Things that look like Maggots in my office!!?

[Desiderata]

Today I discovered these creatures in my office under the waste bin. I immediately thought they were the sort of maggots you get in rotting food from eggs laid by flies.

However there is no food around and I then I started pulling out the furniture that rests on the carpet and found them there too.Apart from the maggots all that there was under there was carpet and dust.

I was thinking they might be the larvae of Carpet Beetle but looking on the web they seem to be slightly hairy and thse are pretty much smooth. I don't have my camera with me so I couldn't take a picture.

The other thing is that fly maggots seem to have a definite head but these had a pointy bit that they stretched out.

Can anybody tell me what they might be?

Thanks
Desi

[GrayB]

Could they be Clothes Moth Caterpillars, the enviroment sounds correct, the only thing that doesn't seem to fit is what you said about the head. I came across one last year so if they look something like this, thats what they are. And if not well at least you can eliminate the Clothes Moth
Gray

[Desiderata]

Originally Posted by GrayB

Could they be Clothes Moth Caterpillars, the enviroment sounds correct, the only thing that doesn't seem to fit is what you said about the head. I came across one last year so if they look something like this, thats what they are. And if not well at least you can eliminate the Clothes Moth
Gray

Thanks Gray B

I can't tell to be honest. I need to get a magnifying glass. (I have squashed nearly all I could find but have some stuck to a bit of paper with selotape)

What magnification would that pic be? The ones here are a sort of off white colour is that one?

Desi

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Desiderata

Thanks Gray B

I can't tell to be honest. I need to get a magnifying glass. (I have squashed nearly all I could find but have some stuck to a bit of paper with selotape)

What magnification would that pic be? The ones here are a sort of off white colour is that one?

Desi

You want to get the cleaners to hoover the place lol

[Desiderata]

Too true Kayleigh but having said that it is vacuumed every day but of course not under furniuture that is flat to the floor..That's going to have to change!

The thing is I'd really like to identify whatever produced tha larvae to avoid any further invasions. This is what they look like:



about 1cm in length when stretched out. I can't see any sign of legs at all.

Desi

[triops]

oday I discovered these creatures in my office under the waste bin. I immediately thought they were the sort of maggots you get in rotting food from eggs laid by flies.

However there is no food around and I then I started pulling out the furniture that rests on the carpet and found them there too.Apart from the maggots all that there was under there was carpet and dust.

I was thinking they might be the larvae of Carpet Beetle but looking web they seem to be slightly hairy and thse are pretty much smooth. I don't have my camera with me so I couldn't take a picture.

The other thing is that fly maggots seem to have a definite head but these had a pointy bit that they stretched out.

Can anybody tell me what they might be?

[triops]

Sorry for the last post.......I pressed lots of wrong keys!
However: Is the picture really of one of your creatures? It is indeed one of the maggots that live in rotting food/meat. Have you an angler near your office whose maggots are escaping? Its hard to believe these have been produced in any numbers without you smelling what they are feeding on. Alternatively, there may be a birds nest somewhere above your office with dead chicks in it. Or a dead pigeon in the loft?

[Dogghound]

Do you put food in the bin? Its likely to be a muscid or calliphorid if it looks like that.

[GrayB]

Well they're definitely not Cloth Moth Caterpillars thats for sure. They are indeed maggots that you find around your compost bin. How they got there is anybody's guess.
Gray

[Desiderata]

No food anywhere in the office Dogghound and no smell either but Triops you may have something.

There is a flat roof above the office and a hollow ceiling. Where the lights are there is always a draught. I will get the maintenance guys to check on the roof tomorrow. They could have dropped down the vents....right above where I would bve sitting if I had been there at the time....
I think I'm going to be ill!!


Thanks for the help
Desi