Asian Jumping Worms

Photo: Cornell Cooperative Extension – Warren County

All earthworms are considered non-native in the United States. The European earthworm or night crawler came with the colonists hundreds of years ago. The newest arrival is the Asian jumping or snake worm. The Asian jumping worm has spread across the north and Southeast of the United states and can also be found in the Midwest and some states in the Northwest. the concern is the Asian jumping worm has a bigger appetite compared to the European earthworm. It devours organic materials faster and can strip the forest floor of healthy soil and organic matter making it hard for wildflowers and seeds of trees and other plants to thrive.

the Asian jumping worm grows twice as fast as other earthworms. In areas where there is a heavy infestation other wildlife such as salamanders, birds and other creatures have declined. These invasive worms can severely damage the roots of plants in your garden as well.

You can identify an Asian jumping worm a few different ways. Asian jumping worms live in the upper layers of the soil. They are 6 inches long and very wiggly when disturbed. The clitellum, or ring around the body, if flush with the body and whitish colored. It encircles the body where as the European worm’s ring is raised and doesn’t wrap around the body fully.  You can tell if you have Asian jumping worms in your garden soil by finding the adults in summer or fall. They often are in the organic matter on the top layers of the soil where European worms dig deeper. Look also for tell tale granular soil created from their worm castings. It looks like coffee grounds.

To check if you have jumping worms in your soil pour a mustard seed mixture onto the garden bed. Mix one gallon of water with 1/3 cup of ground yellow mustard seed. Pour it slowly into the soil. The worms will move to the soil surface where you can easily see them. Hand pick the worms placing them in a plastic bucket or bag. Allow them to sit in the warm sun until dead. The adult worms don’t survive cold winters. The bigger concern is the cocoons. They are small and brown colored blending in with the soil easily. The cocoons can survive the cold and adults emerge in spring once it warms.

Check any new plants you bring into your yard for jumping worms and wash the soil off the roots into a bucket of plastic bag to kill the adults and cocoons. Jumping worm adults and cocoons can be killed with sustained temperatures of 104F and above. When bringing in new mulch, soil or compost, lay it out on a driveway to 8 inches deep and cover it with a clear plastic sheet. Secure the sides and let the soil cook for at least 3 days to reach the killing temperatures. In the soil solarize your soil i spring by laying clear plastic mulch over a bed after moistening it. Leave it for 2 weeks, or at least 3 days of 104F, to kill the cocoons.

Research is being tried on killing jumping worms with biochar, diatomaceous earth and beneficial nematodes.