To kill adult jumping worms, handpick them from the soil, place them in a plastic bag in the sun, then throw them in the trash. A mustard solution can irritate the jumping worms and help bring them to the surface for picking.
Do jumping worms have natural enemies in their native range? Many animals in Asia and North America prey on worms - birds, snakes, turtles, frogs, even slugs.
If you have a small population of jumping worms, handpick and destroy them by bagging them and throwing them in the trash, or place them in a bag and leave out in the sun for at least 10 minutes; then throw the bag away.
Origin and spread
Jumping worms are native to Asia. People spread jumping worms throughout North America by moving potted plants, soil, compost, mulch and fishing bait. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have confirmed jumping worms in Minnesota.
Crazy worms can be identified by a few unique qualities, starting with their behavior. They also have a milky white or gray clitellum — the band that many earthworms have — that is flush with the rest of their body.
Worms hate: meat or fish, cheese, butter, greasy food, animal waste, spicy and salty foods, citrus.” The food-to-worm ratio is not precise, nor is the amount of castings they will produce. The rule of thumb is that a pound of worms will eat one to two pounds of food in a week.
Other intestinal worm infections are also treated with medicines that kill the parasite without harming the person, such as albendazole, mebendazole, ivermectin and praziquantel. Your doctor or a gastroenterologist will advise on the appropriate medicine and the dose. The worms are then usually passed out of the body.
Despite some of these names, jumping worms are native to regions from East Asia through Australia, but have been moved by humans all over the world, especially in soil and planting pots.
They are relatively easy to identify if you take a look at their clitellum (the band around the body of a worm). The clitellum on a jumping worm is milky white to gray-colored, smooth and completely encircles the body of the worm. In contrast, the clitellum of European earthworms does not wrap entirely around the worm.
Millipedes, also known as “thousand leggers,” are arthropods that often make their way into our homes. Millipedes range from 2.5 to 4 cm long, are brownish in color, are long and slender, and look a lot like worms with legs.
Worm-like invertebrates have a lifespan that varies according to species. For instance, earthworms such as the Red wiggler worms live between 4-5 years. On the other hand, Riftia pachyptila, also known as the giant tube worm can live for 300 years in the depths of the oceans.
Jumping worms are also remarkably fast, which is how they get their name. Many gardeners (myself included) have been startled by how quickly these worms move, in an almost snake-like fashion, across the soil surface. You'll most likely find jumping worms in the garden, compost pile, or adjacent woodlands.
Earthworms have some natural enemies such as ants, centipedes, birds, snakes, toads, carabid beetles, and nematodes. Do not apply pesticides to control earthworms.
Sprinkling common salt on an earthworm leads to loss of water from the organism's cells through osmosis. The salt absorbs all the water volume from the earthworm. The loss of water is caused by the high concentration of salt outside the earthworms cells. The organism becomes dehydrated and finally dies.
You can use eco-friendly cleaners like vinegar and baking soda, but if you want something a little stronger, try chlorine-free bleach. The bleach will also ensure that any worm larvae is eradicated. In the bathroom, you'll want to make sure drains and toilets are especially clean.
Worms need food!
They will eat some of their bedding, but they really love scraps of fruit and vegetables. Worms will eat the parts you won't, like cores and peels. Don't feed them too much or too often at first. A yogurt container full of scraps once a week will be enough.
Usually called the velvet worm because of its soft texture, the velvet worm is not really a worm. A very attractive little creature, it is possibly one of the strangest animals around. Most species are no more than 4cm long but a few do reach over 10cm.
Tiny pink, red, brown, or black worms
These 1/8 to 1/4 inches (3 – 6 mm) long bed worms are carpet beetle larvae. They commonly live on clothing or bedding and feed on cotton, leather, wool, fur, and feathers.
Bipalium is a genus of large predatory land planarians. They are often loosely called "hammerhead worms" or "broadhead planarians" because of the distinctive shape of their head region.
Nightcrawler worms are earthworms that come out at night to feed on decaying organic matter. They are commonly used in composting and gardening, as burrowing helps soil aeration and nutrient distribution.
If you have snake worms, you can reduce their populations by reducing organic material such as leaves or bark mulch and allowing soil to dry out or rise to high temperatures (above 100°F). You can do this in localized areas by solarizing the soil.
Jumping occurs at a stage when the maggot is particularly vulnerable to parasitization and predation. The fly larva provides the only known example of jumping by a soft-bodied legless organism.