About Us (the worms)
- There are no native earthworms in Minnesota.
- The species found across the Great Lakes region originated from Europe and Asia.
- Earthworms migrate less than 30 feet a year on their own, that is still less then 1 mile in 200 years!
- Minnesota's hardwood forests and grasslands developed without earthworms, the land depends on leaf litter & non-compacted soil for new growth as well as water retention so destructive new invasive species need to be stopped.
- DO NOT dump your bait in the forest or lake, haul it out!
- Vermicomposting is the use of worms in composting, if done correctly it can be a great way to produce amazing compost and not introduce possible invasive species.
- Earthworms are divided into three main groups by where they live within the soil: leaf litter dwellers, soil dwellers and deep burrowers.
- Leaf litter dwellers are reddish-brown, small and usually less than 3 inches long when mature.
- Soil dwellers live in the top 20 inches of soil.
- They are light gray and sometimes have a pink head and range in size from 1 to 5 inches.
- Deep burrowers dwell 6 feet deep but feed on fresh surface litter.
Minnesota's Invasive pest - Jumping worm
Keep on the look out
Keep on the look out
Appearance
Jumping worms are a type of earthworm. They are called “jumping worms” because of their unusual behavior when disturbed – they move like a snake and sometimes appear to be jumping. A light-colored ring extends around the body and may be more prominent than in other earthworms.
Biology
Jumping worms refers to multiple species, all in the genus Amynthas. Jumping worms live and feed in the leaf litter layer on the soil surface and in the top few inches of the soil, but do not create burrows. They produce cocoons in late summer and early autumn. Then the adults die and the cocoon stage survives through the winter. Cocoons hatch in early spring and adults mature in summer. Amynthas are able to survive a variety of conditions including cold winter temperatures.
Keep on the look out
Keep on the look out
Keep on the look out
Movement: The European earthworms we are accustomed to move slowly. They inch their way forward using the setae on their body. Jumping worms have more setae which allow them to be in contact with more of the ground. They use these extra setae to move very sporadically and “un-worm-like”.
Castings: Castings are earthworm poop. European earthworms leave behind high nutrient castings that are great for garden fertilizer. Their castings look like fresh dirt in small clumps. Jumping worms do not offer the same support in the garden. Their castings are left near the surface and often wash away or erode. Jumping worm castings look and feel like coffee grounds.
Clitellum: The clitellum or "ring" around an earthworm is the reproductive organ which lets us know that the earthworm is a sexually mature adult. The clitellum is located near the head of the worm. European species have a saddle shaped clitellum that swells up and does not wrap around the entire body. Jumping worms have an annular clitellum that is less swollen, and it wraps around the entire body.