They are called Bloodworms. Bloodworms are one stage in the life cycle of the non-biting Midge fly. The red colour comes from haemoglobin in the Midge fly’s blood and has no reference to any blood sucking activity. They are herbivorous and feed on algae and other plants or waste material – therefore harmless to people or your animals. Many fish keepers buy bloodworms as a protein rich food for their fish.
The non-biting Midge looks like a mosquito, but doesn’t bite. Midges live near water and are found in streams, rivers, ditches, lakes and ponds – and stagnant water tanks. The midge develops in a life cycle that includes four stages: egg, larvae (bloodworm), pupae and adult. The larvae stage lasts between 2 to 7 weeks.
Describe how you intend to use these images and/or audio files and your request will be sent to the author for consideration.
Your request has been successfully submitted to the author for consideration.
2,203,459 sightings of 20,917 species in 9,213 locations from 12,749 contributors
CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.