Jumping worms
Amynthas and Metaphire spp.
also called Crazy worms, Snake worms, Alabama jumpers
Invasive worms that strip the leaf litter and turn topsoil into dry coffee-ground granules that hold neither water nor roots. Spreading fast, and there is no control.
How to know it
A worm 10–20 cm long that thrashes violently like a snake when handled and may shed its tail — nothing a European earthworm does. The clitellum, the band near the head, is smooth, milky-white and encircles the body completely, rather than being pink, raised and saddle-shaped. The soil is the other identification: a loose granular layer exactly like dry coffee grounds.
What you'll see
- Soil surface turned to loose, uniform, coffee-ground granules that will not hold together.
- Leaf litter under trees and shrubs entirely gone by midsummer, leaving bare granular soil.
- Worms thrashing wildly and jumping when picked up, and often shedding the tail.
- A smooth white band right around the body near the head.
- Plants struggling in ground that was fine two years ago, and mulch disappearing at a startling rate.
Where it comes from
Annual, and that is what makes them so hard to fight. Adults die in winter and the whole population restarts from tiny cocoons in the soil, which are mustard-seed sized, look exactly like soil particles, and survive the cold easily. They mature in about sixty days, reproduce without mating, and are at full size and full appetite by midsummer.
Spreading rapidly through the eastern, central and now western United States. They travel almost entirely in mulch, compost, potting soil, plant divisions and on garden tools — the trade in plants and soil amendments is the vector.
Dealing with it
- There is no effective control once they are established. Everything useful is about not spreading them.
- Hand-pick the adults and bag them for the bin, or put them in a sealed bag in the sun for ten minutes; it makes a small dent.
- Do not move soil, mulch, compost or plants out of an affected garden.
- Clean boots, tools, pots and tires before leaving the area.
- Mulch heavily and water more; the granular soil holds almost no moisture and plants need help through it.
Keeping it out
- Inspect and reject mulch, compost and topsoil deliveries that contain worms, and buy heat-treated compost where you can.
- Bare-root and wash new plants before planting, and never accept a plant division from an infested garden.
- Do not use them as fishing bait, and never dump bait.
- Learn the smooth white clitellum, and check any worm that thrashes.
- Report a first find in your area; the distribution maps are being built from gardener reports.
What it goes for
Nothing is eaten directly. The damage is to the soil itself, which then fails the woodland plants, perennials, shrubs and trees growing in it.
See also
The Cottage Garden Companion — the gardener's bestiary at cottagegardencompanion.com