A reader from Texas recently wrote to us about some small black worms he is finding in his recreational vehicle (“RV”), and sent us a picture of one that is on his floor. On some days, he finds as many as six or seven of the black worms (which can also be “charcoal grey” worms) in his RV, but he has also gone up to a week without finding any worms. After struggling to discern where the worms are coming from, he finally concluded that they are entering the RV through the heat vents. The reader lives in his RV, and so was naturally wondering what he is finding, and he also wanted to know how to get rid of the black worms that have taken up residence in his RV.

We recently received a seemingly straightforward question from a reader: “How did a Phoenix Worm end up in my toilet?” This question about Phoenix Worms, although refreshing in its brevity, is actually a little bit tricky to answer, as it gives rise to other questions: what is a Phoenix Worm exactly (hint: it’s not a worm), and could this creature possibly end up in a toilet? If not, then what is our reader finding in his toilet? Then again, if our reader did find a Phoenix Worm in his toilet, we only have one question to answer: how did it end up there?

“What are the little black maggot-looking larvae that are in creeks?” asks Crystal in her submission. “They live under leaves and they are only in creeks once a year. I used to fish with them but I don’t know what they are.” Crystal does not attach any photos to her submission, which makes it much harder to narrow down the list of suspects for this creature that Crystal is searching for. Unfortunately, there are a lot of worm-like creatures that fit Crystal’s description. They could be anything from millipedes to rosemary beetle larvae to leeches. With that said, we have tried to narrow down our educated guesses to two species that are more “maggot-looking” than the others, and which tend to live near creeks and streams.

“I hope you are able to help me”, writes Julia in her submission regarding a whole host of problems and organisms. “After nearly two years of doing my own research I am still unable to identify these organisms. I say that because I’m not sure if they are in fact worms or possibly the larvae of another insect?” Now, first off, we want to thank Julia for the array of photos, of which we chose the most distinct and clear ones. Photos are always invaluable when it comes to trying to identify organisms. Secondly, we have to say that this is, by far, the most amount of context we have ever received regarding a worm-related situation. For this we are also grateful, as it is equally important to provide context when trying to get an organism identified. That said, it can be a lot for our other readers to process, and we also want Julia to get the information and answers that we can provide as soon as possible.

“I have found several of these worms in the last few days”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the segmented, black, worm-like creature pictured below. “Usually in my bathroom sink. I am in Angleton, Tx. What are they?” Based on the photo alone, we have concluded that this is a black soldier fly larva (BSFL): the shape and clear-cut segmentation of this creature’s body is characteristic of a black soldier fly larva. Not to worry, black soldier fly larvae are not harmful to humans at all. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Black soldier fly larvae are somewhat of a phenomenon.

“Found this on a bed sheet”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the segmented, black, bug-like critter pictured below. “Pic is of back and front. At first I thought it was a leaf. Do you know what it is? Thank you!” Well, we can say that this is definitely not a leaf. We think it is an insect larva of some kind, either a beetle or fly larva. At first glance, given the shape, color and segmentation, we thought it was probably a black soldier fly larva (also known as BSFL). Black soldier fly larvae are an underappreciated, yet quite famous, bug. They are composting larvae that efficiently break down organic materials, producing little waste, and from whom organic plastic can be produced.

“What are these brown worm-like bugs in my toilet?” asks AnnaMarie in her submission regarding the two, segmented creatures pictured below. She offers no further context, and, unfortunately, the lighting is not the best, and it is hard to make out the organisms’ finer characteristics. That said, based on their shape – particularly the little tapered tip at one end of its body – we think that these might be black soldier fly larvae. How these two critters would have come to show up in AnnaMarie’s toilet is a mystery to us, as black soldier fly larvae are not typically found in this spot.

“I’ve found this worm/larva a few times recently in one of my toilets”, states our reader from South Carolina in his submission regarding the black, segmented worm-like critter pictured below. “At first I thought it was a leaf that might have fallen off my dog’s face, but when I saw it the second/third time I noticed it was moving. It’s about 3/4-1” long, about 1/4 wide and 1/4” high. It’s dark brown/black, segmented, has hairs (legs?) at the lower side or underside, and moves like a caterpillar. The narrow tapered end seems to be the head as that’s the direction it crawls. No one has used the toilet prior to finding them. YES, my dogs do drink from the toilet. I’m concerned now that I see it’s alive, that it may be coming from my dog as he drinks? It does look similar to a few things I’ve seen on your site, but finding them in the toilet is throwing me. I’m located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and have seen them four times in the past two weeks. Thanks for any guidance you can offer.”

“I found this thing apparently crawling away from a scene of carnage in my dining room in Fayetteville, NY, not far from Syracuse”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the black, segmented worm-like creature pictured below. “One of my cats got a mouse, started eating it, but apparently was grossed out and threw up not far from the headless corpse of the mouse. In the process of cleaning that up, I noticed what I thought was a small cat turd about 3-4 ft away, but as I picked it up with a paper towel, it moved. And it appeared to have crawled away from the kill site.

“I found this on my bathroom floor!” states this reader about the gray, segmented creature pictured below. “Pretty large! I live in Anderson, California.”

“Found this in my basement and I’m freaked out”, states this reader about the segmented, black worm-like creature pictured below. “Would anyone know what this could be? Thank you!”

“It is currently the start of winter and I noticed one morning that there is a larva- or caterpillar-like creature on my floor”, states this reader about the creature pictured below. “The larva is brown, has a small white dot where I assume the head is, and the butt is flat-ish.”

“What is this creature I found in my house in Coventry, UK?” asks this reader concerning the organism pictured below. The creature in question appears to have a white and gray, thick body, and a square of black sticking out from one end of its body.

“What is this worm?” is all this reader asks in her submission. The creature she asks about is black in color, with a segmented body, and a round, pointy tip at one end of its body.

“I found black soldier flies and larvae in my home,” states this reader in her submission. These critters were found in her bathroom, kitchen and on her bed, and our reader asks that we tell her how to get rid of them.

“What is it?” asks this reader in June Lake, California about the organism in the photograph below. This black and brown creature sports a segmented body with seemingly no legs attached, and has no discernible face.

“Found these in my lounge,” says this reader about the gray-brown critter photographed below. According to our reader, this segmented creature is approximately 3/5-inch in length and 2/5-inch in width, and she has been finding an average of one per day for the past few weeks. “What is it?”

Two worms of a matte gray appearance have been discovered in the bed of this reader, who wonders what type of worms they are and if she needs to change her mattress. As she has a baby, she states that she is being “extra careful”, and hopes that she does not have to worry about them.

A puzzling case of separate clusters of worms of different species was discovered by this woman and her caretakers in the UK. The first cluster of worms was found behind “the bin/cat food/litter,” and were deemed to be maggots, while the second cluster of unidentified worms, which were also found in the same place, were dark brown in color, and segmented.

A number of worms have been crawling about this reader’s home, who suspects they are coming from under his washing machine. He wonders what exactly these gray, segmented worms are, and if they are dangerous.