These invasive worms in NJ can jump — and that’s not the worst thing about them

🔴 Invasive jumping worms are spreading fast across New Jersey forests
🌳 Experts warn the worms destroy healthy soil and threaten ecosystems
🔴NJ scientists say stopping them could take costly biological research

Invasive worms that can leap a foot in the air are spreading across New Jersey and dozens of other states in the U.S., and while many people may think earthworms are good for our soil, think again. These invasive creatures are very harmful.

Invasive jumping worms spreading across New Jersey forests

Jumping worms, as they are called, are red, brown, and sometimes metallic-looking. They can grow to six inches long, and yes, they can jump as high as a foot in the air.

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The only good thing they’re good for is to compact the soil in our vegetable garden or compost bin, said Dr. Emile DeVito, manager of science and stewardship at NJ Conservation Foundation.

But in the forest, they are bad because these invasive worms from Asia eat all the organic nutrients in the soil.

“It’s really unfortunate that we are importing species from all over the world that are doing tremendous harm to our ecosystems, and there’s really nothing we can do about it,” Dr. DeVito said.

Why Asian jumping worms are dangerous to NJ ecosystems

The worms are harmless to people and our gardens because we can do things to fertilize and make our plants and vegetables grow. But, unfortunately, we can’t fertilize a forest or put organic matter back onto the forest floor, DeVito said.

The worms consume organic material and create castes, which are pellets of mineral soil that they excrete. It’s worthless because it has no nutrients in it, he explained.
“So, they turn a healthy, organic forest or meadow soil into basically a pile of useless dirt that our native species cannot grow in,” DeVito said.

They’re spreading all over the place because they’re in potted plants and soil, and their eggs are being carried around on the hooves of deer, and they’re everywhere, he said.

Can New Jersey stop invasive jumping worms?

Not much can be done to get rid of Asian jumping worms. If they’re in our gardens, they’re everywhere. Spraying pesticides is a waste of time because it’s not like you can spray an entire forest, DeVito said.

Some pest experts suggest drowning the worms in vinegar, sealing them in a plastic bag, and leaving the bag in the sun for 10 minutes before throwing it away. But, again, DeVito calls it a waste of time, vinegar, and plastic baggies because they are everywhere.

The only thing we can do as a society to stop the Asian jumping worms from destroying our forests and ecosystems is biological control. A lot of research needs to be done, DeVito said.

“We have to find pathogens from the place of origin of these worms. We have to find things like fungi, viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms that could control them, which are not present here. That’s the reason why they get so out of control because they have no natural controls,” DeVito said.

NJ lab fighting invasive species says funding is lacking

Research has to be done to isolate these things in a laboratory, and at the same time, do minimal harm to the native species that are already here, which DeVito said is extremely expensive.

There is one laboratory in New Jersey called the Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory in Ewing, that specializes in finding biological controls for invasive species, but they are poorly funded, he said.

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