Tag: sewage worms
Translucent Worms with Squiggly Red Insides Under Plant Pots are Sludge Worms
“I found these worms under my plant pots in the balcony garden”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the clear worm with red entrails pictured below. “They are hair-thin and they move in water at a good speed with snake-like movement. When I took a picture and zoomed in I found they have dots at one end of the body — the tail end I would assume. They look really frail, thread-like alarmist hair like. Three-to-five centimeters (1.2-2-inches) long and there’s quite a few of them in wet places under plant pots, fallen leaf debris, etc, after two days of rain. I wanna know if these are parasitic. And how to kill these without killing my plants. I’m from Maldives.”
Clump of Red Worms in Toilet is a Mass of Tubifex Worms
“Came home after being away for a month to find a clump of long, thin, reddish-brown worms living in my downstairs toilet in water that looked dirty”, writes this reader in Southern California regarding the worms pictured below. “Didn’t note heads on the worms or segmentation. Any help would be appreciated!” To start with, we want to thank our reader for the great photo. It was thanks to this photo, as well as the context, that we have identified these as tubifex worms. Tubifex worms, otherwise known as tubificid worms, sewage worms, sludge worms, or bloodworms, are a marine species of worms that eat bacteria and organic debris in sediment.
Dark Brown Worms in Jacuzzi Jets are Drain Fly Larvae
“From what I have read I think I may have drain fly larvae in my jacuzzi jets”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the organism pictured below. “They are dark brown and when looked at through a magnifying glass, they look like tiny millipedes. Can you please confirm? Thank you!” Immediately off the bat, can we say that these are indeed drain fly larvae: their long, thin dark bodies and tapered ends point to this conclusion. Likewise, the location they were found in matches up with the behavior of drain fly larvae.
Mass of Purple Worms Coming from Sewer are Tubifex Worms
“Just wondering what type of worm(s) these are?” asks this reader, who took this picture “from the end of [his] sewer cable whilst clearing an underground sewer […] at a house”. The worms he refers to are all writhing over each other in one big mass: they are purple in color, seemingly long and thin, and slimy-looking.
Reddish-pink Worms Found in Pool are Either Earthworms or Tubifex Worms
“Not sure what these worms are that I found in my pool after heavy rain,” states this reader in Florence, South Carolina. The worms in question appear to be a pinkish-red color, and are 1-2-inches in length and very thin, according to our reader.
Dead, Pink-Brown Worms by Kitchen Sink are Tubifex Worms
“What on Earth are these worms?” asks this reader, who found a batch of pinkish, dead worm-like creatures beside her kitchen sink. She has since cleaned the worms up and bleached her entire counter and sink.
Furry Moth, Accompanied by Black Larvae, May Be a Moth Fly or a Fall Armyworm Moth
“A few days before” removing black larvae from her living room ceiling, this reader “had seen a rather large, dark, furry moth.” She believes the larvae to be moth fly larvae (otherwise known as drain fly larvae), but wonders if this moth, which was an inch in size and width, was indeed a mother moth fly, or something else entirely.
Small, Dark Brown Worms in Townhouse Kitchen and Bathrooms are Drain Fly Larvae
Small, dark brown worms of about 0.6cm (roughly 0.2-inches) have been popping up in the bathrooms and kitchen of this reader’s townhouse. Our reader tends to find multiple at a time in the kitchen, but only one at a time in the bathroom, and has been finding these worms for about a year now.
Bloodworms: The Various Types and Why You Don’t Need to Fear them
When someone says ‘bloodworm’, it may not bring up the most pleasant of images if you have never seen one of these critters before; the word itself is somewhat creepy! This article will detail the various worms that fall under this umbrella term, and why they are not nearly as terrifying as their name makes them out to be.
Tiny, Tan Worms in Arizona Home are Sewage Worms
Tiny worms are being consistently found by this reader in his Arizona home. The worms in question appear to be tan in color, and are 1-inch in length, according to our reader.
Red-Striped Worm in Toilet is a Tubifex Worm
A long red-striped worm was found by this concerned reader in the South East of the UK. She discovered the worm after she and her children came back from a holiday and used the toilet; she is worried that it may have come from one of them.
Red, String-Like Worm in Bathroom Sink is a Tubificid Worm (Tubifex Tubifex)
A “red, string-like” worm was found in the bathroom sink of this woman in East Texas. According to our “horrified” reader, the worm was “wiggling out of the overflow”, and she has never seen anything like it before.
Worms for Leaching Fields (Septic Drain Fields)
A reader asked us a question about worms and leaching fields, which are also called “leach drains” and “septic drain fields.” They take a few different forms, but basically a leaching field is an arrangement of perforated pipes that are designed to remove contaminants from the liquid that drains out of septic tanks. The reader is interested in buying worms, which are often called sewage worms or septic worms (more of this in a second), for his leaching field, but he can only find them for sale in the U.K., and he can’t get the worms shipped to the U.S. The reader was first of all wondering what kind of worms live in leaching fields, and he also wants to know if he can buy them in the U.S.
