By Leela Morris and Rataj Zamat, Gorham Middle School Students

Have you heard about the invasive species taking over Maine’s gardens?  Invasive worms called jumping worms, are spreading fast across the state, ruining gardens and forests  all across Maine. These worms might look like normal earthworms, but they act very differently, and not in a good way.

Jumping worms get their name because they move wildly, thrashing and  jumping around when touched. But what really makes them bad is how they eat the top nutrients out of the soil and leave the dirt with a coffee ground type of texture. This soil loses its nutrients, which makes it hard for plants and trees to grow.

Unlike normal earth worms, jumping worms have a thick band around their bodies that’s usually a light color like white or grey. Another difference is that jumping worms move like snakes and really fast while earthworms don’t. 

The jumping worms first showed up in Maine a few years ago, most likely brought in through potted plants, mulch, or compost from other places. They reproduce very quickly which means getting rid of them could be hard.

Because they spread so easily, people are being asked to help stop them. Gardeners should clean soil off their shoes and tools after working outside and check plants before bringing them home. People should also avoid moving dirt or mulch from one yard to another.If you think you’ve seen jumping worms, you can use 3 different methods to stop them from spreading and to kill them.

One method is to hand pick the jumping worms and kill them before disposing of them in a small bag that is sealed to prevent spread. Another method is called the mustard pour. The mustard pour is a mixture of water and mustard seeds. You need a bucket to mix the mixture in and 2L of water. Once you make the mixture you need to pour it around in the invaded soil and wait for jumping worms to come to the top so you can hand pick and dispose of them.

The last method is called the plastic bag method. You need a small plastic bag like a zip lock. You place the bag in the middle of the soil on a hot day and wait for the bag to heat up once the bag heats up, the soil will get to a temperature that will kill the jumping worms.  

At the Gorham Middle School garden the jumping worms have been taking over and the 7th and 8th graders in Mrs. Whitaker’s alternative education program have been testing methods on how to get rid of them. This garden supplies food to the food pantry and cafeteria at the middle and high school, so getting rid of these worms is very important to the community. So far students have done the mustard method and have also just been looking through the garden for worms.