Don’t Look Down
The following was written in 2021 for the Cornwall Chronicle. It is August and I am looking at the end of the world. At my feet, on the ground, in the woods. Here in Cornwall. Or maybe what I imagine the end of the world could look like through a Mothra vs Godzilla lens. It’s the Asian Jumping Worm.
Go ahead and chuckle. I also chuckled a few years ago when I first read about this vile underground disaster in a brochure being handed out at the annual Mad Gardeners symposium. I couldn’t imagine that a worm would be that much trouble. But that whitish ring around its body – I had seen that before. And the tell-tale mound of what looks like coffee grounds but is actually the humus layer of soil digested and expelled. Worm poop. I had also seen that.
This was spring of 2020. A lot of us were gardening that first summer of Covid. Buying plants, trading plants. I was continuing my decade-long effort to resuscitate our woods, cutting and poisoning bittersweet and burning bush, pulling up a never-ending supply of garlic mustard and bittercress. And reaping the rewards of working in the woodland - the sweet and musky scent of the humus floor, the spring ephemerals that spontaneously arise once the invasives are cleared. No jumping worms here, thankfully.
I was counting on them staying on the other side of the stream where the house and the plant beds are. If I saw one I would squish it thoroughly with my boots, suppressing my nausea. As spring became summer the creatures started appearing with frequency and I began investigating online.
The most important thing you need to know is there is currently nothing that will get rid of or stop the spread of Asian jumping worms. So, let me get to the punchline: When you see one, kill it immediately. When mature, they can lay up to 60 eggs not needing a sexual partner to procreate. By August there might be as many as 25 per square foot writhing just under the surface of the soil or under leaves or mulch. The topsoil containing the nutrients for woodland plants disappears, every inch replaced by what looks like brown Dippin’Dots. The worms also eat the precious mycorrhiza that pass nutrients between trees and they spread heavy metals in its place. And as a final coup de grace they release seeds that were buried in the soil – the ones that can germinate in the depleted soil seem to only be weeds. More garlic mustard.
I wish I had paid more attention to the brochure on the table in 2020. I wish someone had been as emphatic as I am now. Last year the worms had jumped the stream and made their way into the woods, abetted by the abundance of rain. They were everywhere, hatching and eating the soil, turning it into poop. By August I could barely walk in the woods; the smell of worm excrement was too much to handle. And my thoughts turned to the future: would the trees, the shrubs and plants in the woods survive the destruction of their food source year over year? Will this 5 x ½ inch nemesis be the animal that takes us down?
The worms finally died sometime in late October by which time every inch of soil in about 7 acres of stream bank and woodland had been affected. In December the erosion on slopes was visible as rain washed away the digested earth crumbles left by the worms. I won’t know until Spring how the plants will respond to the sludge that this mess will turn into once the snow melts.
Last words on how to handle and destroy Asian jumping worms: You will want an empty trug or bowl at the ready. It is easy to spot them 1-3 inches below the soil; with gloved hands move quickly to pluck out the worms and toss them into your container. If you are gardening you will see them as you weed or brush mulch back; if not you can try a mustard pour – mix 1/3 cup of mustard powder (such as Colemans) into a gallon of water and slowly pour into the soil. The worms will come to the surface and can be plucked out. Once in the container they will usually remain quiet and you can then add soapy water to kill them.
Experiments are showing mixed results with soil additives such as biochar and diatomaceous earth. As to predators, it is unclear which animals will actually eat these worms. Anecdotally I have seen more turkeys on the property than in past years—might there be a connection? Until we get some definitive solution, it is recommended not to share plants and that you purchase only bare root plants so as not to infest your property with the worms or their eggs.
There are many online resources on the topic but most offer the same information. This is one that is specific to our area: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/CAES/DOCUMENTS/Publications/Fact_Sheets/Entomology/Jumping-worms-in-Connecticut.pdf