“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.”

“We have black mold and have had beetles, but no bed bugs or anything”, writes this reader in her submission. “But I also found a white worm-like thing in my ear and now this is what my leg looks like. I will send both pictures. Also these little black dots in my wife’s hair.” Our reader sent in multiple photos, two of which we have included below. The first shows the black mold growing in her home, and the second shows her leg, which she reports is a consequence of finding a “white worm-like thing” in her ear. The photos we did not include showed another picture of the mold, and a picture of our reader’s wife’s hair, though the “little black dots” were not visible in the photo.

“What kind of insect is this and how do I get rid of this?” asks Prashant in his submission regarding the array of bugs and worm-like creatures pictured below. “It’s coming out from a corner of furniture which is fixed (attached) to the wall and has a very small gap between the wall and furniture. This wall is near the bathroom and exposed to sun and rain. We stay on the seventh floor of the apartment building. These are very tiny crawling insects, around 2-3mm in length, with very delicate bodies. Color is mostly pale yellow to brown and the body has stripes. They are coming out at a frequency of 10-15 per hour. It’s been a week since I observed them. Earlier there used to be more quantities of larva-like insects but now it’s mixed with some other insects: black brown insects. The larvae also have a couple of legs (or may be antennae) and crawl at a speed of 1 meter in 5 mins. Sometimes I have observed black, smooth, powder-like substances falling from the wall-side of the furniture, near the same area. I have made sure that there is no food left anywhere near the area. An identification of the insect and a solution is highly appreciated.”

“I found this bug that apparently got stuck on the tape and died as it is not moving,” says this reader in Buffalo, New York. “I think it might be a […] black blister beetle but I’m not certain so I was hoping that you could help.”

“Can you help me identify this worm found on my puppy’s paw after going outside?” this reader asks of this white, larva-looking critter crawling around on the floor in a video she sent in with her query. Her puppy recently had a tapeworm and so our reader is understandably “freaking out”.

The brother of this reader found a worm in his cup of apple juice after leaving it to sit for half an hour. From the picture and our reader’s description, we can tell that this worm is tiny in size, orange in color, with a black head and a set of prongs at its rear.

A man found small white worms in every piece of wood in his house and hopes that we can help identify what they are. The image sent in below is difficult to make sense of; there appears to be a smear of white in the center against the green background (which we assume is supposed to be the worm) as well as rings of white surrounding it on all sides.

A reader recently sent in this image of a creature, asking us to confirm whether or not it is a carpet beetle larva. The creature in question appears black and gray-striped, with a black head, and a double-pronged tail. In comparison to the fibers of the material this worm was found on, we can presume that this worm is tiny in size.

A reader sent in this image of a creature on her bed, asking us if it was either a carpet beetle larva or a maggot. The image displays a ovate creature with bristles around its body. One half of this critter’s back is striped brown and beige, and the other is a solid brown.

A reader wrote to us the other day about “carpet worms, carpet beetles, and possibly a moth worm” that she has seen moving in her carpet. The worms and beetles, which we’ll define more precisely below, are also eating holes in her shirt and “causing” lint to build up. The infestation has gotten so bad that the reader feel pricks when she walks around the carpet. For obvious reasons, she wants to get of the worms and beetles she is finding, and she wrote to us for help.

We received a very simple and straightforward question from a reader the other day on the All About Worms Facebook page. He said that he thought he found a flour beetle, and that he only needed a picture of a flour beetle to confirm his suspicion. This was easy enough to find – a quick search for “flour beetles” turns up thousands of images – so below we post a good picture we found, as well as provide some basic information about flour beetles.

A reader wrote to us a few days ago to ask about some larvae and beetles she found, sending us some excellent pictures of the creatures in question. She suspects she found carpet beetle larvae, an idea she wanted us to weigh in on, and she also found some sort of beetle that she wasn’t able to identify, which she also wanted our help with. In addition to the matter of identification, the reader wanted to know how to get rid of the carpet beetle larvae – or whatever they may be – that she is finding.

A reader wrote to us a little while back about some small worms she is finding in her cat’s food. The reader emphasizes that the worms are not in the food prior to giving it to her cat, which is good, but after the food has been out for a day or so, she often finds worms in it. The reader also finds small dark worms under the mat on which the cat food is placed, which is why we are writing about “small dark worms in and around cat food.” This rather specific title may imply we have a definite answer in mind, but unfortunately we do not. We do, however, have a few possibilities to suggest.