Jumping worms??

[meadow]

We have these as of last summer and, environmental concerns aside, they're obnoxious. If you stand barefoot in your hard they'll slither out from under your feet or between your toes like a slimey snake because they don't like the compaction. I'm not overly squeemish and still find them pretty unenjoyable.

What part of the country are you in?

 

[jbosmith]

What part of the country are you in?

Northern New England. Near the Canadian border. We've had a cold winter that I'm hoping will help but there's no real basis for me to think that's a thing.

 

[catjac1975]

We have these as of last summer and, environmental concerns aside, they're obnoxious. If you stand barefoot in your hard they'll slither out from under your feet or between your toes like a slimey snake because they don't like the compaction. I'm not overly squeemish and still find them pretty unenjoyable.

OOOOOOOOOUWWWWWWWW gross.

 

[flowerbug]

Northern New England. Near the Canadian border. We've had a cold winter that I'm hoping will help but there's no real basis for me to think that's a thing.

if you can remember to put your general location in your profile that helps us all out from trying to remember or to keep asking.

 

[so lucky]

We've had those worms here in SE Missouri for several years. They are very strong! I would say as strong as a snake of comparable size. Or stronger.
They come out when it rains in summer, and crawl under the garage door. When we (in the past) would try to catch them and put them back into the grass, they jump and writhe and force themselves between your closed fingers. Actually quite shiver-inducing. I know now to kill them.

 

[Zeedman]

My biggest concern over these worms is that nurseries (or landscaping companies) will inadvertently contribute to their spread. For example, jumping worms were discovered in Wisconsin at the U.W. Arboretum - and they conduct plant sales. I'm exercising great caution now, whenever buying nursery stock... and WILL NOT use any municipal compost, or buy from nurseries which use it. That's not paranoia, it's justifiable apprehension. That jumping genie can't be put back in the bottle.

And as if I didn't already have enough invasive species, it appears that the brown marmorated stink bugs have finally moved into my area. I saw a few in the garden late in the year - and have been seeing a lot more in the house all Winter. Apparently they will be accompanying the Asian ladybugs indoors from now on.

 

[flowerbug]

My biggest concern over these worms is that nurseries (or landscaping companies) will inadvertently contribute to their spread. For example, jumping worms were discovered in Wisconsin at the U.W. Arboretum - and they conduct plant sales. I'm exercising great caution now, whenever buying nursery stock... and WILL NOT use any municipal compost, or buy from nurseries which use it. That's not paranoia, it's justifiable apprehension. That jumping genie can't be put back in the bottle.

And as if I didn't already have enough invasive species, it appears that the brown marmorated stink bugs have finally moved into my area. I saw a few in the garden late in the year - and have been seeing a lot more in the house all Winter. Apparently they will be accompanying the Asian ladybugs indoors from now on.

we have a lot of those bugs coming in this year too. with all the weather changes they come out of hiding. i squish them in a small bit of TP and then put them in the worm food bucket - at least then something good might come from them.

if you can catch the worm infestations before they spread you can keep it from getting worse, but it is so hard to do once they are out and around. it takes a real concerted effort after that has happened, but the sea lamprey infestation of the Great Lakes they've been able to fight back with the right controls. so i would not give up hope. just talk to people about it when you can and hope they'll help make a difference in the long run.

i never want to give up hope that things can be improved:

not to distract from the topic, but i'm so happy to see this i thought i would share.

 

[flowerbug]

ok, back to jumping worms and thinking how to eradicate them.

1. when you visit a plant nursery ask them if they use sterile potting mixes and if they've seen any jumping worms.

2. big box stores, ask them too because even if the store doesn't care the people who work there may see them and do something. never hurts to keep trying and also to keep educating people.

3. if you bring a plant home and notice a worm after that then check the entire area by using the drench method and kill the worms you can find. do this several times spaced a few weeks apart to catch any you've missed. likely you can eradicate an early infestation because the life cycle is not that short (some creatures are much tougher than these in terms of how quickly they can multiply). as an example roaches have a long enough life cycle that if you are persistent with trapping them and getting rid of easy habitat you can often get rid of them without using any poisons at all, but it does mean making the effort and then keeping an eye out for them if they can possibly come back.

4. being careful to not spread them further.

 

[Zeedman]

as an example roaches have a long enough life cycle that if you are persistent with trapping them and getting rid of easy habitat you can often get rid of them without using any poisons at all, but it does mean making the effort and then keeping an eye out for them if they can possibly come back.

I had a chance to test that concept first hand, when I lived in San Diego. Roaches got into our home twice; once when a new neighbor moved into the complex where we lived, and once when we inadvertently brought them in with some used furniture. When we first identified them, I would set out bait on the floor before going to bed, then set my alarm for 3 AM. All lights in that area were off. I would wake up, go down with the bug spray, turn on the light, and kill any roaches before they could scuttle for cover. We were able to stop the infestation both times.

The same process did not work when I lived in the Philippines. The much larger roaches there were everywhere, and no matter how many we killed, more moved in from the surrounding area. I couldn't use poison there, because the land lord had free-roaming cats... but I did place bait on the floor, with a large piece of plywood leaning against the wall next to it. Waking in the middle of the night, I would turn on the light, and quickly smash any roaches with the plywood. The cats learned to anticipate this, and would quickly devour the dead & injured.

 

[catjac1975]

I had a chance to test that concept first hand, when I lived in San Diego. Roaches got into our home twice; once when a new neighbor moved into the complex where we lived, and once when we inadvertently brought them in with some used furniture. When we first identified them, I would set out bait on the floor before going to bed, then set my alarm for 3 AM. All lights in that area were off. I would wake up, go down with the bug spray, turn on the light, and kill any roaches before they could scuttle for cover. We were able to stop the infestation both times.

The same process did not work when I lived in the Philippines. The much larger roaches there were everywhere, and no matter how many we killed, more moved in from the surrounding area. I couldn't use poison there, because the land lord had free-roaming cats... but I did place bait on the floor, with a large piece of plywood leaning against the wall next to it. Waking in the middle of the night, I would turn on the light, and quickly smash any roaches with the plywood. The cats learned to anticipate this, and would quickly devour the dead & injured.

hahahaha cats that kill roaches!