Jumping worms - Ask Extension
We compost our food scraps in a plastic compost bin, mixing in chopped leaves. This fall, as I was digging into the compost to move it over to my vege...
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Jumping worms #889033
Asked October 30, 2024, 9:36 AM EDT
We compost our food scraps in a plastic compost bin, mixing in chopped leaves. This fall, as I was digging into the compost to move it over to my vegetable garden, I realized it was full of jumping worms. Where did they come from? I am not aware of them being present anywhere else on my property. How do I dispose of the compost that contains the worms?
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thank you for writing.
There is no special way to handle compost with jumping worms. These are widely spread through the metro area (including the Arboretum), Eggs are about the size of a coffee ground. They could have been tracked in on shoes, attached to roots of farm produce, etc.
There is no known management for them.
They may cause the soil to settle faster in garden beds.
https://mitppc.umn.edu/research/research-projects/jumping-worms-minnesota
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/jumping-worm/index.html
My gardens are full of them.
There is no special way to handle compost with jumping worms. These are widely spread through the metro area (including the Arboretum), Eggs are about the size of a coffee ground. They could have been tracked in on shoes, attached to roots of farm produce, etc.
There is no known management for them.
They may cause the soil to settle faster in garden beds.
https://mitppc.umn.edu/research/research-projects/jumping-worms-minnesota
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/jumping-worm/index.html
My gardens are full of them.
