Horsehair Worm

Found in freshwater environments such as streams, ponds, puddles, and rainwater troughs after emerging from hosts.

The larvae are internal parasites of insects (crickets, grasshoppers, beetles); adults do not feed and live only to reproduce.

Larvae develop inside an insect host and manipulate its behavior to seek water; the adult worm then bursts out to find a mate in an aquatic setting.

They are harmless to humans, pets, and plants; they provide an ecological benefit by naturally controlling certain insect populations.