Horsehair Worm

Typically found in freshwater environments such as streams, ponds, puddles, and drainage troughs, but often emerge from their insect hosts onto land.

As larvae, they are internal parasites of insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles, absorbing nutrients directly from the host's body. As adults, they do not eat.

They exhibit a unique life cycle where the larva infects an insect and eventually manipulates the host's behavior to seek out water. Once the host is in water, the adult worm emerges to mate and lay eggs.

They are harmless to humans, pets, and livestock. They are beneficial to the ecosystem by helping to control populations of certain insect pests.