Tiny Green-Grey Worms Crawling on Wall are Either Inchworms or Sawfly Larvae

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“I found your website on Google and hope you could help me with the worm in the attached photo”, writes Diane in Japan about the little greenish grey creature pictured below. “It is grey with a black head, no legs. I am located in Aichi, Japan, and this is the second time I found it in my house (last night, first time): one time on the wall, the other on the object near the same wall. Both times were around 8 or 9 pm, when the temperature went down to about 26 degrees Celsius. One of my friends said it looked like those you find in vegetables. But it doesn’t explain why I find it two nights in a row when there’s no uncooked vegetables kept in the open air? they are all in the fridge which is three meters away, by the opposite wall. I am honestly worried about the possibility that there may be more of them in the house, whether it is harmful, and how to get rid of it. I’d really appreciate it if you could help me.”

Based on the picture alone, we think this looks like an inchworm. We base this on the shape of the body, as well as its bulbous black head. However, it could also be a sawfly larva, which is not a species of caterpillar like the inchworm. That said, the term ‘inchworm’ actually refers to an entire family of caterpillars, specifically moth caterpillars. They are identified by their funny walk – they arch their back and lift up their front legs before following with their back legs, hence ‘inching’ across a surface quite slowly. Inchworms have the ability to spin silk-like material, which they use to drop down from high areas when they feel threatened, making a quick escape. Sometimes people will spot them hanging from these threads, usually from trees.

Sawfly larvae are often mistaken for caterpillars, but are a species of fly. There are many species of sawfly larvae, and they range in appearance from simple, solid greens like the creature in Diane’s picture, to patterned, multi-colored bodies. Inchworms and sawfly larvae both eat the foliage of trees and plants, and are not dangerous to humans or pets. Likewise, while some species of inchworms will feed on fruits, and potentially vegetables, sawfly larvae do not.

The reason Diane found these in her home is likely because they larvae just wandered through an opening (maybe an open window or door) and found themselves in her home. Alternatively, if she keeps finding more of these, it is possible that the mother insect flew into her home and laid her eggs in there (either because she got trapped in there or because she purposefully did it as she deemed Diane’s home a safe environment for her eggs to hatch in), and now they have hatched, thus spawning the larvae Diane found. In any case, we recommend she just relocate the critters she finds outside.

To conclude, we think that the green-grey worm-like critters that Diane found in her home are either inchworms or sawfly larvae. In any case, she does not need to fear that harm will come to her, as they are completely harmless. We hope this helped and wish her the very best!

 

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Tiny Green-Grey Worms Crawling on Wall are Either Inchworms or Sawfly Larvae
Article Name
Tiny Green-Grey Worms Crawling on Wall are Either Inchworms or Sawfly Larvae
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"I found your website on Google and hope you could help me with the worm in the attached photo", writes Diane in Japan about the little greenish grey creature pictured below. "It is grey with a black head, no legs. I am located in Aichi, Japan, and this is the second time I found it in my house (last night, first time): one time on the wall, the other on the object near the same wall. Both times were around 8 or 9 pm, when the temperature went down to about 26 degrees Celsius. One of my friends said it looked like those you find in vegetables. But it doesn’t explain why I find it two nights in a row when there’s no uncooked vegetables kept in the open air? they are all in the fridge which is three meters away, by the opposite wall. I am honestly worried about the possibility that there may be more of them in the house, whether it is harmful, and how to get rid of it. I’d really appreciate it if you could help me."
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