Sweep Out the "Totoro Susuwatari"? Experts Are Shocked: Clean Them Away Quickly!

Those who have watched "My Neighbor Totoro" might remember the adorable "Susuwatari" depicted in the film. However, if thousands of small black balls suddenly appear in reality, it might not be as charming. A mother was shocked while cleaning her child's room when she discovered over a thousand "black pearls" scattered on the floor. Terrified and unsure what to do, she posted photos on a social media group, asking for help in identifying them.

From the photos, the shiny black balls seemed to be stuck to the floor, resembling spilled bubble tea. The Australian mother posted on the Facebook group "Amateur Entomology Australia", saying, "I just opened the child's room, which had been closed for three days, and found this! Thousands of small black balls are everywhere! Are these insect eggs or feces? Please tell me they're not termite droppings!" Her concern is understandable, given how difficult it is to eradicate termites.

The post sparked various guesses from netizens: "Maybe they're filling materials from a toy," "Could they be poppy seeds?" "Try squishing one; if it bursts with liquid, it's an insect egg; if it's hard to squash, it might be from a toy," and "They look like cockroach droppings; my grandmother's house has a lot of them." Another suggestion was to put one in water; if it doesn't dissolve, it's not feces.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Dr. Kathy Ebert, an entomologist from the University of Queensland, explained that these small black balls are likely moth eggs. If left for a few more days, they would hatch into caterpillars, potentially infesting the entire room. Dr. Ebert advised the mother to clean up the eggs as soon as possible.