Since our reader found these larvae in a cupboard, we think that’s where she should focus her energy. She should completely empty out the cupboard and wipe down the inside to get rid of potential food sources. Cleaning the area around the cupboard is also a good idea, since the larvae might have traveled. Since we don’t know exactly what these larvae are eating, she should vacuum, dust, and sweep in order to eliminate any and all potential food sources. Cleaning her house every 2-4 weeks should help prevent these organisms from returning.
To wrap up, while we don’t know what kind of larvae our reader discovered in her cupboard, we think cleaning should help eliminate these creatures. We wish our reader the best of luck!
All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported, we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us money out of our pocket to keep the site going (nearly 20 years so far!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.
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