‘It was disgusting’: Worms swarm Cape Coral woman’s driveway

Barbara Maxwell was completely repulsed when she noticed there were thousands of worms at the end of her driveway.

Maxwell, who was confounded by the sight, took video of the slimy creatures and posted it to her Facebook page.

“When I posted it, I thought, ‘Is this something I should be concerned about?’ I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

Florida Gulf Coast University biology instructor Joyce Fassbender released the following statement to WINK News in regards to the video:

“It can be hard to tell from a video, but they are likely horsehair worms. They live in moist soil and freshwater and are often seen on the ground after rains. They are harmless to humans, and can actually benefit them by controlling insect populations that might damage crops and invade homes.”

Horsehair worms develop as parasites in the bodies of grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches and even some beetles, according to the University of Kentucky’s Entomology Department.

“Your first thought is just burn the house down and run. But you know, insurance tends to frown on things like that,” Max well said.

Maxwell hopes this will be the first and last time she sees this on her property.

“They looked a bit like angel hair pasta. And no, I’m not going to be eating Italian any time soon because it was just disturbing,” she said.