![]() ![]() ![]() The life of the microscopic larvae is not completely understood. Depending on water temperature, the eggs hatch in 2 weeks to 3 months. Life CycleĪdults mate in water and females lay long gelatinous strings of eggs. They are not parasites of humans, livestock, or pets and pose no public health threat. When mature, they leave the host to lay eggs. Horsehair worms develop as parasites in the bodies of grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, and some beetles. These harmless, curious creatures writhe slowly, contorting their hair-like bodies into intricate knots. They are found in water or wet areas, such as in or alongside streams or puddles but they can occur in cisterns, livestock watering troughs or most open outdoor container with water. They are similar to nematodes but much longer (4 inches or longer) and very thin (1/80 to 1/10 inch diameter). Horsehair worms, also known as Gordian worms, belong to the group Nematomorpha. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture The most likely explanation for the presence of the worms in the nests is that worms engaged in anti-predator avoidance after their insect hosts were collected and before digestion by nestling birds.ENTFACT-613: Horsehair Worms | Download PDF by Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist All of the nest boxes with worms were less than 100 m from stagnant or low-flowing streams. From 2004 to 2008, 7 nests within nest boxes occupied by the western bluebird ( Sialia mexicana) contained 8 hairworms that were identified as Gordius robustus. Here, we report on the finding of horsehair worms in nests of a cavity-nesting bird species in Los Alamos County, New Mexico. Therefore, hairworms are usually only associated with invertebrates, and few reports discuss hairworm interactions with vertebrate species. This paratenic host links the aquatic and terrestrial environments after its consumption by omnivorous or predatory insects. After reproduction of the free-living adults, the larvae encyst in aquatic insects and are retained upon metamorphosis of the insect into an adult fly. Hairworms (Nematomorpha: Gordiida) are internal parasites that alter the behavior of their terrestrial insect host, forcing it to enter the water to reach its reproductive habitat. ![]()
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