Horsehair Worm

Damp environments, standing water, and inside various insect hosts (like crickets or beetles)

The larvae are parasites that absorb nutrients from their insect hosts' bodies; adults do not eat

Life begins as a parasite inside an arthropod; once mature, they manipulate the host's behavior to find water, where the worm emerges to mate

Harmless to humans, pets, and plants; they help regulate local insect populations by acting as natural biological control agents