We just got a message via our Facebook page that began “Hello Worm People” and ended with the classic question of “what are these?” In the body of the message, our reader explained that she noticed her carpet was covered in these tiny “wormy things”. They are half black and half white/clear, and extremely small. Our reader is worried that these might be harmful to her pet cat.

Going off the size and coloring of these organisms, we believe our reader has discovered pantry fly larvae. These larvae get the name “pantry fly larvae” because they sometimes eat dry foods and are found in flour or grains that haven’t been properly sealed and stored. Our reader didn’t say that she found these in her kitchen, but if so that is definitely what she is dealing with. Either way, she will need to determine the food source for these creatures and remove it immediately. Vacuuming her carpet is a good start. Perhaps there are crumbs that these larvae are feeding on embedded in the carpet. These critters aren’t known to be harmful to human or animals health, but it is still best to try to get rid of them as soon as possible.

To sum up, a reader asked us to identify tiny larvae she found in her home. We believe she has located pantry fly larva.