“These began popping up all over my elderly mom’s basement apartment in the last few days”, writes RK about the black, worm-like creature pictured below. “We have seen a couple dozen or so to date. They seem to be hatching from somewhere inside although we can’t figure out where. They are darker colored and appear segmented, but no legs or wings are visible. We have seen sizes from less than an inch to an inch or two. The basement recently underwent renovation so I don’t know if something could have been brought in that way or not. Could you provide information regarding what they may be? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.”

“What kind of worm is this?”, asks Elvira about the black worm-like creature pictured below. “Or is it a caterpillar? Found it moving across the rug in my living room! It had a matte black-like shell with what appeared to be ‘holes’ along its back, was about 2-3 inches long, and its head had two oval-shaped eyes on top of it. I live in Houston, TX. Thanks.” The creature Elvira found is not a worm, but indeed a caterpillar, so her second guess was correct! In particular, this is a velvet armyworm moth caterpillar. We have covered armyworms many times before, in particular the fall armyworm, the most infamous of them all.

“Are these crane fly larvae, or horse-leeches?” asks Jonathan about the black, worm-like creature pictured below. “I’m in western NC. These guys are about a ¼-inch long. Closest I could find on my own research are the two stated above. Thank you for your time!” After doing some sleuthing of our own, we have always come to similar conclusions as Jonathan – this does resemble crane fly larvae somewhat (though this creature is a little darker than most crane fly larvae), and it does look like a horse leech (though not as slimy, but that could be due to drying out). In addition to these two creatures, we thought this looked like it could be a lugworm or a stick-resembling caterpillar such as the Geometer moth caterpillar.

We believe the small black organisms our reader found in her pond are either leeches or black fly larvae. Both are similar in appearance, though leeches are slightly bigger, and both are commonly found in ponds. Neither species are considered invasive and neither should damage her pond or cause any problems with the fish!

A reader reached out to us about little black worm-like organisms that have suddenly appeared in her apartment. We think these creatures might be New Guinea flatworms or brahminy blind snakes, although they could be something else.

We recently received a query from a reader in London who keeps finding dead creatures on her windowsills and shutters. These creatures look like long black worms, and may be coming into her basement apartment through a gap in the sealant on her window. She has found them to be anywhere from one inch to several inches long. Interestingly, she has never encountered one of these in a living state. She would like to know what these are.

We received an interesting and faintly poetic question the other day about a black “worm” that has a red dot on each body segment. Here is her entire question: “Middle of May, Northern California, Black worm about two inches long, seems hairless has what appears to be thin covering of bristles, red dots on each segment, racing across my deck floor. Please identify.” Unfortunately, no picture was submitted along with the question, so this description is all we have to work with. Obviously, this limits our ability to offer a confident suggestion, but we’ll do what we can.

A reader wrote to us recently about some blackish, brownish worms with round heads that he found at the base of his toilet a couple of weeks after the toilet flooded. The reader indicated that the worms’ bodies were segmented, and also that they have antennae. Perhaps because he found them around his toilet, the reader was wondering if he had found moth fly larvae. So, did our reader find moth fly larvae, or might the blackish, brownish worms at the base of the toilet be something else?

A reader wrote to us a few days ago about some small black worms she found at the bottom of her kids’ laundry basket. She also found a couple more worms when transferring their clothes from the washing machine to the drier, so the worms can evidently be traced back to the clothing of her children. The reader was wondering what these black worms in the laundry basket are, and we think they might be leeches (which are actually worms) or potentially slugs (which aren’t worms).

A while ago a reader wrote to us about some brown and black worms she is finding all over her apartment, including on her tile floor and the rug in her bedroom, as well as on the walls of her house. When they die, the worms “curl into a circle.” The reader refers to the worms in quotes, indicating that she is using the term loosely, and we think she is right in doing this, as it seems she is finding millipedes. However, the reader anticipated this suggestion, and said that she thinks the creatures she is finding are too skinny to be millipedes. So, below we explore our reader’s situation in more depth, trying to decipher if she found millipedes or something else.

