Please ID this worm

I wonder if anyone can identify this worm. It's about 1 cm long. We have a perpetually clogged drain that they crawl out of sometimes. I don't expect to get a species ID from this picture, but I'd appreciate it if anyone could tell me if they'd make good fish food and if so, how to culture them.

 sinkworm.jpg   8.26KB   2 downloads

What's the scale of the picture Susan? (like how long is it?) Is it a fruit fly maggot? It looks like some type of dipteran larvae regardless. Do you ever see any adults?

Todd

I would judge based on the habitat and the look of the larvae that you have an infestation of Psychodidae, or "Moth Flies." They very commonly breed in household plumbing. I don't see why they wouldn't make good fish food if you happen across them, but I think culturing them would be more trouble than it's worth. Flightless fruit flies would likely serve about the same purpose, and don't go all over the house.

I'm pretty sure that's what you have...compare to this picture of Psychodid larvae...

What's the scale of the picture Susan? (like how long is it?) Is it a fruit fly maggot? It looks like some type of dipteran larvae regardless. Do you ever see any adults?

Todd

It's about one centimeter long. I thought they looked like larvae of some kind. I've seen a couple of small flies, but no more than that.

I would judge based on the habitat and the look of the larvae that you have an infestation of Psychodidae, or "Moth Flies." They very commonly breed in household plumbing. I don't see why they wouldn't make good fish food if you happen across them, but I think culturing them would be more trouble than it's worth. Flightless fruit flies would likely serve about the same purpose, and don't go all over the house.

I'm pretty sure that's what you have...compare to this picture of Psychodid larvae...

Oh, yeah. That's what they are. I just Googled for pictures and saw the adults. I have seen one or two of those. I wondered where it came from. I was struck by how cute it was.

If they are going to turn into flies, then you are right, they are more trouble than they are worth. Even if they're free.

Try tying a thread around a darter's caudal peduncle and put him down your drain to eat maggots for awhile.
(been reading too many iratemormon posts lately)

Lol Gerald. That reminds me of something I read once where a college student bought a tarantula and tethered it in the kitchen to take care of a cockroach problem. Nothing like biological control

Ha! I knew it. I have these little guys pouring out of my own drains, so I was pretty sure what they were before I ever saw the picture.

Now the bad news.. fish don't seem to like them much.
They tend to breed in my tanks instead of going back to the sewers, so I frequently find these larvae all over the place in my tanks, with my fish blissfully ignoring them. Maybe it's the fuzz? Maybe it's just the species of fish I keep. I dunno. Maybe you'll have better luck with it than I do.

Now the bad news.. fish don't seem to like them much.
They tend to breed in my tanks instead of going back to the sewers, so I frequently find these larvae all over the place in my tanks, with my fish blissfully ignoring them. Maybe it's the fuzz? Maybe it's just the species of fish I keep. I dunno. Maybe you'll have better luck with it than I do.

Well, that stinks. I'll have to bleach the drain after we get it open again.

Try tying a thread around a darter's caudal peduncle and put him down your drain to eat maggots for awhile.

Well, that makes perfect sense to me!

Bleach not needed. Once you get the hair and gunk out the moth-flies will disappear. They only live where there's globs of decaying organic matter to live in.

Well, that stinks. I'll have to bleach the drain after we get it open again.