“Can you help me identify this?” asks Cheryl about the white and brown, organic-looking matter pictured below.” I live in Las Vegas and found this while cleaning my broom.” Firstly, we must point out that the matter in the photo does not have any recognizable characteristics of a living worm-like organism, especially the two oddly-shaped, brown pieces of matter next to the long, white thing, which looks more like it could have something to do with worms. Secondly, we want to bring attention to the brown object nearer the bottom of the photo, and the seemingly translucent nature of what looks like folded pieces of thin material. We think this looks like it could be the shed skin of a larva or full-grown insect.

Of which insect in particular these shed skins would belong to, we cannot say. The skins would have to be better preserved and still be maintaining the original shape of the insect for us to be able to say exactly what insect this came from. But, in any case, shed skins cannot hurt you, so Cheryl does not have to worry about them, and can just toss them outside (since they are organic matter anyway). That said, these shed skins could point to the presence of insects in her home, and there is still the question of what the long, white thing is.

We are not sure of the scale of these objects, but we suppose the long white thing looks sort of like a tube of silk, much like the ones that casemaking clothes moth larvae spin and drag around with them as they feed on various textile items in the home. For that reason, Cheryl may want to check areas of her home for little white larvae, particularly in dark, cramped spaces that would provide a source of food for their types of larvae (like inside a wardrobe, dresser or closet, or underneath and behind upholstered furniture). If she does find any roaming larvae, she will want to thoroughly vacuum her home and launder any potential infested items. She may want to vacuum her home either way, just to be safe.

In conclusion, we think that the brown objects may be shed insect skins, and the long white object could be a tube of silk spun by a casemaking clothes moth larva (or some other caterpillar). Either way, we do not think she needs to fear for her health and safety. We hope this has helped, and we wish Cheryl the very best!

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