Let's talk a little more about worms.

I know, this is the most boring topic to everyone except me, but I'm working hard to try to get more people to take it seriously.

Last we talked, I'd solarized a bunch of dirt and was on the look out for worms. Since then, I've come to the conclusion that they probably came in on the mulch I'd gotten last year as well as the topsoil I'd gotten this year. I've joined an online group of homeowners overrun with these things, trying experiments in control. I've done a lot of reading, and a lot of worm killing. It's not fun. I don't have exact numbers, but I've probably killed about a 750 worms since figuring out I had a problem, and that's just from the 3/4 acres I maintain around the house.

An average sized Jumping worm.

 

Because no one was really paying attention, these wriggly *ssholes have spread pretty far, pretty fast. Popular for fishing (because of their thrashing) they've gotten into the waterways and floated around. They've hitched rides in soil, mulch, on landscaper's machines, in shared and purchased plants; some people even wonder if they've tracked the cocoons in on the treads of their shoes. (The eggs, or cocoons, are only 2mm big, and look like dirt.) Some folks thought they were safe because they bought bagged products - but if they were stored on the ground, and there are worms on the ground and holes in the bags, there's worms in the bags. Note: Grab your bags from the tops of the stack, and ask if they've been treated to over 104*. If you can't find out that info, leave your bags out on the blacktop for a few really good sunny days. Clear bags work better than black for solarizing, come to find out.

The first batch of worms I hand picked out of my property (north of 300 worms) I tried to drown in water. It took over 24 hours for them to die. It was disturbing. Now I have a bucket into which I put 2" of icemelt and then layers of worms. They self-generated their own poisonous brew as they decomposed. This kills them in about a minute, but I'll warm you, it's gross. It doesn't stink so bad as the bucket of water, but it still has a smell.

A pile of worm castings (poop).

The "coffee ground/taco meat" effect of their castings en mass.

The crumbly results. This is washing down from above my house where I had a mulch bed.
This could be very bad news of the embankment behind my house lets go - the soil is already very shallow over the ledge.
The crumbling mess is a nightmare for shallow rooted plants. It also doesn't hold water. It's like pebbly silt.

I haven't done anything beyond solarizing where I could and hand-picking the adults where I find them. I've set up "worm traps"  - flat rocks in contact with the dirt with a little organic matter under it, or small sheets of cardboard with a rock on top to weigh it down. They seems to be drawn to glass clippings. I hate it - it makes my yard look like a mess. I've also tried "grunting" or "fiddling" for worms - where you take a notched stick and run another stick over it, sending vibrations into the ground. It drives the worms up, thinking they are escaping from moles.
Other folks are experimenting with just about everything you can imagine - diatomaceous earth, bio-char, alfalfa pellets, spent tea leaves, Irish Springs soap, funguses. Some folks are trying to limp their plants along by deep-mulching them in compost, but that also feeds the worms. Some people think it's best to try to starve them out. Other folks like me are just trying to pick them by hand, but it's a loosing battle. Some feed them to chickens - some chickens are freaked out by the snake-like movements and won't touch them, others love them. There's a lot of concern that the worms collect heavy minerals though, and that can be passed along to whatever eats the worms. (At this point only some chickens, moles and opossums appear to enjoy the worms.)
Folks are finally starting to pay more attention because this could directly impact the maple industry. Sugar maples are already at risk from the warming climate, and they do NOT like their roots exposed. People start to get serious when you threaten their pancakes. I know Cornell, UMASS and at least one school in Wisconsin are studying them in earnest.

So what can you do so that creatures from a horror movie don't invade your soil? You have to be careful. If you buy material/plants, ask if they know about jumping worms. Look at the top of the soil for the "Taco meat" castings. Knock off the dirt and wash the roots if you suspect worms. Wash off any equipment that had contact with soil. Wipe your feet. Wash your tools. Heck, I might get a deep boot tray and put a light bleach wash out on my porch for my shoes. Leave bagged material in the sun for a few days to solarize to over 104*.

Hope the smart folks come up with some sort of control for them soon.

Here's a short video about me scratching for worms. I'd already gone through and pulled 200+ worms out of this section a few weeks ago. (Sorry, it's hard to film with your left and grab worms with your right.) Toward the 50 second mark you'll see their creepy flippy maneuver - if they feel lightly threatened, they will poke their heads out and slither away. If they feel acutely threatened, they poke their butts out, and then do this flippy thing before slithering away. I think it's because they can detach their tail sections and use it as "bait".