tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 My son found one of these on our laminate kitchen floor this morning - and since then we've found 30 - 40 of them! They're tiny (not much longer than a cooked grain of rice), but we are seriously grossed out. They move fairly quickly (kind of like an inchworm) for their size, and I can't find any rhyme or reason to where they came from OR where they're going - I've been sweeping and moving things, and haven't found a source at all. I've found them going every direction, in a span of 25 feet or so. Any ideas? And if so, any clue how to get rid of them? I do have cats, but these aren't anywhere near the cat stuff . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I don't know, but it would be a fun science experiment. Make a habitat, keep them awhile and see what they turn into! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Maggot, probably. http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=maggot&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 That's a good idea - but *shudder* I don't want them crawling all over my floors, either! Eek! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 Maggot, probably. http://images.google.com/images?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=maggot&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi Huh. I guess I don't know enough about maggots. I've seen them on rotten potatoes, but I've never seen them do anything but squirm around on the rotting food. These are coming from seemingly nowhere, and striking out on their own. Time to read up - because some of those images did look similar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 That's a good idea - but *shudder* I don't want them crawling all over my floors, either! Eek! :iagree: You can only take science so far. I would have to draw the line at little white worms, maggots or not. Lizards, frogs, certain insects, yes. Little maggoty worms, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I agree with the pp that said maggots. Look under your fridge, in and around your trash can, around your base boards and under your cabinets. Megagross, but at least you know in a little while it will be house full of flies, that's a bright side and a half, isn't it ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 Ha! I'll take flies over worms any day. :D Yes, I'm now convinced it is maggots, after reading this: http://lsteed.blogspot.com/2006/06/last-sunday-was-lovely.html Her experience sounds just like mine - other than the fact that I haven't found the source yet. Time to go on the hunt! Thanks for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamom Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I had a weird expeieince with these buggers once. I had washed and hung outside my kitchen sink rug. It was outside for a few damp days and then I brought it in. We found these horrid things all over my kitchen floor a few days later and they were coming from under that rug. The rug was crawling with them. I think a fly laid the eggs on it while it was outside. Uhg!! I feel for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 (edited) I had one of these crawl out of my babies diaper years ago. (And yes, I changed him regularly and kept a hygienic house). I took it to the Dr. and she sent it out to the lab for testing. The reply came back, "fly larva". I said, "You mean a maggot!" (They were trying to be pc and not gross me out.) Dh called our baby "Maggot boy" for awhile after that - lovingly of course! ETA: I never did find out where it came from. And it was just one. Perhaps he had picked it up somewhere? Edited August 24, 2009 by Jean in Newcastle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Luckily, ours have all been in the garage trash, and when my husband was not deployed so he was home to save me! (Like I said, I do draw the line at maggots.) I miss our Alabama and Virginia twice a week trash pickup. When you live somewhere with once a week pickup with no trash cans allowed on the street, inevitably you miss a pickup for a trip or something, maggots then occasionally appear. I would be just like that mom in the blog post if they were in my kitchen, not fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 If they are very small, they are probably fruit fly maggots. Sometimes we get them from the compost bucket in the summer. Also, have your children brought in any nuts from outside? We had maggots from chestnuts the dc brought inside years ago. They were larger than fruit fly, but smaller than house fly maggots. I agree - gross! GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandalwood Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I'd go with maggot, too. A few weeks ago our trash truck (that picks up the cans every week) dumped mine & my neighbor's can and as I was rolling them around the back of the house, I noticed maggots in the bottom of both cans from the trash truck! I quickly dumped & killed them. Maybe the hot & rainy weather helps them flourish...I don't know it's gross. But, looks like that is probably what it is. Have you checked like under your stove, fridge, cabinets for any source of how they are in or food dropped & forgotten about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 We had a similar thing happen years ago a few months after we moved into our house. Everything was nice and clean--we didn't have nearly enough furniture to fill the place yet--and I found these random little white worms crawling around on the wood floor in the dining room. Never did find out where they came from, but AFAIK it was maggots. Never happened again, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessedmom3 Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Looks like a moth caterpillar. Look in your pantry and throw out any old cereal,cookies . