Help!!! Tiny black lavae on laundry - what are they?

[Alabasterangel6]

Been away. Last thing I did before going was tumble dry some last laundry and then folded it and put it on my bed. It’s been there 8 days. I’ve just sorted the pile and about halfway down one white Tshirt is absolutely crawling with tiny tiny tiny microscopic wriggling lavae (the look like tiny caterpillars) just plain black and moving like a caterpillar would. About 2mm long and hundreds of them. By the time I’d picked the Tshirt up and realised I scattered them in the process - so they ended up all over my bed, carpet, and the remaining clean laundry.

I’ve hoovered the best I can and will strip the bed but they are sticking to stuff and there were literally hundreds.

I feel I should know what they are in case they hatch/develop? Anyone?

Bleugh!!!

No, no flies in the house at all and before I went I put bleach down the sinks and loos (a habit I’ve always had so the house smells clean when you come back)

And no plants either. There is an ivy in the bathroom in a pot but that’s a distance away and there are no flies anywhere at all.

They were deep within the folds of a Tshirt which was about item number 5 in a pile of a dozen things so well buried too.

Just wish I hadn’t lifted it out with such ‘enthusiasm’ and scattered the bloody things far and wide. I was sorted them in another room the basket had been in the spare room on the spare bed. No bedding on the bed just a white sheet. Just been to check and there are about 30 on that sheet too so stripped that off and will wash as well. But some must have got out of the holes in the plastic basket. Have sprayed the basket and showered it down.

But what about the ones I scattered? Dark grey carpet for a start! And I can only do so many washing loads at once!!! Argh!!!!!!!

So odd.

Eek. I would have freaked
They look like mosquito larvae but as far as I know they hatch in water not in lovely clean clothes.

No one else thought spider willies?

But the washing was tumble dried, not hung on the line, so it hasn't been darked on! I think things only get darked on outside. Poor Alabaster's laundry should've been safe!

Is your tumble dryer vented outside? I wonder if something has made its way in that way? Might be worth treating your outside drains to a dose of jayes fluid.

The eggs may have been laid in the damp bits in your drier and hatched in the warm?

Dryer

Hoover like crazy.

Maybe get a new dryer vent.

I reckon they're moth caterpillars- quite cute although probably not so much if they were in my clothes

The dryer is in a sealed garage and I run it with the door open. I’ve had a good check and no sign in there. I’m just about to inspect the outbound load of laundry which is now finished to make sure they’ve washed away.

Luckily our hoover is still very new and powerful so I’ll strip both beds that the infested pile touched and hoover all round. As it is coming back from being away I’ve already got the usual piles to wash, I seem to be adding to that monumentally!!

Just been to get food supplies and got another bottle of dettol laundry cleanser too. Not sure it makes much difference but I might have a psychological effect

fuck me OP. I’m not normally one to overreact but you need to move and burn down the house. They’ll be crawling out of the eye sockets of your dead corpse by tomorrow morning otherwise.

@doesthislookright they’ll be picked if they do. Just back from a weeks holiday and drank far too much wine so hopefully my consumable content is about 40% proof.

They are so tiny it’s not so bad.

But they might not stay tiny.

And if they were maggot sized I would be calling the pest control by now!!!

Pickled not picked!

I also thought mosquito larvae

Try a squirt of fly spray. If they die then you can spray carpet etc and that should be the end of them.

Cornlice. Do you live even semi-rurally? They are on the crops at this time of year.

Take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Get a decent insect killer and treat the room you found them in. All it takes is one fly/moth to lay a load of eggs so that’s probably all that’s happened. When we moved we had an infestation of carpet moths and we had to rip out all the carpets (precious owners didn’t mention them - thanks a bunch!) but the good thing is you caught them in this stage, as they won’t lay eggs until they become flies/moths. If you treat now you should be ok. Good luck, I know it’s such a horrid feeling!!!

Thank you all. So clothes have been 50c washed, everywhere hoovered and any bedding or clothing I’m in any doubt may have any is in the process of being washed. I do have some fly spray so although I hate the stuff I may give that a go too. I’m also going to get some mothballs (DM was astonished on the phone that I don’t use them already ).

Whilst my carpets aren’t exactly new I certainly can’t afford the expense of replacing them!

I am checking everything though - they are so tiny it’s impossible not to miss some. Bloody things.

I went through the same thing just now. Turns out they’re most likely silkworms at the earliest stage. If you hang your clothes outdoors there’s a high chance the eggs could have been laid while out there.