"What are these?" asks Erin in her submission regarding the black, worm-like critter pictured below. "I found about five in my house." She does not include any more context, and the photo is unfortunately of a low resolution, meaning the details get blurry when you try to zoom in on the little guy. For that reason, we will only be able to provide an educated guess as to what this is, rather than an accurate and confident identification. In any case, we think this is a larva of some kind, possibly a beetle larva. Continue reading [...]…

"What kind of worm is this?" asks Harriet in her submission regarding the black creature pictured below. "I found them on my patio after watering and I have a picture." We think the worm Harriet found is not a worm at all, but a cutworm, albeit a very young one at that (given the size). Cutworms are caterpillars of the cutworm moth. They are notorious agricultural pests, as they come in large droves and kill plants. The way they do this is by munching through the stems of the plants, thereby cutting them down (hence the name). If their populations are big enough, they can even eliminate entire fields of crops. Continue reading [...]…

"I found this on my kitchen floor, I need to know what it is", writes Sandra in her submission regarding the slimy-looking, dark green worm-like creature pictured below. "I live on the coast of North Carolina, 30 minutes from the beach. I recently brought in a large plant from outside. I have a small dog and don’t want her eating something like this. Can you please identify this for me?" Based on the photo Sandra sent us, we would say this most resembles a cutworm. Cutworms are the caterpillars of moth species whose larvae (the caterpillars) dig underground and eat on the stems of plants, thereby cutting them down and earning their name. Continue reading [...]…

"Finding these worms in the pool — wondering how/what to treat to get rid of them", states this reader in her submission. She asks about these dark green/gray worm-like organisms pictured below. Continue reading [...]…

"I found a teeny tiny orange-ish worm with two brown dots", states this reader in her submission. "What is it and should I be worried?" Continue reading [...]…

"I found this little guy on my kitchen hardwood, near the cat bowl, and was wanting to know what he was," states this reader about the segmented, brown-gray larva-like creature in the photo below. "If you could help me I would greatly appreciate it." Continue reading [...]…

"I found this worm/larva in the toilet bowl on top of one of my bowel movements," says this reader about the purplish, brown creature in the photo below. He has no idea if the creature came from him or if it was already in the toilet, and he asks if we can identify it for him. Continue reading [...]…

"I found a little critter on my bathroom floor a few weeks ago" says this reader about the worm-like creature with "a dark red head", "striped brown" body and "a bunch of little feet." Having saved the creature from a worse fate out in the cold, our reader is concerned that the critter is dying as he does not know what species it is, nor what food it needs. Continue reading [...]…

"When I first saw it, I thought it was a small, skinny pinecone," says this reader in Saskatchewan, Canada about the "weird caterpillar/grub" she found near her garden. The grub in question is a dark green color and has a body with clear segmentation. Continue reading [...]…

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. Continue reading [...]…

A man in Redendo Beach, CA has been finding worms on his kitchen floor. Our reader took an excellent photo of a black worm with a long, ovate body with a pattern of gray and black markings along its back. Continue reading [...]…

Cutworms feed on plants by chewing. However, the cutworm does more damage to the plant by handling it than it does by actually feeding on it. In large numbers, cutworms have the potential to damage 75% of a crop. Continue reading [...]…