worm on head
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Posted in Interesting Worms

Worm Crawling on Head

A reader sent us a question the other day about a worm, or what “seems to be a worm,” that was found on her mother’s head. The reader went through quite a bit of trouble to figure out what she found, researching online and consulting her notes from a zoology class, but she couldn’t figure out what was on her mom’s head. She therefore wrote to us, hoping that we might be able to help with the matter of identification.

red inch worm
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Posted in Pest Worms

Brown Inchworms in the Kitchen

We received a brief and somewhat perplexing question from a reader a few days ago about brown inchworms in the kitchen. In fact, her entire email consisted of the question “what are brown inchworms in the kitchen?” – and nothing else was written. We therefore aren’t sure what our reader’s situation is, and we also aren’t really sure what information she is looking for. Brown inchworms in the kitchen are, well, brown inchworms in the kitchen, and we don’t really know what else to say about the matter. What we can do, however, is provide a little information about inchworms, so we’ll focus on this general theme below.

inchworm under microscope
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Posted in Interesting Worms

Inchworm Crawling on Body

We recently received a question through the All About Worms Facebook page about what we think might be inchworms (occasionally spelled as “inch worms”). The inchworm, if it even is an inchworm, is brown and quite small, and to get a better view of it, the reader put it under a microscope and sent us the magnified image. Below we explain what an inchworm is, and we also explain why we think our reader might have found one.

red inch worm
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Posted in Caterpillars

Tiny Worms Hanging from Silk Thread in Kitchen

Over the last few days, we have received two questions about tiny worms that hang on threads. In a separate article, we addressed one of the thread-spinning worms, which were found outside, and now we will address the question from a reader who found the tiny worms hanging on threads in his kitchen. The reader had several questions, but they primarily concerned what the tiny worms are and how to get rid of them, and thus we will direct our primary attention toward the following question: what kind of small worms can you find hanging from silk thread in your kitchen, and how do you get rid of them?

red inch worm
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Posted in Caterpillars

Small Worms that Spin Threads and Hang on Trees

We received a question a few days ago about small worms that spin a “thread like line from vegetation.” (The worms’ threads are probably found mainly on trees, and hence our title, but they could be on other plants as well.) The reader lives in Arizona, and only sees the thread-spinning worms at night, or at least this is when the worms are believed to be creating their threads. (The reader is ambiguous on this point.) The reader was only preoccupied with identifying the small worms, so we’ll limit ourselves to this matter, only concerned with the question “what are the small worms that spin threads and hang on trees?”

worm on toilet paper
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Posted in Caterpillars

Tiny Worm on Toilet Paper

We received a video through the All About Worms Facebook page the other day of what appears to be a tiny worm on a roll of toilet paper. (The tiny worm is likely a tiny larvae, but more on that below.) The reader was quite alarmed by what he found, and mentioned (presumably, and hopefully, in jest) that he is “tempted to burn his house down” immediately because of what he found. For practical, legal, and moral reasons, we don’t recommend this course of action, and in fact we don’t think he should be concerned at all. He appears to have found a very small inchworm, the larval form of a geometer moth, for reasons we outline below.

Larva by dime
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Posted in Pest Worms

Small, Brown Worms on Trash Cans and in the Laundry Room

A reader wrote to us the other day about “little worms all over [her] laundry room,” which is near a closet that holds the trash. The small, brown worms are “all over the walls, the floor, the trash/closet, washer/dryer, even hanging from the ceiling from single thread webs.” However, they are only in this one area of the house, so apparently the worms originated in this area and haven’t spread. The reader is wondering what the brown worms are, why they are in her house, and how to get rid of them.

red inch worm
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Posted in Inch Worms

Red Inchworms (Inch Worms)

A reader wrote to us a while back about an interesting red worm that he found. He took a picture of the creature (see below), which shows a relatively small red worm in what appears to be an arid environment. The picture captures the red worm mid-movement, showing the middle of the worm’s body raised in an arc, which led the reader to suspect that he found an inchworm (commonly spelled as two separate words – “inch worm” – and also called a “measuring worm”). We have no reason to doubt this hypothesis, so below we provide some basic information about inch worms, although for reasons that we explain we aren’t sure exactly what the red inchworm our reader found is.

Posted in Inch Worms

Inchworms in Oak Trees: How to Control an Infestation

A reader recently wrote to us asking how to control the inchworm infestation of their oak tree. Inchworms (commonly written as “inch worms”) are known to infest vegetation such as trees and shrubs, making them a pest for landscapers, farmers, and gardeners. First, we’ll discuss what inchworms are – answering the question “what is an inchworm?” – and then we’ll move onto the question of controlling an inchworm infestation.

Posted in Inch Worms Pest Worms

Small Red Worms in Trees

A reader from Philadelphia recently wrote to us in regard to the small, red worms he is finding in his tree. The worms are only about an inch or two long, and they are thin. According to the reader, they look like earthworms, except that they are smaller and dark red. What are these worms, and if you find them in your tree, should you do anything about it?

Posted in Inch Worms Silk Worms

Do Inchworms Produce Silk?

Some inchworms can produce thin, delicate lines of silk. One of the most well-known type of silk producing worm is the cankerworm.

Posted in Earthworms Inch Worms

What Do Inchworms Eat?

Inchworms may be small, but they have a voracious appetite for healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Depending on the type of inchworm, these greedy little creatures will nosh their way through crops until there’s nothing left!

Posted in Garden Worms Inch Worms Pest Worms

The Inch Worm (Inchworm)

The inchworm, also known as “inch worm”, is the larva of the moth family Geometridae. The inch worm, although cute, is considered a garden pest.