Destructive jumping worms spotted throughout Virginia

BLACKSBURG, Va. – New jumpy creatures have made their method into Virginia, and this time, gardeners shouldn’t be pleased to see them of their flowerbeds.

On Thursday, the Virginia Cooperative Extension requested Virginia residents to be careful for the invasive leaping worm, in keeping with a Virginia Farm Bureau launch.

The Virginia Tech Division of Entomology reported that the sort of worm is turning into widespread throughout the state of Virginia, and since 2019, they’ve been noticed in a number of totally different areas, together with Bedford County, Montgomery County, and Lynchburg.

“Primarily we hope that individuals are conscious of those invasive worms and take a look at their greatest to not unfold them via potted vegetation or soil,” stated Theresa Dellinger, Virginia Tech insect identification lab diagnostician.

The discharge stated that these worms can vary in coloration from crimson to brownish-purple, identifiable by a clean, milky-colored band that goes across the worm’s complete physique, and they’re usually acknowledged by their erratic leaping and thrashing conduct once they’re dealt with or disturbed.

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The worms are often known as Alabama jumpers, loopy worms, Jersey wriggles, and snake worms, and in keeping with the discharge, they will measure anyplace from three to 6 inches lengthy, and typically are shiny and iridescent, however they’re not slimy to the contact.

Many gardeners know that some worms are a superb signal, however these wigglers are fairly the exception.

Leaping worms feed on leaf litter and mulch on the floor, which removes an essential layer of the soil and adjustments the soil construction beneath, the discharge stated, leaving it uniformly dry and with an look just like espresso grounds.

Not solely that, however such leaf litter consumption can take away vitamins that vegetation in your backyard want, and it adjustments the moisture stage of the underlying soil, which will increase the potential for erosion over time, in keeping with the discharge.

Now that these wiggly creatures are coming in and consuming your leaf litter, the discharge stated that different animals that stay and feed on the identical substances and topsoil in your backyard may very well be impacted, too.

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The Virginia Cooperative Extension stated that there are some things you are able to do to assist with the unfold of invasive wigglers that come into your backyard:

• Remember when sharing plans which will include leaping worms,

• Keep away from utilizing natural mulch or soil from exterior sources until it’s been heat-treated,

• Completely clear gadgets with soil on them.

So that you may be questioning how these damaging worms have had the possibility to make their method throughout the state, and it appears that evidently fishermen may very well be partially responsible, in keeping with Dellinger.

“It’s virtually sure that a few of these worms have been unfold by folks utilizing them for fish bait too,” Dellinger famous. “And folks shopping for worms on-line for composting ought to be conscious that their buy may very well include a mixture of worms, together with leaping worms.”

If you happen to purchase worms for fishing bait, the discharge stated you need to by no means launch them into the wild.

To learn extra about leaping worms, you’ll be able to go to the Virginia Cooperative Extension web site, and when you see a leaping worm, take an up-close, clear photograph or a video and report the discovering to your native Extension workplace.