Land Mollusks and Worms - native

Land Mollusk or Worm (unknown species) (various) on Jul 27, 2021

Originally reported as Crazy Snake Worm (jumping worm) (Amynthas spp.)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

Small, dark red worms that are not still, but curling up unexpectedly and jumping off the ground. There were about five of them together. We do not have a sample. However, as we continue to get rid of the chips, we will keep an eye out for more and capture them.

Commentary

Hello and thank you for your report! This could be a jumping worm, though they tend to be brownish red, so there's a potential these could be red wrigglers or another species.

There are more than 10 species of jumping worms in North American commerce and only one has been documented in Oregon, so we are interested in getting specimens to try and keep track of species present. If you are able to take a specimen (collect in a water-tight container with isopropyl alcohol) I can tell you where to send it in to the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture.
Eliminating worms entirely may not be feasible, but there are some things you can try. Worms can't survive soils that are heated to 104 degrees F or higher, so composting soils can kill them, or tarping soil in direct sunlight. Pouring dilute mustard Mix 1 gallon of water with 1/3 cup of ground yellow mustard seed and pouring slowly into the soil will cause worms to rise to the surface, but isn't an effective treatment as you're not going to catch all of them or remove cocoons in this way. The resources for these tips are at https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/103692 and https://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sites/seagrant.oregonstate.edu/files/jumping_worm_outreach_material.pdf. Thank you for sharing your report, this helps us understand the distribution and spread of invasive species!- Lindsey

Lindsey Wise
July 29, 2021, 8:08 a.m.