“I keep finding this worm around my apartment”, writes Alyssa in her submission regarding the segmented, velvety black, worm-like critter pictured below. “It first started by finding them by the front door then I found one in the kitchen one day, one in the living room and now two by/in my bedroom. The living room and bedroom are carpeted, the kitchen is not and neither is by the front door. They are about an inch in length and I usually find them curled up in a circle. I am a pretty clean person and clean once a week so I’m unsure why I’ve been finding these for the past week or so. I’d like to get rid of them for good but am not sure what they are! Help!”

Alyssa has found herself a soldier beetle larva. That fact that she keeps finding them in her apartment tells us that the mother beetle likely laid its eggs inside, because she deemed it a safe place for them to hatch. It is still odd though, given that soldier beetles typically lay their eggs in soil. Likewise, larvae also live in the soil, where they feed on smaller insects and larvae. They really have no business infesting a home. With that said, insect species are constantly adapting to the urbanized planet, so maybe these larvae species have taken to taking shelter in people’s homes to overwinter, as opposed to doing so in soil or bark as these guys typically do.

In any case, neither the adult soldier beetle nor their larvae are harmful to humans. Like their larvae, the beetles are also predators, but naturally they will only attack creatures that are smaller than they are. Among those creatures are aphids, which are sap-eating insects that infest plants and negatively affect their health. For that reason, the presence of soldier beetles and their larvae is largely considered beneficial to ecosystems, as they help keep aphid populations in check. We recommend that Alyssa scoop up the larvae and move them outside. They will not be able to hunt inside her home unless there are other insects for them to hunt, so they will be better off outside anyway and Alyssa should not have to worry about them re-entering her property. That said, it is always a good idea to make sure that any torn window screens are replaced or mended, and that any sizable cracks in one’s walls or floors are sealed.

To conclude, the black, segmented, worm-like critters Alyssa found are soldier beetle larvae. They are not dangerous, and they likely ended up in Alyssa’s apartment because the adult beetle laid its eggs in there. We hope this helps, and we wish Alyssa the very best.

Summary

Article Name

Velvety, Black, Worm-like Creatures in Apartment are Soldier Beetle Larvae

Description

"I keep finding this worm around my apartment", writes Alyssa in her submission regarding the segmented, velvety black, worm-like critter pictured below. "It first started by finding them by the front door then I found one in the kitchen one day, one in the living room and now two by/in my bedroom. The living room and bedroom are carpeted, the kitchen is not and neither is by the front door. They are about an inch in length and I usually find them curled up in a circle. I am a pretty clean person and clean once a week so I'm unsure why I've been finding these for the past week or so. I'd like to get rid of them for good but am not sure what they are! Help!"

Author

Worm Researcher Anton