“I found odd looking worms and possibly their offspring in our bathroom sink”, writes Vicki in her submission regarding the tiny worm-like creature pictured below. “I had never seen them before. I got one pretty good video that I will attach. Do you have any idea what they are? Also, can they be harmful to humans or dogs?” Now, we must say right off the bat that the quality of the video she sent in (from which the photo was taken) is of quite poor quality, meaning we cannot really see any of the worm’s physical characteristics, other than that it is worm-shaped. For that reason, we will only be able to provide an educated guess as to its identity.

Typically, the worms that come up through people’s sinks, and drains in general, are drain fly larvae. The adult drain fly is stout, and has a furry body and wide wings, making it look like a moth, which it is often mistaken for. But it is a species of fly, and it is known to invade people’s bathrooms, kitchen, and laundry rooms, laying eggs on the organic film that forms in the lip of drains and starting infestations. Drain fly larvae are not harmful, despite the nuisance they can prove to be. That said, they can cause allergic reactions when they die and their bodies start to decay, and they can spread bacteria. So, with than in mind, we recommend that Vicki try to keep her dog from ingesting any of the larvae.

So, why do drain flies lay there eggs in drains, and what do they want? Well, the diet of the larvae consists of decaying organic matter, of which there is plenty of in a drain and in a bathroom, particularly an unclean one. The best way to fight drain fly larvae is by prevention: keeping one’s bathroom and home as clean as possible – as regularly as possible. If you don’t give them a source of food, they will not be able to survive, and so they won’t want to be there. When it comes to the larvae that are already roaming about her bathroom, we recommend Vicki just move them outside.

In conclusion, it is possible that the worms Vicki is finding in her sink are drain fly larvae, though it is hard to confirm this without a clear picture of the organisms. We hope nonetheless that this article proves helpful to Vicki, and we wish her the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Tiny Worms Crawling Around Sink Could be Drain Fly Larvae

Description

"I found odd looking worms and possibly their offspring in our bathroom sink", writes Vicki in her submission regarding the tiny worm-like creature pictured below. "I had never seen them before. I got one pretty good video that I will attach. Do you have any idea what they are? Also, can they be harmful to humans or dogs?" Now, we must say right off the bat that the quality of the video she sent in (from which the photo was taken) is of quite poor quality, meaning we cannot really see any of the worm's physical characteristics, other than that it is worm-shaped. For that reason, we will only be able to provide an educated guess as to its identity.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton