Thank you for your report! From your description it does sound like jumping worms. There are more than 10 species 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. Or, you can check out the form at https://www.oregon.gov/oda/programs/IPPM/InsectsSpiders/Pages/IdentifyInsect.aspx.

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) 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.

Lindsey Wise
July 18, 2022, 1:58 a.m.