Jumping Worms – A New Invasive Menace

Alabama jumpers, Jersey wrigglers, crazy snakes or just plain old jumping worms — those are the various names given to an invasive pest that has been making its way up the East Coast in recent years and is now showing up with increasing frequency on Long Island. We usually think of worms as good neighbors, who benefit the soil by providing nutrients and aeration, but the jumping worm is a menace that you most certainly don’t want in your backyard.

Jumping worms wreak havoc with the environment by consuming all organic material from the top layer of soil, leaving behind a coffee ground-like waste. Since they stay within the first few inches of topsoil, they don’t create channels for water and air the way earthworms do. Rather, they disrupt water flow to plant roots and they ruin the quality of the soil.

How do you identify jumping worms? Slightly larger than earthworms, they are a similar dark brown/gray color with a light gray band surrounding their body. But it’s their snake-like and thrashing movements that identify them. These worms will thrash around when threatened and can flip themselves a foot off the ground.

Look out for these slithering acrobats in your yards, gardens, and compost piles, especially in the fall when they are fully grown and easier to see. They live on the soil surface in debris and leaf litter, and within a few inches of topsoil or compost.

To keep jumping worms off your property, it’s important to clean soil from your vehicle and clothing when you return home from a garden or forest environment. Only use mulch and compost that have been heat treated to reduce pathogens because that destroys the worms. Do not use the often-free compost or mulch provided to residents by towns and organizations. For example, Southampton Town does not heat treat the free mulch it gives out.

Another good habit is to gently rinse the roots of any new plants you bring into your garden. Removing the soil from the roots not only removes any jumping worm cocoons, but also many pests and weeds. Be careful not to damage the small root hairs that are the most active part of the roots.

If you suspect jumping worms are on your property, Robert Bruner, Purdue Extension’s exotic forest pest specialist, suggests a process called solarization. Gardeners should lay down a black or dark-colored tarp on a sunny day and sprinkle the infected soil or compost in a thin layer in the middle of it. Then fold the tarp up, making sure all four sides are closed to prevent worms from escaping. By allowing the sun to heat the tarp to a temperature of at least 104 degrees F, any jumping worms in the soil will be killed.

It’s important to do this for any soil when you don’t know or trust the source. Avoid using soil or compost from unknown sources in general.

Remove and destroy any jumping worms when you see them. Seal them in a bag and throw it in the trash — they will not survive long. Reducing the adult population will lower the number of egg-carrying cocoons in our soil. Two natural methods that have had some success are spreading coconut mulch, or coir, on new plantings, and shaking mustard powder onto the topsoil.

The good news is that research is moving forward to find ways to control and manage jumping worms. If you do see any invasive species, including jumping worms, please contact your state’s Department of Natural Resources or our local Cornell Extension office to report your findings.

Marissa Bridge serves on the Westhampton Garden Club’s conservation committee.