Jumping Worms

[henn_aajw]

My neighbor across the street just discovered jumping worms (a lot of them!!) in her yard. DH brought part of our flock over to the neighbor’s yard today to see if they would help eliminate some worms. I would not have let that happen, (so many possible issues for my flock!!) if I would have been asked, but done is done. Anyway, the girls absolutely binged on worms. According to the few online resources I’ve found, chickens aren’t supposed to like jumping worms, but I guess my girls didn’t get that memo.

Anyone else have anything to offer about getting rid of or controlling jumping worms- with or without chickens? All the advice out there now is around keeping them out of your yard (bio security basics, people!), but there’s not a lot out there on what to do once you’ve been invaded.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Where are you?

The only thing I'm aware of that would resemble jumping worms are Red Wigglers.
Why does he need to get rid of them? They are good for soil.

Jumping worms (Asian jumping worms is the official name) are invasive in the US. They damage the soil and kill native worms and beneficial bugs. They're currently trying to kill them off for this reason.

https://neinvasives.com/species/insects/asian-jumping-worm

 

[henn_aajw]

Where are you?

The only thing I'm aware of that would resemble jumping worms are Red Wigglers.
Why does she need to get rid of them? They are good for soil.
They usually only come up with certain climatic conditions or also when chemicals are applied to the soil.

I’m in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They are destroying my neighbor’s flower beds by eating through everything in the top couple inches of soil. They even eat the wood mulch! Per MN DNR website:

• Jumping worms can dramatically change soils, giving it a unique texture similar to coffee grounds. Jumping worms feast on mulch and strip vital nutrients from topsoil. This kills plants and increases erosion. Homeowners may see garden plants killed and may have difficulty growing plants.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks for the info. I've never heard of them.

 

[Sally PB]

Thanks for the info. I've never heard of them.

I had never heard of them either. I just read some articles about them... Scary.

 

[sarah mecklem]

My girls had no interest in worms when they were younger. They would see them and ignore them, looking for bugs and eating grass and clover. Now they are older. Two of three are laying daily. They devour the jumping worms, and there is no lack of them. When I get home from work each day, I open the door from the chicken dome run, to the garden where they hang out and explore for about an hour, then I take them out into the yard anf they eat grasshoppers, jumping worms and greens. The worms do stay in the top few inches of soil, eat everything and the lawn feels like walking on a sponge. I've heard they do deplete the soil, but I imagine their castinhs would be nutrient rich. Will have to research more on them. They do make good fish bait and are abundant

Not recommended for fish bait. Too invasive....they are parthenogenetic, reproduce w/o mating. If you drop one along the way to fish it can invade that territory. These worms can infest and destroy 17 acres in a season. Also apparently their castings contain no nutrients. The consume the ground cover, leaves and etc and then move on to shallow plant roots. Gardeners and hikers are warned to wipe soil off shoes/boots to keep from spreading the egg cases. They are in my woods and yard where I planted many seedlings to increase bird habitat but these seedings have not thrived! Arrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Where are you?

The only thing I'm aware of that would resemble jumping worms are Red Wigglers.
Why does she need to get rid of them? They are good for soil.
They usually only come up with certain climatic conditions or also when chemicals are applied to the soil.

 

[WthrLady]

Where are you?

The only thing I'm aware of that would resemble jumping worms are Red Wigglers.
Why does she need to get rid of them? They are good for soil.
They usually only come up with certain climatic conditions or also when chemicals are applied to the soil.

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/jumpingWorm.html

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/jumpingWorm.html

I'm in the very north western part of Massachusetts. What I've noticed is where these worms are, I'm not finding regular earthworms. The top few inches of soil are really loose so water just drains right through, tough for plant starts to get established. Supposedly, any mulch or compost you put down will be devoured. A farmer where I have a couple of beehives, was saying that she has one field that is full of them, and her yield there was only about 30%.

 

[The Tiny Homestead]

They have been in my garden for a few years now, and I've had to learn to live with them. This year was a banner year for several varieties of peppers, pole beans, tomatoes and brussel sprouts. My tomatoes, collards and strawberries also did really well. Your point about transporting makes sense.
I seemed to have a lot more wild bird foraging in the garden this year. Maybe they were after the worms. Do you have any info on nutritional value, or lack of, for the worms?