Worms don’t like mustard. This became obvious as we watched worms emerge from a small plot of forested ground, irritated but not injured by the mustard-water solution. 

In this field biology class, we were surveying for worms – getting to know how their presence drastically influences soil layers and even plant populations. While there are virtually no earthworms native to the Northeast U.S. due to the last glacier scouring the region, some of these introduced worms are more invasive that others. Today, we’ll discuss Jumping worms and share a new fact sheet made by the Jumping Worm Outreach, Research, and Management (JWORM) Working Group.

Description

Jumping worms are a group of species originally from Asia, all within the family Megascolecidae. The worms have an annual life cycle, hatching from poppy-seed sized cocoons in the spring, and maturing over the course of the year until adults lay new eggs in cocoons that overwinter in the soil. They can be best known by their “jumping” behavior, as they thrash wildly and flip over (fortunately for us, they don’t truly jump like grasshoppers). They can also be noted by their castings, or feces, that they leave behind. These small clumps on the soil surface are thought to resemble coffee grounds or ground beef.

Concern

Jumping worms alter soil qualities, making inhospitable conditions for some plants and animals. They do this by consuming the upper organic layer of soil, which leaches nutrients and erodes the ground– a particular threat for forests. The change in soil texture threatens native invertebrates that live in the soil, while also altering the water storage capacity in the ground. All of these changes can make it hard for many plants (including garden plants) to grow and threaten even the most well-tended lawns. Humans can often spread the worms without realizing it, carrying jumping worm cocoons in soil, mulch, potted plants, landscaping equipment, and even the treads of shoes and tires.

Best Management Practices

While there are no approved methods for suppressing jumping worm populations, there are many ways that anyone can help prevent their spread. Page 2 of this factsheet lists such actions in detail, but knowing how to identify the worm, taking care to clean all gear of soil, and sourcing worm-free compost are all great ways to be worm-wise. 

Check out this factsheet and share it with others!