Horsehair Worm (Gordian Worm)

Damp areas, puddles, swimming pools, streams, and within the bodies of host insects like crickets/beetles.

Larvae are internal parasites of arthropods, absorbing nutrients from the host's body. Adults do not eat.

As larvae, they parasitize hosts. Upon maturity, they influence the host to seek water, where they emerge to mate, often forming tangled 'Gordian knots'.

Harmless to humans, pets, and plants. They provide an ecosystem benefit by helping control populations of insects like crickets and grasshoppers.