Knowledgebase

Jumping worm abatement? #876395

Asked July 08, 2024, 5:20 PM EDT

I recently discovered that I have jumping worms in my garden! In my panic, I discovered that there is a product called Botaniguard that is a fungus that kills jumping worms (according to someone who works for the arboretum in Madison?) and their cocoons, albeit not selectively. While looking for somewhere that sells it, a garden store employee told me that she had heard recently that there were actually no accepted methods of abatement, and once you have them, that's it. I thought I'd pose the question to you! I have about 20 square feet of garden where I can tell there are jumping worms. The rest appears untouched so far. Is Botaniguard effective? Would it do more harm than good? Are there other recommended methods of abatement? If I have to live with jumping worms from now on, what effect will it have on my garden? I read that they destroy nutrients in soil, but I couldn't figure out how. It seems like maybe the fear is that by aerating the soil the way they do, it might tend to cause loss of topsoil, but that their castings would be nutritionally similar to earthworms... Is that not the case? Any ways of dealing with the damage they cause even if I can't get rid of the worms?

Ramsey County Minnesota

Expert Response

Thanks for your question.

BotaniGard is a biological insecticide containing the active ingredient Beauveria bassiana, which is a naturally occurring fungus able to infect and kill various insects. It is commonly used in organic farming and gardening as an alternative to chemical pesticides. The fungus works by attaching to the insect's cuticle, penetrating it, and eventually killing the insect by growing inside it. Despite various advertising claims about its effectiveness against jumping worms, there seems to be very limited scientific evidence supporting this assertion. Earthworms generally have different physiological characteristics compared to the insects typically targeted by Beauveria bassiana, which may affect the fungus's ability to infect and kill them. Unfortunately, BotaniGard kills various pollinator insects so this might be a serious disadvantage to its use. Here is some further information about it and jumping worms:

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/jumpingWorm - :~:text=Research has shown that the,the abundance of jumping worms.

https://mitppc.umn.edu/research/research-projects/jumping-worms-minnesota

https://www.eplocalnews.org/2021/10/02/invasive-jumping-worm-spotted-and-likely-spreading-in-eden-prairie/

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/stopping-spread-jumping-worms-calls-vigilance

At the following site, look at all pull-down menus. They will address your questions about what you should do regarding your soil:

https://extension.umn.edu/identify-invasive-species/jumping-worms

For the immediate present, remove any jumping worms from your garden as you discover them. Avoid bringing in any new soil unless you know they contain no jumping worms. Addition of organic material (e.g., compost) to your garden can counteract some of the soil degradation produced by jumping worms.

Good luck. Please get back to us with any additional, related questions.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 12, 2024, 8:51 AM EDT

Loading ...