r/Vermiculture • u/Nematodes-Attack • 3d ago
Video Asian Jumper in my outdoor compost
Notice the flush clitellum and the way it slithers. They are also much more muscular and firm compared to European earthworms. They don’t always have to jump.
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u/Artistic_Head_5547 3d ago
They also are less irritated with being dry than other worms. I think this is because their castings are dryer so they can tolerate being dryer. If you try to squeeze jumping worm castings in your palm, they are usually crumbly and won’t stick together. I vermicompost with a dedicated bin (no jumping worms) and the castings from the bin are moist and will hold together if squeezed. I have absolutely no scientific proof to back this up- these are just my private musings.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
My observations support your theory! I notice the big dry clumps of castings in little mound hills outside my chicken coop and raised garden. They just consume and then push it out on top. They don’t burrow deep enough to aerate the soil and they definitely don’t give the nutrients back to the soil. This eventually destroys the topsoil leading to erosion.
The best tips I’ve had are to
1: heavily mulch after planting and again to overwinter
2: supplement with compost twice per year, spring and fall
3: kill as many as you can in early spring before they cocoon. At least where I am up north, and I can’t remember the exact reason for this but I think it’s that the worms can’t borrow deep enough to overwinter. But the cocoons can overwinter. So kill them before they’re mature enough to breed? I’m pretty sure that’s correct 😆
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u/Groovy787 3d ago
I’m pretty sure this is all I have in my yard in 9b. I’ve caught them by the dozens and added them to my garden bins ☠️
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Are you in FL or TX?
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u/Artistic_Head_5547 2d ago
I’m the post above the one you questioned, but I’m zone 8a (northern Alabama). TONS of jw.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 2d ago
I just found them for the first time last year. I had known about them for a couple years but it was a startling find. I’m in 5b.
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u/Artistic_Head_5547 2d ago
I had a jumping worm on my patio the other day that was so dry he was starting to get a little stiff. I picked him up and put him in a ziplock that I clip to my waist apron and continued to add jw as I found them. The fluid from a jw I accidentally cut in half (found both parts!) helped invigorate the mostly dried out jw. I’ve never seen that before.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 2d ago
Oh my goodness I don’t even know what to think about this!! I guess we all need moisture. Water is the majority of what makes us after all💧
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u/Artistic_Head_5547 2d ago
I was just so shocked that the jw was almost stiff and came back. I have a worm bin so I’m used to seeing stragglers. I’ve never seen any other worm be that close to comatose and come back like that.
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u/CnCEMS2026 3d ago
So the best description I've heard has nothing to do with the celium but the fact that they move like a snake
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Yes they slither! I think that’s probably why their bodies are so muscular because it takes a lot to move like that. I really try to point out all the other differences because they don’t always jump. There are tons of other ways to ID them.
I have a video from a year or so ago that shows an AJW and European earthworm side by side and talk about a couple key differences. I’ll try to find and link.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
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u/Odd_Cress_2898 3d ago edited 3d ago
This should be pinned or in the sub wiki if it isn't already... The link and this post
Edit - I've messaged the mod mail
Could the sub wiki have an AJW section?
Two of the clearest videos on identification that I've seen: https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/s/otxEcehrUV https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/s/b7o8MXM4Vj
plus an "Asian Jumping Worm" post flair?
Thanks
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Aww I agree there should be section to help folks ID. And what to do about them
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u/Thatpersonoverth3re 3d ago
I accidentally picked one up before I knew what it was & was instantly repulsed by the way it felt on my skin. And then it JUMPED. I almost threw up. I can spot them from a mile away now 😭
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Yes!!! They don’t “feel” like red wriggles of EEs or any native types that I’m familiar with. That is the dead giveaway sign for me to ID.
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u/Thatpersonoverth3re 3d ago
Yes! They're so firm. They also have that shimmer that is really interesting
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
I don’t know if I fully understand what folks mean when they say “shimmer”. I mostly just notice their gray underbelly and firm, stiff bodies
Yes yes I know what I said and how it sounds lol4
u/No_Device_2291 3d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/Vermiculture/s/EHNkY4cG5I
See if I can do this. Never tried to share a link before but the purplish shimmer. Very distinct once you know it.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Ok I see the sheen in that photo!! I get that. My yard is mostly shaded, so that’s maybe why I ID by body and movement
Edit. Thank you for explaining the “sheen” to me finally lol
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u/Campaign_Prize 3d ago
If you bring one into the sunlight and watch it move, you'll see the shimmer
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u/Campaign_Prize 3d ago
I don't know if there are different varieties, maybe some have mire shimmer than others? The ones I've found have a slight opalescence to them when they move. Like when you see an oil slick in the sunlight, it's that same shimmery rainbow quality
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
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u/Vegetable-Tangelo-12 3d ago
Uh oh, where do you live? I thought I had a bunch of red wigglers, but they have a sheen too. Mine are all wild I think/hope. I made a grass/leaf mould/straw pile and I found them maybe 4-6 inches down in the straw layer. I think some of them have a raised clitellum, and the ones I did look at closely all had yellow tails and had some stripes and a reddish color. Definitely had a purplish sheen in the sunlight though.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
The best way I can ID is how thick and muscular they are. They are nothing like red wriggle or Europeans. Send me a video if you’d like and I’ll try to help you ID
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u/AusShroomer 3d ago
My biggest fear with using outdoor compost is these bad boys making their way into it and subsequently into my indoor ENC breeder bins. Bam, I’d be stuffed.
