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Posted in Worms Facts Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Carpet has Lines Running Through Substrate that Look Like Worms

“Is there something in the carpet or is it just old/cheap?” asks Laura in La Mesa City, San Diego county, California. “It was professionally cleaned about two weeks ago. Additionally, and not 100%, I positively believe there are some creatures with white heads and darker bodies in the soil of a Money Tree that is on our catio. I’m used to the drain fly larvae or whatever that stuff is but these just seem different. Also, I do NOT feel anything in or on my body. These look too small to be carpet beetle larvae but my entire carpet looks like that. My photography skills are horrible and I could not get a good shot of these lines that run through the substrate. In conclusion, I have touched them but cannot just pick them up; they seem too deep. Sorry for yet another paranoid sounding inquiry; I just don’t want to get in trouble with property management. Thank you.”

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Posted in Carpet Beetle Larvae Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Striped, Brown Bug Found Near Closet is a Carpet Beetle Larva

“The below was found on a carpet near a clothing closet in Manhattan, NYC”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the creature pictured below. “Please advise. Thank you!” The creature in question appears to be striped, with alternating colors of beige and brown, and has an ovate, bristly body. Based on its appearance alone, we would say that this is a carpet beetle larva, though the location it was found in also supports this conclusion.

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Posted in Caterpillars Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

White Worm with Brown Head Found in Carpet is a Webbing Clothes Moth Larva

“I found this on my carpet”, states this reader in her submission, referring to the off-white larva-like critter with a brown head pictured below. “Can you identify it please?”

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Posted in Carpet Beetle Larvae Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Can Carpet Beetle Larvae Live On a Human Host?

“Can carpet beetle larvae live on a human host?” asks this reader in his submission. He has had problems with sores on his head, ears, face and neck, which last approximately three months.

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Posted in Carpet Beetle Larvae Pest Worms Worms Found in the House

Black and Gray-Striped Bug is Indeed a Carpet Beetle Larva

A reader recently sent in this image of a creature, asking us to confirm whether or not it is a carpet beetle larva. The creature in question appears black and gray-striped, with a black head, and a double-pronged tail. In comparison to the fibers of the material this worm was found on, we can presume that this worm is tiny in size.

carpet beetle larva
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Posted in Pest Worms

Black Worms in the Carpet

A reader wrote to us a week or so ago about some 1/4-inch (quarter-inch) black worms she is finding in the carpet of her house. In addition to being in her carpet, the small black worms are also on the baseboards around her house, which isn’t surprising, given that baseboards often line carpet. The reader says the black worms in her carpet shy away from vacuum cleaners, and also that they seem to prefer darkness over light. What are these small black worms in the carpet of our reader’s home, and how can she prevent these worms from infesting her carpet?