Jumping Worm, Potentially The Next Invasive Garden Threat, Confirmed In 35 States

According to scientists, the jumping worm appeared in North America in the 19th century. since the 19th century, but more recently it has become a problem.

Just when you think you're used to firefly invasions, another threat to the ecosystem emerges: the Asian jump jumper.

Let me introduce you to Amynthas agrestis, also known as the "Alabama sweater", "Jersey weevil" and the tough but precise "crazy worm". Unlike garden earthworms, these scurrying, scurrying, aggressive creatures are voracious consumers of humus, the rich, organic, living topsoil composed of dead and decaying small animals, insects, and forest-like foliage. , nursery and garden with you

Plants, fungi, and other soil dwellers cannot survive without topsoil, and "Asian barnacles can eat anything," Sarah Farmer of the US Forest Service wrote in a May post on the USDA Southern Research Center blog.

The loss of humus will also threaten birds and other animals that feed on terrestrial insects.

The voracious invertebrates native to East and Central Asia are believed to have been introduced to the United States in the late 18th century, probably by hitchhiking through potted plants. But their existence went largely unnoticed - or perhaps underestimated - until environmentalists found them problematic over the past decade. Timothy McKay is Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

Since then, the worms have been confirmed in 35 states across the country.

Although their annual life cycle ends in winter, Asian barnacles survive to give birth to a new generation in the spring. Their tiny eggs are nearly impossible to see in the soil or mulch, but adults, 3 to 8 inches long, are easy to spot near the surface of the soil and can often be seen moving under mulch or leaves, McKay said.

Burrowing into the ground, the worms leave two things behind: cocoons and feces. The pods are small and earthy in color, making them easy to lose. However, the cast or stool has a grainy brown texture that will alert you to their presence.

Fireflies can be gray or brown with soft off-white or white cream on the back of the head, completely surrounding the body part. When touched, they flap their wings, jump, and can even glide like snakes. This behavior, along with their ability to reproduce rapidly without a mate, gives them an edge over predators, according to McKay.

“Amphibians such as robins and other birds, shrews, snakes and frogs will not be able to effectively suppress their population,” he said.

McKay, whose research focuses on understanding how worms take over entire forests and how they affect forest biodiversity, warns that "horticulturists should do their best to avoid the spread of worms by jumping into new areas." to forests, control is needed in homes and community gardens to slow encroachment into natural habitats.

So in this season of dividing and dividing plants, gardeners should be careful. Watch for worm secretions, a sign of their presence. Examine the soil stuck to the plant roots and the soil around them. In addition, McKay advises against throwing contaminated garden waste into nearby forests and dividing plants only after the roots have been cleared of soil.

Unfortunately, there are no good measures to control established worm populations. But McKay said pulling them out by hand and throwing them into barrels of vinegar would reduce their numbers. He heard from a gardener in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania who got rid of 51,000 worms this way in 2021.

Invasive Earthworms: Influence and Control (NISAW 2018)