A reader wrote to us recently about some small black worms that he is finding on the carpet under his desk. The black worms are only about an eighth of an inch long and they move quickly. In general, the reader isn’t especially concerned about the small black worms, as he doesn’t “mind them in particular if they were under the bed or something.” However, their presence under his desk is a problem because he is normally barefoot, and he is (understandably) “grossed out by the idea of them being there.” The reader is wondering what the small black worms under his desk are, and he is also wondering if they are dangerous and how he can get rid of them.

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 received a question through the All About Worms Facebook page a few days ago about “a tiny black skinny worm in my salt water pool,” to use the reader’s exact wording. The reader lives in Florida, and also reports that the worms are unsegmented and appear to have “diamond shaped scales,” but she concedes it is hard to tell if this is an accurate description of the worm’s exterior. The reader was having trouble figuring out what she found, so she asked us to identify the tiny, skinny, black worm that she found in her pool.

A few days ago we received a question through the All About Worms Facebook page about some black worms (or blackish, brownish worms) that have infested the reader’s neighbor’s roof. The reader reports that there are “millions” of black worms around the neighbor’s roof and his house, so we aren’t using the word “infestation” lightly. (We are not being so careful with our use of the word “worm,” however, as the reader’s black worm infestation is probably a black larvae infestation, but we’ll address this in a moment.) The reader’s message is fairly long and quite detailed, but at bottom he wants to know what creature is causing the infestation, and he also wants to know how to get rid of the problem. What black “worms” are behind the infestation, and what can be done to eliminate the infestation?

A reader wrote to us recently about the “tiny black worms” that are eating the strawberries in her garden. The reader wants to know what the small black worms on her strawberries are, and so also wants to get rid of them. We’ll address each question in turn, first offering some suggestions about what the strawberry worms might be, and then listing a couple of different ways our reader might get rid of the worms.

We received a question via the All About Worms Facebook page about a mysterious black worm in what appears to be some sort of ice. The black worm is largely covered by the ice (or whatever it is), but its midsection appears to be above the surface. The reader was herself sent the photo of the worm, but she couldn’t identify it, so she passed it along to us. She said it looks like its “something from aliens,” and indeed it kind of does. What is this mysterious black worm covered in ice (or some substance that resembles ice)?

We received a question from a reader a while ago about a small black and white worm he found in a carton. Actually, he didn’t ask a question so much as write us a statement, which went as follows: “worm found in sealed carton the color was black and white and about a half inch long.” (That’s the entire email.) We presume the reader found the worm in some sort of food carton because we don’t know any other carton one would likely find a worm in. (A milk carton? A cigarette carton? These seem like less inviting places for a worm.) As you can see, the reader didn’t directly ask any question, but we’re assuming he’s curious what he found. So, what is the black and white worm that our reader found in a (food) carton?

A reader wrote to us a week or so ago about some 1/4-inch (quarter-inch) black worms she is finding in the carpet of her house. In addition to being in her carpet, the small black worms are also on the baseboards around her house, which isn’t surprising, given that baseboards often line carpet. The reader says the black worms in her carpet shy away from vacuum cleaners, and also that they seem to prefer darkness over light. What are these small black worms in the carpet of our reader’s home, and how can she prevent these worms from infesting her carpet?

Recently we received a highly detailed question from a reader about the 1/4 black worms she is finding in her apartment. The small, black worms are generally found on the carpet, although the reader is also finding them on the baseboards of her home. The reader is wondering what the quarter-inch worms are so she can look into how to get rid of them. She also wants to know if the worms are harmful. If we correctly identify the small, black worms, we might be able to answer all of our reader’s concerns in one sitting, as it were.

With large font and an enormous amount of consecutive question marks, a reader wrote to us to ask about a black worm in her bathroom. The worm is about seven centimeters (slightly less than three inches) in length, which is relatively long for a bathroom pest. (Larvae, the most common creature to find in a bathroom in our experience, are generally several times shorter.) The reader says the worm has no “texture” on its body, by which she means it has smooth skin, and the worm evidently has a titanic tolerance for Raid and other insecticides, as it didn’t die after being continually sprayed for 10 to 15 minutes. The reader is wondering, one, what the long black worm is (if it even is a worm) and, two, where it came from.