Wriggling Worms
Reading articles about garden pests and diseases doesn't make much of an
impact unless you are researching to solve a problem. However, personal stories
from friends, neighbors and others often catch your interest. Recently, one of
our local Master Gardeners was relating what has been happening in her gardens
and I think it is important to hear about her real-life experience.
Today's
topic: JUMPING WORMS (also known as snake worms, crazy worms)
Tracy
S., Penn State Master Gardener in Franklin County, PA, shares her experience
which underscores the information on these invaders.
“You’ve
likely heard the saying “the best offense is a good defense.” That strategy
definitely applies to the newest threat to our landscape: jumping worms. Many
of you may be thinking, ‘jumping worms? Never heard of them.’ While they are
not new to the United States, they have been raising alarm among people who
have seen their effect on the landscape.
“I
first noticed the worms on my property about 4 or 5 years ago. I moved a
garbage can that had been sitting on my sidewalk for several days and saw several worms writhing around like crazy with
snake-like movements. Despite what my husband said, I knew something wasn’t
right about these worms. I have been an avid gardener for almost 30 years. I
was the crazy person who went out at night with a flashlight to pick slugs off my
lettuce! So, I know a regular worm when I see it.
“I
have spent years incorporating organic matter into my clay soil—chopped leaves,
straw, compost, and mushroom soil. Worms love organic matter, but jumping worms
devour it more quickly than other worms. That’s when the trouble starts.
 |
| Ground Coffee-like Soil (Knauss) |
“My
garden soil has gone from having a beautiful, loamy texture to something more
like coffee grounds. Water just runs right through it. It is really hard to
keep moisture in the top several inches where most of the vegetable plant roots
are. The soil gets hard and forms large clumps that are difficult to break
apart. I am having trouble getting smaller seeds to germinate—think lettuce,
radishes, and carrots.
“The
worms are everywhere and in large numbers. I pulled the straw back in a small
area of my tomato patch. In just a few minutes I had collected enough worms to
fill about one-half of a peanut butter jar, and I’m sure some got away!
“I
cannot emphasize enough that you must do everything you can to keep these worms
off your property. As there is currently no treatment option for the worms, the
only offense is a good defense.”
Key
Things to Know About Jumping Worms University of Maryland Extension
- There
are characteristics to tell them apart from the Asian earthworms that have become naturalized.
- The
worms thrash wildly and move in a snake-like manner; their feeding
produces granular castings that look like coffee grounds on the soil
surface.
- They
change soil composition, making it drier and depleted of nutrients, which
limits normal plant germination and growth. (see photo)
- The
best way to manage jumping worms is by prevention (e.g, make compost
(https://extension.umd.edu/resource/how-make-compost-home)
at home, inspect potted plants, buy bare-root plants) and physical
removal if they are detected. There are no chemical controls.
Prevention (From the University of Massachusetts article )
·
Learn how to recognize jumping worms and teach your family,
friends, etc.
·
Look for jumping worm adults and their grainy, dried coffee
ground-like castings. Not seeing the adults on the substrate surface, but have
reason to believe they may be there? Try mixing a gallon of water and 1/3 cup
of ground yellow mustard seed and pouring that slowly over the soil/area with
suspicious castings. If present in that location, the worms will be irritated
(not killed) and brought to the surface where they can be collected for
identification. (Note: this is not a means of managing these earthworms, but
merely a tool that can possibly be used for detection.)
·
Do not purchase worms advertised as jumping worms, snake worms,
Alabama jumpers, or crazy worms for any purpose (ex. composting or fishing
baits).
·
Anglers: never dispose of unused fishing baits into the
environment. Always throw away unwanted bait worms [sealed] in the trash.
·
Gardeners: look for evidence of jumping worms in soil, compost,
mulch, potted plants, etc. If you see coffee ground-like castings in these
materials or notice jumping worm adults, identify them using the above guide.
Try not to move materials known to contain jumping worms to new locations.
Specifically, reduce human aided long distance dispersal of jumping worms, if
possible. Jumping worms have been observed to move up to 40 ft. per year on
their own (natural dispersal).
·
Composters: heat materials to the appropriate temperatures and
duration following protocols that reduce pathogens. Recent research suggests
that heating* the cocoons of jumping worms to somewhere around 104°F for 3 days
will kill the egg-containing cocoons. *Note: UMass Extension has received many
questions about solarizing home gardens or raised beds. Research into this is
ongoing, and there are still many questions regarding what steps need to be
taken to achieve optimal results. We currently do not have step-by-step
instructions for using solarization to manage jumping worms in the landscape.
This Cornell sheet has information about the life cycle of the worms plus things
you can do to control the spread of the worms.
Another
link with information Cool
Green Science, The Nature Conservancy.
Jumping Worms: Creepy, Damaging Invasive You Don't Know
CKagan, Master Gardener
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