Jumping worms—What's bugging you?

Public education with signage, handouts, or tables at fishing locations is a good place to start. You can also send information to bait and tackle shops, fishing groups on social media, and other locations where worms and/or fishing licenses are sold.

Compost piles that reach temperatures over 105F are lethal to all life stages of the worms. If dead worms are added to a pile that reaches this temperature, composting can be used. However, the concern is that some portions of a compost pile might remain cool if not properly managed, resulting in worms being spread to new locations when compost is distributed

No. Hammerhead worms show no indications they will become invasive. Their populations as predators are responsive to prey numbers.

Birds are not eating the adult worms which is the reproductive stage. Birds will eat the immature worms, and these are not of reproductive age.

Yes – jumping worms can affect soil texture, composition, nutrient availability, and pH. While most damage has been reported from natural areas, high tunnel vegetable production has experienced losses.

Appropriately timed rototilling can kill juvenile worms in the spring when blades chop up worms in the soil. Rototilling in the fall is ineffective because this does not destroy cocoons. Hand rototillers may not have the same force or have the same amount of cutting surfaces to effectively kill worms.

Some species of worm shed the end opposite the clitellum as a defensive strategy. However, this does not kill the worm. That said, most jumping worms will die when cut in half.

Yes, a Google Scholar search will reveal several academic papers about the range expansion of Asian jumping worms.