White Thread-Like Worm in Bark Nuggets

Horsehair Worm in Forest
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We just heard from a reader who bought and installed several bags of dark pine bark “nuggets” from a Home Depot in Minnesota. He was working with these nuggets in some light rain when he noticed a few whitish thread-like worms moving their heads around and eventually landing on other pieces of bark, or plant leaves. When disturbed, he said these creatures coiled into a mass of knots, but then quickly untangled themselves. He said these worms are 2-3 inches long, and don’t meet the typical size requirements for Pinworms or Threadworms, which are parasitic to humans.

He included a link to a YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5fHD6v5uSo) that shows what he thinks might be the specimen in question. He is hoping we can provide any additional information; specifically whether or not these creatures are parasitic to humans or dogs.

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We believe our reader is dealing with horsehair worms. These worms can grow up to 40 inches, which makes us believe our reader is dealing with younger horsehair worms. These worms are parasitic, but only to insects and arthropods, so if they are in fact horsehair worms, our reader doesn’t need to worry about his family or dog. These worms live in a host, and then deposit themselves when they sense they are near water. This could be why our reader discovered these in the rain.

To conclude, without a photo, we can’t be 100% positive that our reader has found horsehair worm, but we are very confident that this is the case. We don’t believe that these worms are related to the bark nuggets he bought for his garden, they probably already were living in insects in the soil.

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All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported, we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us money out of our pocket to keep the site going (nearly 20 years so far!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.

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Summary
White Thread-Like Worm in Bark Nuggets
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White Thread-Like Worm in Bark Nuggets
Description
We just heard from a reader who bought and installed several bags of dark pine bark “nuggets” from a Home Depot in Minnesota. He was working with these nuggets in some light rain when he noticed a few whitish thread-like worms moving their heads around and eventually landing on other pieces of bark, or plant leaves. When disturbed, he said these creatures coiled into a mass of knots, but then quickly untangled themselves. He said these worms are 2-3 inches long, and don’t meet the typical size requirements for Pinworms or Threadworms, which are parasitic to humans.
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Author: Worm Researcher Dori

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