![]() Please check with your local county agent or regulatory official before using any pesticide mentioned in this publication. Although biologists have partially untied the mystery of these knotty worms, certain aspects of their biology are still coiled up tightly.ĬAUTION! Pesticide recommendations in this publication are registered for use in Kentucky, USA ONLY! The use of some products may not be legal in your state or country. Alexander the Great was not able to untie the knot so he cut through it with his sword. The first person to untie it would be the future ruler of Asia. According to Greek legend, King Gordius of Phrygia tied a complicated knot. Since they are usually contorted into “knots”, the name Gordian worm was used by some. Using this worm, we evaluated the morphological. Cabbagehair worm is used in some localities because they can be found in the water droplets that collect in cabbage leaves. In this study, a gordian worm was detected in the feces of a dog living in Nonsan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea. The name “horsehair worm” refers to the old belief that they came from horse hairs that fell into water and came to life. This has led to a variety of stories about their origin. Tangled masses of these worms can be found In the spring. The horsehair worms are not a problem but contamination from other sources can be. This could seem like a challenge for those that live in terrestrial arthropods such as crickets, a challenge that is neatly overcome when the worm causes the cricket to jump into nearby water, be it a swimming pool, a dog water dish, or a toilet. Check for cracks or openings that can be screened or sealed. When the horsehair worms mature, they must leave the host in order to mate in the water or in damp soil. Their presence indicates that a cricket or some other host insects got in the container and died, releasing the worm. These interesting creatures are not parasites of humans, livestock, or pets. These long, slender creatures are harmless so there is no need for control. Horsehair worms are the aquatic adult phase of little-known invertebrate. When mature, it leaves the host insect to start the process again. There, it digests and absorbs the surrounding tissue. If the cyst is eaten by a suitable insect, the protective covering dissolves and the released larva bores through the gut wall and into the body cavity of the host. Within 24 hours of hatching, the worm is thought to form a protective covering or cyst. The life of the microscopic larvae is not completely understood. Depending on water temperature, the eggs hatch in 2 weeks to 3 months. Life CycleĪdults mate in water and females lay long gelatinous strings of eggs. They are not parasites of humans, livestock, or pets and pose no public health threat. When mature, they leave the host to lay eggs. Horsehair worms develop as parasites in the bodies of grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, and some beetles. These harmless, curious creatures writhe slowly, contorting their hair-like bodies into intricate knots. If we control the number of insects we do not see Hairworms. Hairworms have to have insects and water to complete their life cycle. ![]() Most Flea Spray should kill them but you still have to bathe to get them off hair. They are found in water or wet areas, such as in or alongside streams or puddles but they can occur in cisterns, livestock watering troughs or most open outdoor container with water. Eliminate them: Bathe your dog and keep your dog from swimming or wading and you should eliminate issue. They are similar to nematodes but much longer (4 inches or longer) and very thin (1/80 to 1/10 inch diameter). ![]() Horsehair worms, also known as Gordian worms, belong to the group Nematomorpha. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Vertebrate pests: Birds, mammals, and reptilesįor guidelines on designing buildings to exclude pests, download the free publication Pest Prevention by Design, released in 2012 by the San Francisco Department of the Environment.ENTFACT-613: Horsehair Worms | Download PDF by Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist Wood-destroying, food, fabric, and nuisance pests
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