“What is the specific type of this worm?” writes Imina in her submission regarding the segmented, cream-colored worm pictured below. “It is from my ceiling and drops onto my pillow every night.” To begin with, we have to commend Imina on the excellent photo she took, and thank her for taking a photo next to a rule, which is the best way for us to understand its size. This creature does not even reach one centimeter (approximately 0.4-inches) in length. It has a bulbous brown head and a similarly-colored prong on its rear. Based on its physical characteristics, we have concluded that this is a beetle larva.

Naturally, since there are hundreds of thousands of species of beetles, just stating that it is a beetle larva does not say too much. However, given its size (which to us implies that it is immature, maybe even newly-hatched) and generic physical appearance, it really could be a number of different beetle species, and we will not be able to pinpoint the exact one. It does resemble a rusty grain beetle larva, but so does it resemble a whole host of other species. In fact, white beetle larvae are so generic that there is even a word for them, ‘grubs’. If they are rusty grain beetle larvae, then they would be heading toward the kitchen to snack on the grains and other dried food products Imina might have there. She might want to check these items and throw out any infested items in a garbage can outside, so as to stop the infestation from further spreading inside her home.

Of course, this begs the question of why they are on Imina’s ceiling, dropping onto her bed. Well, regardless of the species of beetle these are, our theory is that the mother beetle laid her eggs on the ceiling, and as they hatch, the larvae have been dropping onto Imina’s bed. To stop this from happening, we recommend that Imina examine her ceiling to see if there is a batch of eggs there. Even if she cannot see one (and they are often hard to see), we recommend that she wipe her ceiling clean. If she does spot it, she can scoop the eggs onto a dustpan and move them outside, so as to spare the larvae’s lives. In any case, we recommend that Imina avoid direct physical contact with the larvae, since we do not know the exact species and allergic reactions are possible.

To conclude, we think Imina has been finding beetle larvae on her pillow. They are likely dropping from the ceiling because they are hatching from eggs that have been laid there. We hope this helps, and we wish Imina the very best!

Summary

Article Name

White, Segmented Worm with Pronged Rear is a Beetle Larva

Description

"What is the specific type of this worm?" writes Imina in her submission regarding the segmented, cream-colored worm pictured below. "It is from my ceiling and drops onto my pillow every night." To begin with, we have to commend Imina on the excellent photo she took, and thank her for taking a photo next to a rule, which is the best way for us to understand its size. This creature does not even reach one centimeter (approximately 0.4-inches) in length. It has a bulbous brown head and a similarly-colored prong on its rear. Based on its physical characteristics, we have concluded that this is a beetle larva.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton