“Infested house and garden, two and a half years trying to get rid of them”, starts Paula in her submission regarding the blurry creature with multiple appendages pictured below. “I’m disabled and can’t get any help. I’ve spent thousands on deadbeat alleged insect killer firms. Please help me.” Unfortunately, since the photo is so blurry, we will only be able to provide an educated guess as to the identity of this organism, as opposed to a confident and accurate identification. With that said, we are somewhat confident in our guess, as the outline of this creature’s shapes and what we assume to be its many legs points us in one direction: centipedes.

“I found the worm in the attached photo in my pool, and I have not found anything similar in internet searches”, writes Brent in his submission regarding the thin, long, worm-like creature with antennae pictured below. “Can you tell me what it is and if it is dangerous to humans or pets? Thank you!” Now, although this photo is not high resolution, meaning that when we zoom in the details get pretty blurry, we can see that the creature does indeed have the aforementioned antennae, which leads us to believe that Brent found a centipede in his pool. More likely than not, the centipede ended up in the pool by accident, and its presence is nothing to worry about.

“I found two of these worms on a sweater I was lint rolling”, writes Allison in her submission regarding the tiny, brown worm-like critter pictured below. “The sweater had been out in my garage in my laundry area before I had a chance to wash it (it’s cashmere so I washed it by hand in cold water). After washing and air drying (which took a few days because it’s been gloomy here), I lint rolled and found two of these worms. I did notice a few holes in the sweater so I thought they were some type of moth larva but from what I could find moth larvae are more rigid and these are moving like worms. I am horrified. What are they?” To start with, we want to thank Allison for the great photos, the best of which we included below. Clear photos like these are always a huge help. We also want to sympathize with Allison: finding unwanted guests in your home, let alone on your clothing, can definitely be horrifying.

“I found this worm (?) in my laundry, which was close to the entrance of the bathroom”, writes Lindsey in her submission regarding the worm-like creature with antennae pictured below. “I’ve looked up drain worms but this seems to be closer to a centipede?” Right off the bat, Lindsey has correctly identified the organism. She is also correct in looking up drain worms (AKA drain fly larvae, or moth fly larvae), as those are the most common worm-like organisms one finds in laundry rooms and bathrooms. Centipedes are not as commonly found in laundry rooms or bathrooms specifically, but they can be found all over the home, so it is not improbable that one would be in these areas.

“I found this worm-like thing in my daughter’s bathroom”, writes Bryan about the light brown creature pictured below. “This is the second one we found in a week. It has legs, so it’s not a “worm”, but I’m trying to figure out how they are getting into her bathroom. Can you identify it?” Firstly, we want to thank Bryan for the excellent photo he sent in: the clarity of the photo allows us to see the tiny legs he is talking about, as well as antennae sprouting from its head. Secondly, we can definitely identify this creature. It turns out that Bryan has found himself a millipede.

“What kind of worm is this?” asks this reader about the black and red-striped, worm-like creature pictured below. “It’s about 3-to-4-inches long, found in Pottsboro, Texas on grass and asphalt.” To start with, we want to thank our reader for the incredible photo! Photos like this, that are crisp and clear, and taken in good lighting, really help us identify the creature fast. Which brings us to the identity of this magnificent creature: this is an American giant millipede. When you say the word ‘millipede’, or ‘centipede’ (cousin of the millipede), to anyone, they are likely to shiver, let alone when you say ‘giant millipede’.

“There is an infestation of these little worm-type creatures around the walk and foundation of my home in East Central South Dakota”, states this reader in her submission regarding the curled-up, black worm-like creature pictured below. “Any idea what they might be, or how to get rid of them?” Based on the photo, as well as the fact that these have been infesting the area around our reader’s home, we think this creature is a millipede. These critters are arthropods, meaning they have exoskeletons that protect a segmented body. Millipedes are detritivores, meaning they feed on decomposing organic matter, unlike their cousin the centipede, which is a predator that feeds on little bugs.

“It was wriggling like a worm and didn’t have legs”, states this reader in “Rural England” concerning the creature pictured below. He adds that it was less than an inch in length and that it was found in his house.

“Can you tell me what these are and where they are coming from?” asks this reader in South Georgia. “I had thousands of them last year”, she says of the small, dark brown worm-like organisms pictured below.

“Found this in my pool this morning”, states this reader concerning the yellow creature below. The organism in question has antennae, a brown head, and multiple legs running the length of its body.

“Found in bathroom sink”, states this reader in North Carolina about the minuscule, reddish-brown creature pictured below. The organism has a slender body, and a pair of antennae atop a lighter-colored head.

“I found two of these,” states this reader in her submission, referring to the dark brown, worm-like creature with antennae pictured below. “What are they?”

“The creature that we keep finding is super twisty, super fast. It has a number of legs, and its body is a very pale yellow or khaki,” states this reader about the organisms showing up at the daycare she works at.

This worm-like creature pictured below was found in this reader’s toilet and wash basin. She has seen two or three worms like this so far, and asks us if we can tell her what they are.

“I live in Spain and often find what I believe to be millipedes in my apartment,” starts this reader in her query. She has also found what she suspects is a centipede, and wonders if millipedes and centipedes can coexist, as well as if “Raid is the best thing” to use to “get rid of them.”

“What is this!?!!!” begins this query, sent in by a first time mom who is “slightly terrified” of the organism she found when unclogging her shower. At first she thought this long, reddish-brown critter with antennae was a parasite, but after a while became uncertain and hopes that we can identify the organism for her.

A dark-brown, segmented creature was found by this reader, who wonders if it is a drain fly larva or a millipede. The critter was found on our reader’s stovetop at night; it was not moving and the spot on the stove where it was found was dry.