What the heck are these flying worm things?? (Arlington, Highland: inspection, live in)

[VeronikaW]

So, last year, we noticed these little yellow things that seemed to levitate around outside of our town home. They seemed to just dangle in midair, and even to move a bit side to side and up and down. I thought they appeared earlier last year, but I don't know. Well, they were back today, and I accidentally walked into some, and looked down and realized they are some sort of worm. I was so grossed out. They are yellow and very small (less than a centimeter, I think), and they literally seem to just hang in the air.

What the heck are these things?? They're all up and down our street!

V. =)

[mayfair]

I think they're small caterpillars hanging from an almost invisible web. I don't know what they are exactly but I try not to walk into them. Do you have a lot of douglas fir trees around?

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by mayfair

I think they're small caterpillars hanging from an almost invisible web. I don't know what they are exactly but I try not to walk into them. Do you have a lot of douglas fir trees around?

I don't think there are a lot of douglas firs up here (in the Issy Highlands), but I don't know trees very well. I know the trees they like to hang around are not evergreens.

I'm going to just tell myself they're harmless and try not to think about it.

V. =)

[Ira500]

They're not a moth?
...If you want people visiting you to go away, you could always tell them that they are the " Northwest lethal flying black widow worm" and " they only killed 25 people in Washington state this year."

[mikec34]

Originally Posted by VeronikaW

So, last year, we noticed these little yellow things that seemed to levitate around outside of our town home. They seemed to just dangle in midair, and even to move a bit side to side and up and down. I thought they appeared earlier last year, but I don't know. Well, they were back today, and I accidentally walked into some, and looked down and realized they are some sort of worm. I was so grossed out. They are yellow and very small (less than a centimeter, I think), and they literally seem to just hang in the air.

What the heck are these things?? They're all up and down our street!

V. =)

probably termites....

[VeronikaW]

Originally Posted by Ira500

They're not a moth?
...If you want people visiting you to go away, you could always tell them that they are the " Northwest lethal flying black widow worm" and " they only killed 25 people in Washington state this year."

I hope they stick around until my mother-in-law comes to visit. =)

In all seriousness, though, upon closer inspection, they do seem to be some sort of tiny tiny caterpillar.

V. =)

[pwright1]

I use to see them in D.C. I think they're all over the place.

[jam5]

Originally Posted by pwright1

I use to see them in D.C. I think they're all over the place.

Interesting -this whole time, I thought those invisible strands I kept running into while walking my dog were made by especially tiny spiders. I never realized caterpillars were capable of creating that.

FTR, I live in Arlington, Virginia.

[Rickers]

Maybe they're silkworms, or dreaded tent caterpillars !

[jenlion]

They're not the tent caterpillars, I don't think... not many tents around here, like I saw a lot in Dallas.

I have wondered what they are too. They looked to me at first like tiny dead fir needles dangling from an old spider thread, but they're clearly not. We do have six doug firs in our backyard and these things are all over the place, everywhere. Weird! But they don't bother me. The masses of BEES that are still swarming every thing out there bother me, but not these guys. At least not at this point.