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Posted in Interesting Bugs Worms Facts Worms Generally

Winged-bug Found in the Seam of Pants Could be a Fly or Wasp

“What kind of bug is this that I found in the seam of my pants?” asks Shanan in her submission regarding the six-legged, winged bug pictured below. “Thank you for your time.” Right away, we will have to state that since we specialize in identifying worm-like organisms, this is a bit outside of our area of expertise, and for that reason we cannot promise an accurate or confident identification. The best we can do is provide an educated guess. On top of that, the photos she sent in (the best of which we included below) were pretty blurry, which makes it even harder to arrive at an identification.

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Posted in Garden Worms Interesting Bugs Pest Worms

Black and Yellow-winged Bug is a Jarvis’ fruit fly

“What is this bug?” is all this reader asks in his submission regarding the black and yellow, winged bug pictured below. We have to admit, we are no experts on insects, despite identifying a lot of insect larvae. Our speciality is worms and worm-like organisms (which includes larvae), but not fully-grown insects. Nonetheless, we will do our best to give some possible identifications of the creature in the photo. From the sleuthing we did, we think this could be a fruit fly or a wasp. Specifically, it looks most like a Bactrocera jarvisi, AKA Jarvis’ fruit fly.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Found in the House Worms in Humans

Man Worries About the Flies He Thinks are Breeding Inside Him: Medical Consultation is Advised

“I think small black flies are breeding in me” starts this reader in his submission concerning the small, gray-black organisms photographed on his bathtub ledge. He asks what these are, and specifically if they are larvae or pieces of grass.

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Posted in Drain Fly Larvae Leeches Worms Found in the House

Black Worm Found in Tub is a Drain Fly Larva

“I found this on our water while I was filling the tub”, states this reader in her query concerning the black worm pictured below. She is not sure if they are leeches or something else, and wants to know if it is harmful.

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Posted in Composting Worms Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Fly Larvae Infest the Kitchen of this Man in Atlanta, GA

This man in Atlanta, Georgia has been finding a lot of worms in his breakfast nook next to his kitchen. According to our reader, and as seen in the images provided, these worms are 1/4-inch long, tan in color, and with a “brown spot on their top front.”

tiny worm in shower drain
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Posted in Pest Worms

Tiny Worms in Shower Drain

A reader wrote to us a few days ago to ask about some tiny worms he found coming out of what appears to be his shower drain. (The reader said the worms came out of his “water floor trap,” but based on the pictures he submitted, we are pretty sure this means the worms are in and around the shower drain.) The reader said the worms look like earthworms, but are “very tiny,” and indeed they are, as you’ll see in a moment. Naturally, the reader was curious what he found, so he submitted some pictures to us for “analysis,” asking us to identify the tiny worms in the drain if possible.

Posted in Interesting Worms

The Phoenix Worm

Phoenix Worms, despite their name, are not worms – rather, they are the larvae of the black soldier fly – and as far as we know they have no special connection to the city of Phoenix (other than that they thrive in compost bins even in extremely hot whether, something that can’t be said of another prolific creature of composting – the red worm). The name “Phoenix Worms” was given to the larvae by Dr. Craig Sheppard, who started selling BSFL (as black soldier fly larvae are frequently called) as feeder insects – for certain types of reptiles, for example. We recently received a question about Phoenix Worms, and it is one of the stranger ones we’ve been sent in awhile. (To be sure, it is a downright normal question compared to the one we received about selling worms in a milk jug that had been buried for six months.)

Posted in Composting Worms Interesting Worms

The Black Soldier Fly

The black soldier fly, which goes by the scientific name Hermetia illucens, is a very common type of fly. It belongs to the family Stratiomyidae, which is composed of roughly 1,500 species that are often simply known as soldier flies. Because of their helpful role in composting, the larvae of black soldier flies (often called “BSFL” or “Phoenix Worms”) are perhaps better known than the adult flies. In this article, we’ll give some basic information about both black soldier flies and the larval form of this creature.

Posted in Gross Worms

Groups of Maggots

We write about maggots a lot. We’re not entirely sure why, but many a reader question centers on the ubiquitous (or so you would think) maggot. We’ve written about maggots on the bathroom floortwice – and we’ve also touched on maggots found in bone marrow and maggots and dogs. What’s more, all of these maggot-related articles were written recently, within the last half year or so. Clearly, there is no shortage of reader queries about maggots.

Posted in Gross Worms

Small White Worms With a Black Dot on the End, a.k.a Maggots

A reader recently asked about a tiny white worm with a black dot on the end. This reader indicated that they found the worm in an ice machine. Given these two facts, the answer is that this “worm” is most likely a maggot, which is the larva of a fly.

Posted in Fishing Worms Worm Castings

Woolly Worm Flies

Neither worms nor flies, wooly worm flies are fishing lures that replicate a variety of insects. Wooly worms flies have been popular for about 300 years.