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Posted in Caterpillars Worms Facts Worms Generally

“Yikes!” Say This Couple Upon Discovering Cluster of American Ermine Moth Larvae On Their Ceiling

“My wife and I saw something on our ceiling and thought it was a stain until I got closer with a flashlight and realized it was moving,” writes this couple about a cluster of larvae they discovered in their home. From our reader’s description of them, it is clear that the larvae are minuscule in size, and in addition to that the larvae appear to be a gray translucent color with black heads.

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Posted in Case Bearing Larva Parasite Worms Worms Found in the House

Horsehair Worms and Casemaking Clothes Moth Larvae Discovered Among Various Organisms by Concerned Woman

What seems to be a variety of organisms of various appearances have been found by this reader, who sent us screenshots she took from a video showcasing the organisms moving. The first pictures displays what looks to be a collection of brown and/or tan pieces of matter, the second showcasing the worm that “looks like a piece of hair but isn’t”, and the third shows the “fuzzy” “sack” that is taken through the lens of a microscope.

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Posted in Caterpillars Worms Facts Worms Generally

Caterpillar on Window Screen in Illinois is an Ilia Underwing Moth Caterpillar

A woman discovers strange-looking worm on her window screen in Illinois and wonders what in the world it is. From the image sent in below, the worm appears to be brown or gray in color, with a grainy texture/pattern that makes it resemble tree bark.

smooth, gray worm
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Posted in Worms Generally

Smooth, Gray Worms

Recently a reader sent us a picture of a smooth, gray worm that he is holding in the palm of his hand. Presumably, the reader found the worm and is wondering what it is, but this is conjecture since we were sent the picture with no accompanying text (apart from “sent from my iPhone.”) We therefore don’t know where, or in what circumstances, this worm was found, and obviously this makes identification more difficult, but the picture is good, so we’ll do what we can with that.

gray worm thing
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Posted in Caterpillars

Gray “Worm Thing” with Horns

A reader wrote to us through the All About Worms Facebook page about a grayish “worm thing” that she came across. The creature is about 1.5 inches (4 centimeters) long, and it has horns on one end of its body. Interestingly, the creature is also reported to have “holes or suckers” on its bottom side. Overall, the reader describes the creature as “terrifying,” and says that she “would die if it touched me.” She is therefore keen to know what she found and where it came from. What could this gray, horned worm-like thing be?

gray worm in toilet
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Posted in Pest Worms

Gray Worms in the Toilet

We received a fairly confusing question from a reader about gray worms in the toilet. Actually, the gray worms (or grey worms if you prefer this spelling) were not in a toilet, but in a “potty,” which we are assuming is a trainer toilet of some variety or another for your children. The reader is hoping she found a “fly larva,” and that no one in the family has any sort of parasitic worm infection, and for this reason she wanted us to identify the gray worm in the toilet.