Horsehair worms enter homes through bathtubs, sinks, and toilets. But what do horsehair worms eat? Are they like pantry pests or something else? Lets find out.
Horsehair worms are parasitic worms that need a host to develop and mature before they begin their life cycle.
While the adult horsehair worms do not have a functioning digestive system, the larvae absorb the nutrients from the skin of their host to grow and survive.
Read on to learn more about these fascinating worms, what they eat and how they live.
Why Is It Called a Horsehair Worm?
Horsehair worms come from the family of Nematomorpha and look similar to nematodes.
However, they are much longer (about 4 inches or more) and found in water bodies, such as ponds, sinks, bathtubs, puddles of rainwater, toilets, and alongside lakes and rivers.
They are referred to as horsehair worms because they are as thin as a horse’s hair.
These curious creatures are often found in a contorted position, which makes them look like a loose ball of thread.
They also look like Gordian knots, named after the Greek legend that the King Gordius of Phrygia used to tie intricate knots.
Horsehair worms are parasitic but are harmless to humans, plants, and animals. They mature in the body cavity of host insects.
What Do Horsehair Worms Eat?
The primary purpose of adult horsehair worms is reproduction before they die. So, their digestive system doesn’t function, and thus, they do not feed anything but lay eggs in freshwater.
The horsehair worm larvae, however, grow and develop by consuming the nutrients from the body of its host. It absorbs the nutrients from the skin of the host.
There are more than 300 species of horsehair worms, and each has a preference for a different potential host, including grasshoppers, cockroaches, centipedes, crickets, and more.
Where Do They Live?
You can find adult horsehair worms freely living alongside water bodies and aquatic environments, such as puddles, pools, ponds, lakes, marshes, streams, etc.
Some can also be found in your home – sink, bathtub, toilet, garden, etc. On the other hand, horsehair worm larvae develop and mature in the body of the terrestrial host.
Once it has grown completely, and the minute its host gets close to a water source, the larvae get out by crushing their body.
They then live out their days in the water, laying eggs and restarting the cycle of life.
What is their Lifecycle Like?
The lifecycle of this worm is quite interesting. It starts with adult horsehair worms mating. They mate in groups and tie tight knots during the activity.
Once the mating season ends, the male worm dies.
Then, the female horsehair worms lay millions of eggs in a freshwater source. She may release the eggs in small sections, together, or in different groups.
Once she releases the eggs, the female dies. It takes about two to three weeks for the egg to hatch, and once it does, the cylindrical larvae enter its host’s body.
It can enter either directly with barb-like hooks or encyst on aquatic plants or vegetation, which the host eats.
They can also enter an intermediate host, like the larvae of an insect, and stay with it until it pupates, gets out of its cocoon, and eventually dies.
After entering the host’s body, the larvae start absorbing nutrients from its skin to mature within a few weeks or months.
After it fully develops, the larvae crush or break through the host’s body to start their life cycle. Many larvae chemically infect the brains of their host, which drives them to seek a nearby water source.
When it reaches the head, the adult juvenile worm finds an opportunity to crush its body and get out.
How Do Their Larvae Parasitize Other Insects?
It begins when these worms mate. Once the mating season ends, the female heads into a freshwater body to lay millions of eggs.
The eggs take about two to three weeks to hatch, and once they do, the larvae wait to enter inside an insect, like a cricket, which might take them in as they drink water.
The larvae can also encyst on aquatic vegetation and get eaten by the larvae of another insect.
Once the larvae grow into an adult, they might get eaten by another insect, like a midge or mosquito, and the horsehair worm ends up in its desired host’s body.
Once they are in, the larvae penetrate through the gut to reach the host’s body cavity. It absorbs the host’s nutrients until it develops into a foot-long adult.
It then infects the host’s mind to kamikaze into a water body, and the minute it does, the worms break out of the body, eventually killing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a horsehair worm do?
An adult horsehair worm mates and lays millions of eggs in freshwater bodies. Since it is parasitic, the larvae enter the body of a potential host and mature for the next few weeks.
They then wait for the host to reach a water source. At this point, they jump out, crushing behind the host and restart their cycle of life.
Do horsehair worms need water?
Horsehair worms need water to lay eggs, enter the host’s body, and continue their life cycle.
So, yes, horsehair worms need water for their survival. You can find them in streams, rivers, lakes, puddles, marshes, and even in your bathtub and sink.
These bugs cannot survive water in the adult stage of their lives.
What do horsehair snakes eat?
The horsehair snake is an internal parasite that absorbs the nutrients from the body of its host until it matures completely.
Adult horsehair worms, however, have a non-functioning digestive system, so they eat nothing throughout their life cycle.
Do horsehair worms lay eggs?
Yes, the female horsehair worms lay millions of eggs in a freshwater body. Once she lays the eggs, the female dies.
The larvae, then, find a host to grow and mature, after which it bores out of the host’s body to start their life cycle.
Wrap Up
Horsehair worms are intriguing creatures that do not need much to survive apart from killing a host! They eat the body of the host and leave it a hollow shell.
They then force the host to go to a body of water, jump out, and leave the dead host behind.
We hope this article helped you learn all you should know about the diet of horsehair worms. Thank you for reading!
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10 Comments.
It would appear that the white worm you have seen is spoken about in the ancient text of a greek historian “Philostratus” The Life History of Apollonius, The worm is described in Book 3 chapter 1, “There is also a creature in this river which resembles a white worm. By melting down they make an oil, and from this oil, it appears, there is given off a flame such that nothing but glass can contain it. And this creature may be caught by the king alone, who utilizes it for the capture of cities; for as soon as the fat in question touches the battlements, a fire is kindled which defies all the ordinary means devised by men against combustibles.”
It is interesting reading, as there is much to be told of India within it.
Thank you for this fascinating historical citation.
Hello There,
I’ve found some little things by my sink and I’m just not sure what they are. They are about a half of an inch long, of a dark brownish color, with black stripes, and are very thin. They’re not what I originally thought: centipedes. They are not like any pictures I’ve found of wax worms, centipedes, or meal worms. Most of those things are much thicker.
Perhaps Bathroom Fly Larvae. See BugGuide.
Hello There,
I’ve found some little things by my sink and I’m just not sure what they are. They are about a half of an inch long, of a dark brownish color, with black stripes, and are very thin. They’re not what I originally thought: centipedes. They are not like any pictures I’ve found of wax worms, centipedes, or meal worms. Most of those things are much thicker.
actually my husband came home and told me they are millipedes, just a different type than I’ve seen in books and movies. Thank you so much for helping though.
I saw this today in the Pacific NW. It’s definitely diseased. It looked nearly the same as this picture. If you look at your picture closely, you can see some of the white dots are actually blisters. The worm I saw today also was very slimy and sticky. It was with other earthworms, that did not show signs of sickness.
When I was a boy about 10 or 12 I found a Jerusalem Cricket in my yard. I captured it and put it in a bottle. The next day, there was a horsehair worm on the bottle with it. Not knowing anyone who could explain what had happened, we were forced to conclude that the worm was a parasite. Not until now have I ever read anything that confirmed our suspicion. Thank you for your post.
The complicated life cycle of the Horsehair Worm or Gordian Worm is explained on the Nematomorpha website.
I have seen this with my own eyes! Me and my gf just saw a potato bug and I was telling her a story how I accidentally smashed a potato bug and a long hair like worm was living inside it’s butt!