Horsehair Worm (Gordian Worm)

Found in damp areas, puddles, swimming pools, livestock tanks, and near water edges; as larvae, they are internal parasites of insects.

Larvae are parasitic and absorb nutrients from the host insect's body (like crickets, beetles, or grasshoppers). Adults do not eat.

They exhibit a complex life cycle where larvae infect terrestrial insects; they eventually manipulate the host's behavior to make it enter water, where the adult worm emerges to mate. They are often found in tangled 'Gordian knots'.

They are completely harmless to humans, pets, and livestock. They are beneficial to the ecosystem by helping to control the population of grasshoppers, crickets, and other insects.