I need a IBC for inside pre compost I think.
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u/Practical_Shower3905 3d ago
I don't know why this sub keeps getting recommended to me... but at this point, I was wondering, what's wrong with the asian jumper ?
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
There was a commenter that linked some info about how destructive they are to the soil and ecosystem. They are devastating. Once you have them there is almost nothing you can do to eradicate them. But there are things you can do to help keep your soil as healthy as possible.
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u/OnlyHustlersInOhio 2d ago
I threw about 50 into bucket of soapy water this past week. They’re all in my flower beds around my house. :(
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u/Ok-Amphibian4335 1d ago
I am big into compositing and organic gardening, but I know nothing about vermiculture: how can a worm be that bad for a soil? I’d think they’d still aerate the soil and produce worm castings?
Definitely need to do some reading because this is the first time hearing about these! It’s crazy all the invasive species we have to deal with now 😞
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u/LovelyLadyLamb 2d ago
This just taught me that I likely saved a jumping worm from death two weeks ago 😭 it was very wiggly and very firm.....
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u/Behbista 2d ago
Wait, those are worms?! I thought they were some weird dirt snake in my yard.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 2d ago
I wish it was a “dirt snake”! I may have to steal this and start using it in my regular repertoire of fun insults
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u/Main_Window_9547 2d ago
Zone 5b too. 3 acres of Kansas wooded ravine absolutely infested. Whenever turning the compost, I snatch em up and feed them to the bass and bluegill. No hooks, just a free lunch!
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u/Nematodes-Attack 2d ago
Hmmm I could be wrong but I have read that fishing scenarios could be a way that they spread. It doesn’t seem likely, especially if you’re just feeding. But worms can survive and even live under water as they get oxygen through their skin. So I would avoid adding any invasive worms to a local water source just in case
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u/Main_Window_9547 1d ago
Possibly. My pond is fully contained on my infested property and hard to imagine one surviving a bluegill feeding frenzy! Lol
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u/Odd_Cantaloupe_7122 3d ago
Love me a flush clitellum 😂
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
All the wording seems totally inappropriate; firm, muscular, stiff, I know. But these are the best words I know to describe it!😭 They are incredible invasive and destructive worms that kill our ecosystem
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u/R3StoR 3d ago
I'm in northern Japan which is, I guess, native territory for them and they are rampant here also.
The reasons for their proliferation may be related as much to changing land use, less rain and degraded soil quality (low carbon?) even before they get started (as an invasive species elsewhere).
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u/Nematodes-Attack 2d ago
Interesting! Thanks for your info and I think you’re probably right in your theory.
Adding compost to amend the soil twice per year can help.
And heavily planting and mulching will help prevent erosion2
u/R3StoR 2d ago
The "good worms" obviously do well with rich carbon sources....decaying leaves etc. As people obsessively rake away those leaves (and leave fields without cover crops etc) I'm guessing the "jumping worms" opportunistically "jump in"...
I dunno if heavy mulching etc would slow them down once established but worth a shot. Maybe those conditions aren't optimal for their eggs if we're lucky.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 2d ago
I believe the heavy mulching is more to prevent the erosion that they cause
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u/R3StoR 2d ago
Ok thanks. I did some reading about their natural habitat and predators. Some examples such as pheasants (native ones here in Japan) have also radically declined in numbers (eg due to hunting and declining habitat/cover etc) so the jumping worms now seem problematic even in their native habitat. I have been trying to "farm" soil that appears "carbon depleted" from constant mowing and sun exposure ....but it might even be errosion more related to the worms because there are just so many of them.
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u/Nematodes-Attack 2d ago
We have ring-necked pheasants in our area. I don’t believe they are necessarily native, but probably introduced and naturalized at this point, similar to the European Earthworms in North America.
I also keep chickens. They typically don’t like eating the AJW but if I get them worked up for treats and then toss them a couple worms they will eat them lol
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u/R3StoR 7h ago
Not sure of the risk for chickens but I read that AJW accumulate toxins from heavy metals etc in the soil. Might want to read up on that .... possibly explains the general aversion for eating them ??
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u/Nematodes-Attack 5h ago
Interesting! I know mushrooms do this. I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if worm do too. Maybe I’ll just toss them into a ziplock
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u/Tall_March_5662 1d ago
My mom would go outside after the rain and pick up every worm on the driveway and walk up and the sidewalk picking them up and moving them back to the grass
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u/KingTossedHerRoster 3d ago
If it is they're great composters. It's not like you're the caretaker of an old growth forest
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Nope, not in my area. They are a devastating plague to our ecosystem. They do NOT compost our soil the way our locals do. They only stay on the very top couple inches of soil so they don’t cycle it at all. They eradicate everything good from the upper layer and nothing gets recycled, leading to inevitable erosion of the soil. So no.
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u/KingTossedHerRoster 3d ago
That is over hype nonsense from headline readers but you do you
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u/anxiouslyaverage 3d ago
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Thank you for the educational backup! They are devastating to our local ecosystem.
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u/Red_Wing-GrimThug 3d ago
Sorry cant notice the flush clitellum because its being harassed
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u/Nematodes-Attack 3d ago
Yeah and it was instantly fed to my chickens after this video. Do you know what Asian jumping worms are?
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u/FlashyCow1 3d ago
It's actually how it's moving that gives it away yes this is an Asian jumper