Jumping worms?
mattmelcher
16 years ago
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years agomalorn
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Help - Maggots in my garden
Comments (4)Thank you for the link. Sorry I don't have my own pics. I deleted them when I figured out what they were. I put a link below to someone else's though. I kept doing research and found this blog (link). Jumping worms! There is a video on the blog. All other comments I found were related to cocoa shells, which is disappointing because I like using them over woodchips and rocks. They come out in droves when it rains. Original post that I found was here - Titled Jumping Worms from '07. Lots of comments on it. One said they jump to avoid drowning. Most comments said they weren't harmful, but one said they move on to the roots when the foodsource is gone. Every comment referenced the cocoa shells and water. Anyway here is the link to the blog with pics and videos. The video doesn't do the jumping justice. I could cleary see them jumping 6 inches or higher and easily a couple of inches in distance from my first floor window! I didn't even have to go outside. My husband bought raid and sprayed it when it rained tonight, before I could tell him to stop. It seems to have gotten quite a few of them, but I would rather not have that in the garden. Don't know if this will be a recurring problem or not, but it hasn't happened in 2 years. I'll let you know if they come back. Here is a link that might be useful: jumping worms video...See MoreAm I Crazy? Peeing Jumping Worm Question :
Comments (4)Yes, some of those doggone nightcrawlers can be enormous, like small snakes. And very muscular. Creepy. But just worms. BTW earthworms (at least some species that are here?) are not native to the Americas. I had not heard of the Asian Jumping Worm but it looks a lot like a regular earthworm, with a very whitish or gray collar, whereas the earthworms and night crawlers we're used to have a much darker pink or brown collar. Also their collar goes all the way around, but those of European worms (which is where our 'native' worms are from) do not. Worms eat dead plant material so the biggest concern about these jumping worms seems to be that they may eat the leaf litter in forests faster than other worms and change the soil and moisture conditions....See MoreWhat are these jumping larvae in my mulch?
Comments (19)You’re welcome. I used to volunteer at my local extension office when I did the Master Gardener program at UConn. Land-grant universities offer this service to the public. I’d give them a call to get directed to the right people....See MoreInvasive Worms Taking Over
Comments (2)You may find the attached link helpful. While it does not specify control methods - none are deemed necessary in a cultivated setting - it does suggest methods for controlling the spread to natural woodlands, where these worms are really destructive, as well as linking to several other resources. The worms do not feed on live plants or plant parts so the decimation of the sweet woodruff was due to some other cause. But they can consume any organic mulch...and rather rapidly as well! It also suggests that eliminating them completely is not really a possibility either (seldom is with any invasive species, unfortunately). Invasive in the Spotlight - Jumping Worms The Early Bird fertilizer is made from tea seed meal.....which appears to be difficult to locate in the US and must be imported from China. And may also be a reason why Ocean Organics have stopped manufacturing it. I'm not sure what you could use as a substitute that is equally saponin-rich. And finally, if you could avoid cross-posting to 'Ask the Yard Doctor' in the future :-) Under the GardenWeb format, including that forum does not allow any responses to be made to the post so you are very likely getting much lighter response traffic to your query than you would if you left it off. I had to exit GardenWeb and re-enter via Houzz in order to comment!!...See Moremattmelcher
16 years agobotanybob
16 years agomattmelcher
16 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
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