Very small white worm
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Posted in Interesting Worms

Larvae in Hot Springs: Are They Dangerous?

We received an interesting and highly specific question from a reader about ephydrid fly (shore fly) larvae, which are a type of maggot that live in natural hot springs. She wants to know if it is safe to sit in a hot springs that is “filled with ephyrdid fly maggots.” Psychologically, she doesn’t mind the presence of the larvae, and she is keen to enjoy the natural hot springs she comes across in nature, but she doesn’t want the larvae to “crawl up places they don’t belong.” She spells out this concern in more graphic detail, citing specific orifices, including a wound on her foot, and we’ll leave it to you to imagine some of the other openings she is concerned with. Are the maggots that live in hot springs dangerous, and will they crawl into places they don’t belong?

woolly bear caterpillar
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Posted in Caterpillars

Are Wooly Bear Caterpillars Safe to Touch and Hold?

A couple of days ago a reader asked us one simple question: “Are wooly worms ok to hold?” “Wooly worms” is one of the names of wooly bear caterpillars, and in fact basically any worm or caterpillar that has “wooly” in their name is generally a wooly bear caterpillar. The reader’s question is slightly ambiguous because it isn’t clear from what perspective (the human’s or the caterpillar’s) the question is being asked, but we are assuming that the reader is curious if it safe to hold wooly bear caterpillars, which is of course related to whether wooly bear caterpillars are harmful or dangerous in anyway. So, we will address all of these questions as we proceed.