“What type of grub do you think these are?” asks Pat in her submission regarding the dozens of plump, white, worm-like critters pictured below. “Hundreds in my mulch.” Well, despite the fact that Pat did not include that much context, we know exactly what these are based on the fantastic photo she sent us (which we thank her for). These guys are chafer beetle larvae/grubs. You cannot get more grub-like than a chafer beetle larva: they are the token grub (‘grub’ being a term that loosely refers to any larva of a beetle, but which has, over the years, started to refer specifically to beetle larvae of this appearance).

“What is the specific type of this worm?” writes Imina in her submission regarding the segmented, cream-colored worm pictured below. “It is from my ceiling and drops onto my pillow every night.” To begin with, we have to commend Imina on the excellent photo she took, and thank her for taking a photo next to a rule, which is the best way for us to understand its size. This creature does not even reach one centimeter (approximately 0.4-inches) in length. It has a bulbous brown head and a similarly-colored prong on its rear. Based on its physical characteristics, we have concluded that this is a beetle larva.

“Can you identify the worm or larvae in the pictures I attached?” asks Nicholas in his submission regarding the white creature with a brown head pictured below. “These were found in my home in Plantation Florida. So far, they have been found mainly on the floor, within approximately a 15-foot diameter area. There were several found inside a ceiling mounted light, they are in the picture displaying several individuals. There is no apparent point from which they have emerged. They have not come from, or gotten to, any of our food supplies yet. It is a cool area, near our a/c unit, a bathroom (where the aforementioned ceiling light is), and a bedroom, with a small hall area connecting the areas. From this area, a few have made it toward our kitchen and dining room, but they have hopefully mostly all been caught. We have lived in this home for six years and this is the first time seeing these. I am aware they “look like” black fly maggots, but I have seen maggots many times, these appear different. Six legs I believe, no easily visible hairs. Any information you may provide would be greatly appreciated.”

“My garden plot has many thriving earth worms but, unfortunately, an infestation of grubs”, begins Ken in his submission. He did not attach any photos. “My plan is to swap out the infested soil for a new soil/compost mixture, while saving as many of the earthworms as I see while doing so, then adding them to the new soil. My question: is it possible that the earthworms would transfer grub eggs to the new soil by either having them attached to their bodies or from having ingested them? Thanks, I look forward to your answer.” To start off, we want to thank Ken for the fascinating question, one that fortunately does not require the addition of a photograph.

“Is the grub in the attached video a carpet beetle larva?” is all this reader asks in his submission regarding the orange and brown-striped critter pictured below. Luckily for him, no context is needed in this case. We have identified so many carpet beetle larvae at this point that one look is all it takes. This is indeed a carpet beetle larva. And it is a grub too (a common umbrella term for beetle larvae, or just plump-looking worm-like creatures). Before we get into a brief overview on these creatures, we want to thank our reader for the excellent video he sent in. We do not have many videos showing how carpet beetle larvae move about on a piece of fabric, so to have that, and be able to share it with our readers, is invaluable.

“I need your help identifying this worm or parasite I found in my house on the floor”, writes this reader about the white critter pictured below. “I am genuinely scared. I have a video of the movement as well. Thank you for your time and looking forward to hearing from you.” Now, as helpful as this video would have been, our reader did not send in any videos, only the picture below. From the picture, all we can see is the worm’s odd shape, white coloration, and what to us looks like a pretty flat body. We don’t know if that’s naturally the worm’s shape, or if it has been stepped on. In any case, it reminds us of a wood-boring beetle larva.

“Saw this on my walk with my two doggies in the woods in Hevingham, Norfolk today, and am wondering what kind of creepy crawlie it is”, writes this reader regarding the segmented, dark green creature pictured below. “When I attempted a closer look it appeared to play dead!” Firstly, this is an excellent photo! The lighting is brilliant, and the details are crisp and clear, which makes it all that much easier for us to try and identify the critter. Secondly, we have to acknowledge what a strange-looking creature this is. The segmented body is very caterpillar-like, but the bulbous, bordering-on-giant, head is really odd.