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saille Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 The other thing that sometimes happens is that a bird/bat/rodent dies under the house or in a crawlspace, and that's where they're coming from. In which case, even if you don't find the source, they won't come back. That happened to me once in an apartment complex, and it creeped me out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I had worms similar to this a few weeks ago. Mine were from Indian meal moths. A neighbor brought me all her dog food after their pet passed. I started getting these little moths everywhere. Dh looked up one day and saw tons of the worms crawling along the ceiling in the laundry room. When I started to search one of the bags my neighbor brought was full of 100's of the larvae. I almost threw up! It took me awhile to get rid of the infestation but I finally did it after throwing away all the dog food and getting rid of the extra dry goods I had stored in there. ICK!!!! I feel for you! :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Shoot, I try to breed those buggers outside for my chickens. They love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheilaZ Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Maybe pantry moth larva? I loathe pantry moths. If they are pantry moth larva....you are going to wish they were fly maggots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 A maggot in a diaper - YIKES! That one really gives me the creepy-crawlies! Now that I've finally finished up school for the day, I'm going on a cleaning rampage! I'm going to check all of the places you have all suggested - because they've got to be coming from somewhere! :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Shoot, I try to breed those buggers outside for my chickens. They love them. LOL! Good thing I wasn't drinking coffee! I would think about bringing a few chickens inside to fix the problem if we had chickens, I would rather clean chicken poo than little maggoty worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 Oh, and I *hope* they're not pantry moth larva, too - because I've had Indian meal moths before (though they stayed in the pantry, not crawling around my kitchen), and I lost a LOT of food. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 LOL! Good thing I wasn't drinking coffee! I would think about bringing a few chickens inside to fix the problem if we had chickens, I would rather clean chicken poo than little maggoty worms. Don't be too sure, I had a close encounter with some chicken poo yesterday and it wasn't pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Don't be too sure, I had a close encounter with some chicken poo yesterday and it wasn't pretty. It would be a tough choice, but I'm not a big fan of maggots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Sounds like maggots to me too. Any chance they're coming from your ceiling? We had this: vaulted panelled cedar ceiling + dead rat in attic = do not serve white rice for a month. plink, plink, plink :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Can you all hear my hysterical, girly scream from where you are? I had a weird expeieince with these buggers once. I had washed and hung outside my kitchen sink rug. It was outside for a few damp days and then I brought it in. We found these horrid things all over my kitchen floor a few days later and they were coming from under that rug. The rug was crawling with them. I think a fly laid the eggs on it while it was outside. Uhg!! I feel for you. And now can you hear me sprinting for my backyard, where my own kitchen rug has been hanging for several days, in off-and-on rain? ARGH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Why, oh why, do I open certain threads? :ack2::leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 Sounds like maggots to me too. Any chance they're coming from your ceiling? We had this: vaulted panelled cedar ceiling + dead rat in attic = do not serve white rice for a month. plink, plink, plink :ack2: Okay, now I'm even MORE freaked out than before! Going to go stare at my vents for a while . . . :001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbalgirl Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Why, oh why, do I open certain threads? :ack2::leaving: :iagree: This is about enough to bring back my morning sickness! gag, gag, gag... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 You guys are most entertaining. :) Must tear myself away now and get some work done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I had one of these crawl out of my babies diaper years ago. (And yes, I changed him regularly and kept a hygienic house). I took it to the Dr. and she sent it out to the lab for testing. The reply came back, "fly larva". I said, "You mean a maggot!" (They were trying to be pc and not gross me out.) Dh called our baby "Maggot boy" for awhile after that - lovingly of course! ETA: I never did find out where it came from. And it was just one. Perhaps he had picked it up somewhere? They're atracted to that stuff, so I would guess it sought out the poo and climbed in. No worries, they only feed off rotting stuff, that's why they're sometimes used by doctors to fend off infection. The maggots will only eat the rotting meat, so the patient is left with only healthy tissue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Sounds like maggots to me too. Any chance they're coming from your ceiling? We had this: vaulted panelled cedar ceiling + dead rat in attic = do not serve white rice for a month. plink, plink, plink :ack2: Yup. Same thing happened to us, but ours was a dead squirrel. The squirrel had died in an area where the roof came together and couldn't be reached without sawing a hole in part of the roof. The critter control guy said to "let the little guys do their job" and it would be a lot less headache. Apparently, the "little guys" can clean a squirrel carcass pretty quickly! I was still wigging out, as my son was crawling at the time and I refused to let him on the ground, lest he think it WAS rice! I cleaned up as many as I could, but we still had FLIES about a week after the maggots had dropped from the ceiling. I hung that fly tape up all around the house. The flies were almost worse than the maggots. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. It really is gross :blink:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 Thanks, everyone! I never did find a source, but they're few and far between now . . . I'm hoping that it actually was something in my trash can, which I'd taken out this morning before realizing what was going on. Here's hoping, anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 (edited) I've had Indian Meal Moths too and if that is what it is you had better kill them quickly. They ate through the bag of rice and ... I spotted them AFTER I cooked the rice. Let me say they look a lot like cooked rice. :ack2: Edit: My daughter had an infestation of Indian Meal Moths due to infested bird seed. It took her months to kill them all! