“Can you identify the worm or larvae in the pictures I attached?” asks Nicholas in his submission regarding the white creature with a brown head pictured below. “These were found in my home in Plantation Florida. So far, they have been found mainly on the floor, within approximately a 15-foot diameter area. There were several found inside a ceiling mounted light, they are in the picture displaying several individuals. There is no apparent point from which they have emerged. They have not come from, or gotten to, any of our food supplies yet. It is a cool area, near our a/c unit, a bathroom (where the aforementioned ceiling light is), and a bedroom, with a small hall area connecting the areas. From this area, a few have made it toward our kitchen and dining room, but they have hopefully mostly all been caught. We have lived in this home for six years and this is the first time seeing these. I am aware they “look like” black fly maggots, but I have seen maggots many times, these appear different. Six legs I believe, no easily visible hairs. Any information you may provide would be greatly appreciated.”

To start with, we want to thank Nicholas for the incredible photos he sent in. The great lighting and crisp quality makes it so much easier for us to identify the organisms we are asked about. Similarly, we want to thank him for his well-worded submission and all the context he provides, which is also super helpful. Now, we have to agree and disagree with Nicholas at the same time. We agree that they are not “black fly maggots” (by which we assume he is referring to black soldier fly larvae), but we disagree that these resemble them. BSFL do not possess the same light brown heads that these critters do, and their segmentation is far more prominent. We actually think these are beetle larvae of some kind, maybe small hive beetles or sap beetles.

We are not sure exactly what species they belong to, as many beetle species produce similar looking larvae: white bodies with brown heads. But the two options we give here look most like the ones Nicholas found, from our sleuthing at least. Small hive beetles are named after what they destroy, unfortunately. These guys will infest honey bee hives, burrowing through the combs to steal the bees’ nectar, honey, and pollen. Even if they do not eat everything there, their faeces render the leftover honey inedible. It would only make sense for this species of larvae to be inside Nicholas’ house if there is a beehive near his home, or even inside. So if he has been noticing a lot of bees around his home as well, he might want to get that checked out.

On the other hand we have sap beetles, a species that is commonly found in Florida. Now, the term ‘sap beetle’ actually encompasses several thousand different species, but what they all have in common is their larvae’s love of fruits and vegetables, which is their main source of food. They will eat berries, corn, tomatoes, and a whole host of other edible plants at any stage: unripe, ripe, or rotten. This makes them quite the pest to deal with. They typically infest farms and gardens, so if Nicholas has a garden, they could be coming into his home because of it. It is lucky that these guys have not gotten to his food, as that is what one will really want to keep away from these critters.

Ultimately, we do not know exactly what these organisms are that Nicholas found, but our best guess is that they are some type of beetle larvae, maybe small hive beetle larvae or sap beetle larvae. In any case, they likely ended up in the light fixture as the mother beetle decided this was a safe place for her eggs to hatch, even if it was an unusual one. They could have chosen that spot for the very reason that it is a cool place and the mother wanted to avoid the heat for fear of her offspring drying up. We recommend that Nicholas move the larvae outside. If he has a garden, we recommend moving them somewhere a bit away from his property. We hope this helps, and we wish Nicholas the very best.

Summary

Article Name

White Worms With Brown Heads in Light Fixture are Beetle Larvae

Description

"Can you identify the worm or larvae in the pictures I attached?" asks Nicholas in his submission regarding the white creature with a brown head pictured below. "These were found in my home in Plantation Florida. So far, they have been found mainly on the floor, within approximately a 15-foot diameter area. There were several found inside a ceiling mounted light, they are in the picture displaying several individuals. There is no apparent point from which they have emerged. They have not come from, or gotten to, any of our food supplies yet. It is a cool area, near our a/c unit, a bathroom (where the aforementioned ceiling light is), and a bedroom, with a small hall area connecting the areas. From this area, a few have made it toward our kitchen and dining room, but they have hopefully mostly all been caught. We have lived in this home for six years and this is the first time seeing these. I am aware they "look like" black fly maggots, but I have seen maggots many times, these appear different. Six legs I believe, no easily visible hairs. Any information you may provide would be greatly appreciated."

Author

Worm Researcher Anton