Shiny, Gray Bugs on Bathroom Floor Could be Beetles or Silverfish

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“For the past six months, I have been seeing these tiny worms, or creatures that look like worms, on my bathroom floor”, writes this reader concerning the gray critters pictured below. “They are not near the drain and that is what made me write to you, because I saw previous posts and you mention that these worms hang out near drains. We keep our bathroom clean, and once a month I put bleach down the drain with hot water. But I still see them come not only on the floor, but on the bathtub, sometimes on the window porch, they’re practically everywhere. I live in a house near London. Can you please advise what to do? Many thanks.”

To start with, we have to point out that, unfortunately, the photos our reader sent us are quite blurry, which makes it impossible to see the finer details of the creatures’ bodies, and which makes it much harder to identify them with any degree of certainty. What we can tell from the photos is that they are not that worm-like, in our opinion. In fact, we think we can see three pairs of legs, and it looks to us like the ‘skin’ of the creature is almost reflective, like that of a beetle. To us, these look like fully-grown insects rather than worms or larvae. And in that case, we will have to say that we are not sure what they are, as we are not bug experts after all, but worm enthusiasts.

Of course, that won’t stop us from doing what we can to help our reader with his situation. Now, just because they are not being found by the drain, does not rule out the possibility that they are coming from the drain. It is good that our reader keeps his bathroom clean, though we advise cleaning the drains with bleach and boiling water more often than once a month. The fact that these critters are being found in the bathroom points to the possibility that these creatures are breeding in the drains like drain fly larvae. Though, they could also be coming in through the window that our reader mentions. Similarly, if there are any sizable cracks in the walls or floors, they could be coming in through those, and we recommend sealing any such cracks in the home, so as to prevent invasions of any type of creature.

In our non-expert opinion, these creatures look like they could be beetles or silverfish. If our reader is concerned that the infestation is harmful to his home, or that it is getting out of hand, we suggest contacting a professional to deal with the issue. Otherwise, we recommend scooping these up and moving them outside, and then giving his home a proper vacuum and clean. We likewise suggest checking any towels and bathmats for more of the bugs, in case they are feeding and breeding on those, and washing them at the highest temperature they can withstand.

To conclude, we are not quite sure what these creatures are that our reader has been finding in his bathroom. Not only do they look like fully-grown insects, which is simply not our area of expertise, but the photos are unfortunately quite blurry. If we were to take a guess, we would say they look like beetles or silverfish, based on the general shape of the bugs’ bodies, the number of legs, and the shine on their body. We hope this helps, and we wish our reader the very best.

 

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Article Name
Shiny, Gray Bugs on Bathroom Floor Could be Beetles or Silverfish
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"For the past six months, I have been seeing these tiny worms, or creatures that look like worms, on my bathroom floor", writes this reader concerning the gray critters pictured below. "They are not near the drain and that is what made me write to you, because I saw previous posts and you mention that these worms hang out near drains. We keep our bathroom clean, and once a month I put bleach down the drain with hot water. But I still see them come not only on the floor, but on the bathtub, sometimes on the window porch, they’re practically everywhere. I live in a house near London. Can you please advise what to do? Many thanks."
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Author: Worm Researcher Anton

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