One of our readers found the same worm in her bathroom on several different occasions. The creature has brown segments, with yellow showing through underneath the segments. Based off of the photo our reader provided, we believe this specimen is a mealworm!

Mealworms typically look very similar to the specimen in the photograph, although they are usually lighter brown. The mealworm in this photo could just appear darker due to the lighting. They also have six small legs on their anterior ends (three per side), and two antennae.

A mealworm is the larval form of the mealworm beetle, which is a species of darkling beetle. Mealworms are generally considered pests because they eat stored grains. In the outdoors, mealworms enjoy dark, damp environments with plenty of food available, like fallen logs or abandoned animal nests.

Mealworms are usually found in the kitchen, or wherever else someone stores their dried grains, like in a pantry or garage.  However, our reader explained that she has been finding mealworms in her bathroom, where we doubt she keeps any dried grains. She should empty the trash in her bathroom, just in case the mealworms were feeding off something in the trash. She should also clean out the cabinets and any closets in the bathroom.

We also think it would be worthwhile to check out the kitchen, even though that isn’t where she found these creatures. They could be moving from the kitchen to the bathroom in search of other food. She should inspect all of her dried grains for any sign of mealworms. Anything that is contaminated should be thrown out! In the future, buying smaller quantities of grains and replacing them more often can help keep these pests at bay. Or she can simply start storing opened grains in the refrigerator.

To summarize, one of our readers has been discovering brown creatures in her bathroom. We believe the specimens are mealworms, which are usually considered to be household pests.