Meal worms are among the most common worms in the home, both as they eat through your pantry, and as meal worms are used as food for pet lizards and fish.

“I found a little critter on my bathroom floor a few weeks ago” says this reader about the worm-like creature with “a dark red head”, “striped brown” body and “a bunch of little feet.” Having saved the creature from a worse fate out in the cold, our reader is concerned that the critter is dying as he does not know what species it is, nor what food it needs.

A reader wrote to us recently about some worms she is finding in her kitchen drawers and occasionally on her kitchen counters. For several reasons, we know that the “worms” in the drawers are actually larvae, so we’ll drop the word “worm” from here on out for the sake of accuracy. The larvae were identified as “carpet bugs” by a “carpet guy,” who told the reader she needed to steam clean her house (naturally) and use some sort of pesticide. This is where the reader’s email ends – she actually doesn’t ask any question – but we are assuming she at least wants to know what the larvae in kitchen drawers are, and once we arrive at an identification, we can briefly touch on the matter of getting rid of them.

A reader wrote to use recently with a straightforward question: “How do you get rid of meal worms in a pantry?” She is further wondering if you need an exterminator to get rid of mealworms (or “meal worms,” as the reader put it, which is correct as well), or if she can handle getting rid of the worms herself. Presumably, the reader is dealing with mealworms in her pantry, or else she is just curious about mealworm infestations in pantries. In any case, we do have some helpful information for getting rid of mealworms, which in normal cases should not require an exterminator.

While both dried and live mealworms are packed with protein, fat, and fiber, dried mealworms last longer.

The Indian meal moth does not have any known diseases, it doesn’t carry any known parasites, and it does it carry any harmful pathogens. This larvae or worm is made up of mostly protein and niacin.

If you decide that live mealworms is the only way to go, you can purchase them at bait shops, pet stores, or online. You can also raise mealworms on your own.

It is possible that the worms made their way into your frozen goods from other sources such as grains, cereal, or fine fibers.

The mealy worm is the larva of the mealworm beetle, which is a species of the darkling beetle. Because of their high protein content, mealy worms are mostly used as a food source, but they can also be used for composting.