A reader recently wrote us from Texas. He explained that he found some tiny white worms on his dresser in his fairly new home. He would like to know what these worms are and how he can get rid of them. Here is the photograph he shared with us:

The photograph doesn’t show us a lot of details about the creature, especially because it is quite small and the picture is not zoomed in on the specimen. We can see that is is cream colored with a brown head. We think it might have tiny hairs on its body, giving it a fuzzy appearance, but this might just be how the organism looks in the photo and not how it actually is. We believe this is some type of larvae, but we aren’t sure which kind specifically.

At first we thought it resembled a carpet beetle larva, especially because of its fuzzy appearance. However, carpet beetle larvae are usually tan and brown, not white. We supposed it might just be a white or light-colored carpet beetle larva. It could also be another species of beetle larvae, or it might be a species of fly larvae.

Unfortunately, we aren’t able to determine the identity of this little specimen. Lots of larvae of different species look very similar in appearance, making them difficult to identify. No matter the species, getting rid of unwanted larvae requires the same process: cleaning to eliminate the food source and disposing of damaged items. This article explores the different food sources that exist in different rooms of houses for larvae to feed on. It might be worth a read, so that our reader can figure out what these larvae might be feeding on. Our best advice is to search around the house for damaged items and remove them as necessary, in addition to cleaning thoroughly to get rid of food sources and unhatched eggs.

To wrap up, one of our readers found a white worm-like organism on his dresser. We aren’t sure exactly what this creature is, but we believe it is some sort of larva.

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