#MDACF - What #Mainers are Asking About #JumpingWorms

February 25, 2026

'Following a recent two-day jumping worm workshop hosted by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), it is clear that jumping worms are a top concern for #Maine #gardeners and land managers. This event brought together a knowledgeable lineup of leading researchers from across North America to share the latest science and management strategies.

While the first established populations in the state were discovered as recently as 2014, these invasive pests are now considered widespread and have been confirmed in 13 of Maine's 16 counties. With hundreds of questions submitted by workshop registrants, several key themes emerged regarding how to identify, manage, and prevent the spread of these invasive worms.

Identification: "Is this a jumping worm?"

Many Mainers are concerned about distinguishing jumping worms from other species of earthworms.

- Monitor with a Mustard Drench: To see if jumping worms are present at your location, mix 1/3 cup of ground mustard with a gallon of water and pour it directly on the soil (in a forested setting, brush away leaf litter first); this irritates the worms and brings them to the surface for identification.
- The Timing: Because they are annuals (having a lifespan of only one year), juveniles appear in May and June and are very small and hard to identify. It is best to wait until late July or August to confirm their identity once they develop their distinctive collar.
- The Look: Look for a milky white or gray collar (clitellum) that is smooth, flat, and completely encircles the body like a ring. In contrast, European earthworms have a raised, saddle-shaped clitellum that only goes partway around.
- The Behavior: Jumping worms do not crawl like typical earthworms; they thrash vigorously and wriggle like snakes when touched.

Spread & Prevention: "How do I stop them?"

The most common way jumping worms move is through human activity, particularly the movement of soil, compost, mulch, and nursery plants.

- The "Hidden" Threat: The worms themselves die each winter, but they leave behind tiny, soil-colored cocoons that are nearly impossible to see.
- Arrive Clean, Leave Clean: Cocoons can hitchhike in the treads of #HikingBoots and #tires. Using boot brushes at trailheads and cleaning tools before moving between garden beds is essential.
- Plant Sales & Nursery Stock: When possible, choose bare-root plants and rinse the roots into a bucket to ensure no cocoons are hiding in the root ball.
- Contain and Return: Always dump the wash water and mud back onto the original site where you collected the plants or soil; this ensures you aren't accidentally moving "hitchhiking" cocoons to a new, uninfested area. If you need to dispose of the material, wash your gear over a bucket to capture the sediment, let the soil settle before pouring off the water, and once the remaining mud dries, bag and #solarize it (heating it to at least 104F) before putting it in the trash.

Things you can do right now:

- #Solarization: In Maine, this works best in the peak of summer when the sun is strongest. Spread a thin layer of infested soil, about 6-8 inches deep, onto a #DarkTarp and cover it with a clear drop cloth, sealing the edges to create a "package." Place a simple soil thermometer in the center to track temperature. Research suggests reaching 104F for at least two hours can kill the worms and egg-containing cocoons. If you don't have a soil thermometer, plan to leave the covered soil in full sun for at least three days. On clear, hot summer days, a thin layer will often reach target temperatures within one to two days, but the extra time helps ensure consistent heating throughout the pile and improves your chances of success.
- Hand Removal: For small populations, you can hand-pick worms and drop them into a bucket of soapy water to kill them."

Learn more:
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/about/news/news.shtml?id=13343933

#SolarPunkSunday #Gardening #MaineGardens #Compost #NaturalPestControl #NaturalPestSolutions #InvasiveSpecies #InvasiveSpeciesWeek
#MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry

So, one of the topics I'll be covering for this week's #SolarPunkSunday is #InvasiveInsects. #MDACF has been posting some really good information about a variety of pests, and offers natural solutions for some of them. Topics include #JumpingWorms, #EmeraldAshBorer, #HemlockWoollyAdelgid, #BoxTreeMoth and #SpottedLanternflies.

