Horsehair Worm

Found in freshwater environments like ponds, streams, and puddles, or inside the bodies of terrestrial invertebrate hosts.

Adults do not eat; larvae are parasites that absorb nutrients from the body fluids of hosts like crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles.

They exhibit a parasitic life cycle where they infect an insect host. When mature, they influence the host's behavior, compelling it to seek water, where the worm then emerges to mate and lay eggs.

They are harmless to humans, pets, and plants. They provide an ecological benefit by naturally controlling populations of certain insects, such as crickets and grasshoppers.