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Posted in Garden Worms Inch Worms Worms Generally

A Brief Guide to Inchworms

Inchworms are arguably the first thing that come to mind when we think of caterpillars; that curving arch that these critters make as they ‘inch’ their way across a surface is, dare we say, iconic. This article will take a brief look at inchworms: their characteristics, behaviors and place in the natural world.

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Posted in Worm Castings Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Uncertainties as to the Identity of these Thread-Making Larvae

“Tiny worm-like creatures” were found hanging “by a thread of some sort” in this man’s home in Dubai. The creatures in question appear to be minuscule in size (as seen in the photograph below) and transparent, with a bulbous black head.

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Posted in Inch Worms Worms Found in the House

Worms Hanging From Ceiling Are Moth Larvae

We believe the small black worms our reader noticed hanging from her ceiling are inchworms! These larvae are harmless and can be eliminated by cleaning…there is no need for her to call an exterminator!

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Posted in Inch Worms Interesting Worms Worms Found in the House

Black Worms Dropping from Australian Ceiling are Shrouded in Mystery

A reader from Australia requested assistance in identifying some worms he’s found in his bathroom. He says that they are 3 mm – 4 mm (0.11” – 0.15”) long, black, and drop from the bathroom ceiling on threads. Once they land, they walk end over end. It is summer in Australia and he says that the temperature is around 40 ? (~104?). He would like to know what they are because they are freaking him out.

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.

Small worm by euro
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Posted in Pest Worms

How to Get Rid of Inchworms and Silkworms

The other day we received a message from a reader who wants to know how to get rid of inchworms and silkworms, or how to get rid of “inch worms” and “silk worms,” as she has it. To call what we received a “message” is a bit misleading, however, since all we were sent was a mere sentence fragment composed almost entirely of capital letters. (Inexplicably, one instance of the word “worm” was written normally, but the rest was all caps.) We’ll try our best to answer our reader’s question, such as it is.

larvae on thread
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Posted in Pest Worms

Tiny Larvae Hanging From Thread on Bedroom Ceiling

We received an interesting and highly detailed question from a reader recently who found a few tiny larvae in his room. The reader first noticed the larvae when they were lowering themselves onto his bed using a thread attached to the ceiling. The reader found several larvae, and traced their place of origin to a place in the ceiling, which is where the threads were attached. The reader thought he might have found moth fly larvae, but we actually think he found some sort of inchworm for reasons we will now outline.

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?

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 Pest Worms

Worms that Bite

A reader wrote to us a while ago about a worm that can “stand up on end and bite or bore into” skin. The worm is about a quarter of an inch long and moves like an inchworm, which is in fact a type of caterpillar, but then once it is ready to bite, “it raises up on end and tries to worm its way into the skin.” The reader has a young daughter who loves to play outside, so he is keen to find out what the biting worms may be. He hasn’t been able to take a picture of the worms that bite, nor has he been able to find out any information about them. What might these biting worms be?

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

Worms on Silk Threads

What type of small, green worms hang on silk threads? A reader recently sent us this question after observing some worms “floating” outdoors (and, to be fair, small worms that hang on thin threads of silk often do look like they are floating around). They didn’t mention where they found the worms, but since the reader seems to be describing inchworms (sometimes written as “inch worms”), there is a good chance they were hanging from oak trees. So, what exactly is an inchworm, and why do we think this is the creature our reader found?

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 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 Cabbage Worm Inch Worms

Green Worms in Your Garden

If you have green worms in your garden and they have been tearing through your plants, vegetables, and flowers, there are ways to control them without causing damage to your precious plants and greens.

Posted in Earthworms Garden Worms Grub Worms

How to Get Rid of Worms on Pavement

Bacillus thuringiensis, a wilt pathogen, is available to gardeners to help control infestations. This pathogen is only toxic to insects.

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!