“What is this yellow worm that was found in dead mesquite wood when turning it on a lathe?” asks this reader about the wide-headed, worm-like creature pictured below. “It was about one inch long. There were probably 20 of these in a piece of wood, about one square foot big . The wood came from central Texas.” To start with, we want to thank our reader for the excellent photo she sent in, as well as the context; both of these factors together greatly contribute to making our job easier. With this information in hand, we can more efficiently identify the creatures we are asked about and answer the questions that our readers have!

“I need your help identifying this worm or parasite I found in my house on the floor”, writes this reader about the white critter pictured below. “I am genuinely scared. I have a video of the movement as well. Thank you for your time and looking forward to hearing from you.” Now, as helpful as this video would have been, our reader did not send in any videos, only the picture below. From the picture, all we can see is the worm’s odd shape, white coloration, and what to us looks like a pretty flat body. We don’t know if that’s naturally the worm’s shape, or if it has been stepped on. In any case, it reminds us of a wood-boring beetle larva.