#InvasiveSpeciesAwareness #InvasiveSpeciesWeek #InvasiveSpecies #AshTrees #BoxElders #SaveTheForests #ProtectTheTrees #SolarPunkSunday #Biocontrol #HemlockTrees #MaineDepartmentOfAgricultureConservationAndForestry

Finally found some more info about the invasive amynthas "jumping" or "crazy" worms that wrecked my garden a couple years ago. All I knew until recently was that they were from Asia, but where in Asia?? Well, most likely Japan, it seems, and also Korea. This researcher found their Japanese names:

Amynthas agrestis: Hatake-mimizu (ハタケミミズ)
Amynthas tokioensis: Fukisoku-mimizu (フキソクミミズ)
Metaphire hilgendorfi: Hitotsumon-mimizu (ヒトツモンミミズ)

It seems that Japanese forest species provide less nutrition in their fallen leaves and needles than north American forest species do. That plus the warmer climes of the USA south is what makes them so devastating here but benign in their native habitat. Still, I wonder whether they do damage to home gardens in Japan, and if so, what people do to counteract them.

#InvasiveSpecies #Amynthas #JumpingWorms #CrazyWorms #Gardening #ecology

https://medium.com/@nigelmills2000/land-of-the-rising-worm-9f77e6100d6d

It's that time of year. My USA and Canada* friends who garden, be on the lookout for invasive Amynthas "jumping" or "crazy" earthworms. There are no indigenous North American earthworms, but unlike the placid European invasive earthworm, these guys harm soil health more than they help. They hang out in the top layer of the soil and eat up all the nutrients. Their casings are not good soil additions. Because of this behavior, they have the potential to devastate our forests.

I found these guys after moving my garbage can. Haven't seen them in my actual garden yet, which might be due to the diatomaceous earth I added to it last fall. They're hard to kill. I'm going to freeze them and then place their bodies around my garden, hoping this will give local birds and toads a taste for them. These guys are small, they must be fairly recently hatched. At adulthood they can be 6 inches or more, easily. They also reproduce asexually after about 60 days of life. So every worm removed at this stage is a victory. New York winters kill the worms, but not their eggs.

How to tell Amynthas apart from European earthworms:

-clitellum (collar) is smooth, red, and goes all the way around. Not white, raised, and partially around the body

-their casings--see pic--and their effect on the soil. They give it a coarse sort of coffee grounds texture

-vigorous activity when touched or disturbed. They jump, squirm, climb, writhe like snakes. If you come across a bunch of them at once, it can be unnerving

Killing them is hard. If you heat or treat the soil, you kill other invertebrates and microorganisms too. Mustard solution makes them rise to the top, makes them easier to catch. Chopping them up just makes more worms. So, freeze them or drown them in alcohol. They'll eventually drown in water too, but they'll climb right out of an open bucket. As I mentioned earlier, mixing diatomaceous earth into garden beds seems to deter them.

Anyway good luck! It's not easy trying to garden in this climate-changing, mass-extinction, species-invading world.

*Edited update--I was overly optimistic in thinking they hadn't made it to Canada yet. (They've been migrating slowly northward from the Gulf Coast for the past 100 years or so.)

#Worms #gardening #InvasiveSpecies #earthworms #amynthas #JumpingWorms

ProTip: This was NOT the topic to research before going to bed last night...!

Populations of #invasive #JumpingWorms are exploding in #gardens across #Maine

https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2023-09-20/populations-of-invasive-jumping-worms-are-exploding-in-gardens-across-maine

Here’s what you need to know about the new flatworms invading Maine

#HammerheadWorms could be a problem for local farmers.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2022/04/26/what-you-need-to-know-flatworms-maine-hammerhead-worm/

#InvasiveSpecies #Worms #Gardening #Maine #NightmareFuel #WormWednesday

♬ double wormy ♬
♬ you're the one ♬
♬ you make a podcast ♬
♬ lots of fun ♬
♬ double wormy, I'm ♬
♬ awfuly fond of you ♬

https://arthro-pod.blogspot.com/2024/03/arthro-pod-ep-155-double-wormy-jumping.html

#worm
#wormWednesday
#flatWorm
#marchOfInverts
#HammerheadWorms
#disco
#discoWorms
#JumpingWorms