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Meal_Moth Edited August 25, 2009 by PollyOR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Ha! I'll take flies over worms any day. :D Yes, I'm now convinced it is maggots, after reading this: http://lsteed.blogspot.com/2006/06/last-sunday-was-lovely.html Her experience sounds just like mine - other than the fact that I haven't found the source yet. Time to go on the hunt! ! Check the catbox first. Be prepared for an ugly sight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Oh EWWWW!!! I detest maggots. One morning years ago I awoke and walked into the kitchen where there were maggots all over the kitchen floor. They were spilling out over the top of the trash can. We must have left some food in the trash can and a fly laid its eggs in there. I took out the trash as quickly as possible and swept up those icky creatures and threw them outside. They I lysoled the floor! Ick!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Disgusting. I had a run-in with maggots today as well. Like a PP we have to keep our trash bin in the garage and my oldest ds tossed two bags of trash on the floor of the garage rather than placing them in the bin. The bags leaked. DH and ds are both out of town so trash duty fell to me this week. I went to put out the trash bin and the garage floor and those two bags were covered with maggots. Eeeewwwww. I spent the last two hours scrubbing my garage floor where the bags leaked out, then hosing out my garage, then discovering that my garage is not level which led me to sweeping the water out of my garage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 if it's the little moths from your pantry I would check the rice, old cereal or dried mixes like muffin mixes etc. If so, kill everyone you see. clean out the cabinets and toss what you can. If I am not diligent about putting my rice and mixes into the freezer for a couple of weeks I end up with these little critters. Hope you figure it out. I would hate to have it be the squirrel. Ruby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Maybe pantry moth larva? I loathe pantry moths. If they are pantry moth larva....you are going to wish they were fly maggots. yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyWifeandMommy Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 My long stories short while waiting for laundry to finish. Two years ago we went camping for a whole week. We trash pick up was on Tuesday and we left on a Friday and wasn't due back until the following weekend. I cleared out the fridge and pantry before leaving and we came home to a trash can of creepy crawlies. EWWWW!! To top it off we left a pkg. of hambuger out (if a freezer bag) and all would havebeen find if the dog didn't jump up and get it. Boy did that stink. I think I'd takethe maggots over stinky rotten food. I have a EWW story and it really happend. A patient had maggots on her arm from where it was infected. Apperently the wound wasn't cleaned or something like that. Just totally totally icky and thank God I wasn't working on that floor when it was discovered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 Thanks again to everyone! The great news is that they were never seen again after the first (shudder) day. I can only assume that means they came from my trash that had been taken out earlier . . . at any rate, I'm glad to see them gone . . . and I may not eat white rice again for a while! :001_huh: :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Thanks again to everyone! The great news is that they were never seen again after the first (shudder) day. I can only assume that means they came from my trash that had been taken out earlier . . . at any rate, I'm glad to see them gone . . . and I may not eat white rice again for a while! :001_huh: :D Well that's good news. Just now when I saw your update, I realized I had a dream about this last night! I found little white moths all over the place and then saw a bunch of little white worms, and realized that must have been what the worms were after all, and now I have to clean out all my cabinets. Apparently I've been thinking about your post subconsciously :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 Eww, sorry. Maybe you could go watch some Strongbad to clear your mind (love your avatar!). :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Eww, sorry. Maybe you could go watch some Strongbad to clear your mind (love your avatar!). :001_smile: :D I think I'll go throw a light-switch rave. That should do the trick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mamac13 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I actually had the same thing and these are smaller than maggots. I looked it up and they're called woodworms http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodworm# http://www.google.com/search?q=woodworm&hl=en&safe=off&client=tablet-android-toshiba&tbo=d&source=android-browser-type&v=141278776&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_N1yUPqALMSxyQG_2oG4DA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=800'>http://www.google.com/search?q=woodworm&hl=en&safe=off&client=tablet-android-toshiba&tbo=d&source=android-browser-type&v=141278776&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_N1yUPqALMSxyQG_2oG4DA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=800'>http://www.google.com/search?q=woodworm&hl=en&safe=off&client=tablet-android-toshiba&tbo=d&source=android-browser-type&v=141278776&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_N1yUPqALMSxyQG_2oG4DA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=800'>http://www.google.com/search?q=woodworm&hl=en&safe=off&client=tablet-android-toshiba&tbo=d&source=android-browser-type&v=141278776&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_N1yUPqALMSxyQG_2oG4DA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=800 http://www.google.com/search?q=woodworm&hl=en&safe=off&client=tablet-android-toshiba&tbo=d&source=android-browser-type&v=141278776&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_N1yUPqALMSxyQG_2oG4DA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=800 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Pantry moth larvae? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 OLD thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Just a heads up, This thread is 3 YEARS OLD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 They're zombie worms! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 They're zombie worms! For sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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