We just received a short message from a concerned reader. She said there are 1 cm black worms that come out at night and could be biting her and causing itching. She asked what kind of worms these are and how she can get rid of them. She didn’t include a photo, which makes it rather difficult to determine the species of worm she is dealing with.

Our first thought is that these are flea larvae. Flea larvae can often be mistaken for tiny worms and their coloring varies but can appear black! While fleas usually pester dogs and cats, they can also bite humans and cause discomfort and itching. How did these flea larvae end up near our reader? The most obvious answer is by means of a household pet, like a dog or a cat. If she doesn’t have any pets, then these little black critters might not be fleas after all.

Our reader should wash and dry her bedding on the hottest setting to get rid of these creatures. However, the most important step will be properly treating her pets for fleas, so a visit to the vet might be necessary!

To summarize, we heard from a reader about small black worms that bite and cause itching. There was no picture, but we think she might have discovered flea larvae.

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