“I found several of these in my Tucson, AZ compost pile and in my raised bed garden”, writes Dave about the white, worm-like creature pictured below. “Stretched out, it’s a plump two-inches long. It has translucent, grey-white skin (curiously dirt doesn’t stick to the skin) and a dark inner mass at the tail end. It looks similar to the wood boring beetle larvae posted earlier. My question is, should I worry about this critter eating my plants or destroying their roots. Thanks for maintaining your site.” Well, firstly, we want to thank David for submitting to our site! It is because we get submissions like these that we are able to keep it running. Secondly, we want to thank him for the absolutely excellent photo he sent in.

“I found thin, white-colored worms in my garden”, writes Bree in her submission. “They were about an inch long, hanging upside down from my planter boxes and wiggling around. They did not appear to be hanging by any thread and it had rained a lot today if that helps.” Now, we have to say that we cannot actually see the worms Bree is talking about in the photos. We do not know if she means the thin, white, long objects littered across the soil in the photo, though those look like twigs, but since they were meant to only be an inch long, we assume she doesn’t mean these.

“Is this an inch worm or a bookworm (if that exists)?” asks this reader in his submission concerning the tiny, white worm-like creature pictured below. “It had legs (maybe 4-6) and as shown in the picture I found it in my book.”

“I found one of these crawling on my bathroom floor” states this reader about the glossy, white creature in the photograph below. Our reader’s husband reported that two more of these segmented critters fell from the ceiling and onto his chair.

“What type of worm or bug is this?” asks this reader in her query concerning the brown and white, speckled bug in the photograph below. Our reader found it on top of her bed cover, and we will do our best to identify this critter for our reader.

“Can you help me identify this worm found on my puppy’s paw after going outside?” this reader asks of this white, larva-looking critter crawling around on the floor in a video she sent in with her query. Her puppy recently had a tapeworm and so our reader is understandably “freaking out”.

“Please help!” this reader exclaims about the white, larva-looking creature pictured below. “I found these between my clothes that were in the basement” he states, before asking us what he should do about his situation.

“Every once in a while I’ll find a maggot or 3 on the floor in the bathroom” says this reader. She asks us if we can tell her what to do, how to get rid of said maggots, and what might be causing them to appear.

The Colorado potato beetle is a common garden pest that many have to deal with. This article will outline the biology and behavior of potato beetle larvae and give some insight into how to deal with infestations of this pest.

We received a question from a reader who found some sort of larvae in his house. One was found in the hallway, and the other was found on the carpet by the baseboard. The reader says the larvae are white and red on top and green on the bottom, and this can more or less be seen in the photo he submitted along with his question. The reader also reports that the larvae has eight to ten legs. We think our reader found grub worms, which aren’t worms but scarab beetle larvae, so that answers one of his questions. However, he was also curious where the larvae came from, so we’ll address this topic as well.

We received a picture the other day from a reader requesting an identification. The image depicts white (or more like whitish) worm-like creatures that are quite plump, and the reader thought he might have found worms or caterpillars. In fact, we are quite confident the reader found grub worms, also called “lawn grubs” or simply “grubs.” Even though one of their common names is “grub worms,” they are not actually worms, but the larvae form of beetles – generally scarab beetles, but “grub” is a fairly loose term. Thus, they are not worms or caterpillars, but insect larva. Below we explain why we think our reader found grub worms.

A reader wrote to us recently to inquire about some gross “things” she found in her yard. The things might more precisely be described as fat and white with brown heads, and the reader was wondering if she found some sort of worm or larvae. We are basically certain she found grubs, which are also called “lawn grubs” or “grub worms” (even though they are larvae), and below we provide a little more information about these creatures. The reader also mentioned that she is concerned about the “dangers they may pose for humans and pets,” so we’ll address this matter as well.

A reader wrote to us a few days ago about some large, plump white worms that he found in a mulch pile on his lawn. The reader thought they were grubs, which are often called “grub worms” or “grubworms” (even though they are actually larvae), but thought that they might be too big to be grubs, in part based on information he read on this website. The creatures our reader found are in fact quite large – they are about three inches (7.5 centimeters) long and one inch (2.5 centimeters) wide – but they nevertheless appear to be grubs. Did our reader find grubs in the mulch pile on his lawn, or are the creatures he found too big to be grubs?