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Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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Posted by Christi_73 z7b NC (My Page) on Tue, Jun 28, 05 at 20:33
| I am a newbie here, and have been hanging around for a while reading all of your postings and learning a lot. I just want to say that I love this forum!!! I am so glad there are other people like me who enjoy earthworms.....My 3 yr old loves them and my hubby thinks I am nuts...lol Anyway, So I started my worm bin about a month ago, and all is going well. I plan on using my castings in my garden and around the yard. Well today we had a real gully washer of a rainstorm and as I was walking around after the rainstorm saving all the disoriented worms from the driveway...I found a planarian wrestling with an earthworm and quickly put it into a cup of bleach solution. I then was walking through the garden and found another, and at the same time my hubby found another on the driveway. I have read that these little critters will do much harm to earthworm populations. I am really worried that I have a whole lot of them around and want to know if there is any way to get rid of them!!! Please help! Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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Hi,Christi!
It is very important to kill the flatworm. I did some research, and it seems they can reproduce from any little segment of their body. Grow new heads, etc. Science fiction stuff!!
See link below for interesting info. And unfortunately, according to this article, these predators can decimate our earthworm population.
Everyday we continue to learn how 'introduced species' are harming our environment.
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Here is a link that might be useful: planaria (flatworm) info
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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| Ok, hang on a moment; there really is no reason to panic, nor is there likely any reason to be overly concerned about the flatworms (planarians) you saw on your property, Christi. There are a few planarian species common to your area, and they've been there just about as long as have the earthworms. Like almost all predators, the planarian helps to keep earthworm populations in balance and is a beneficial part of a healthy ecosystem. The planarian damage you read about is pretty well limited to Australia and areas of New Zealand and the UK, and is the result of highly competitive alien species being accidentially introduced into ecosystems with no predators to control their numbers. We don't have planarian problems in North America. The planarian activity you saw was normal ecosystem balancing, nothing more. We enjoy and appreciate our earthworms, but we must remember that part of their function on this little planet is to serve as a food source for other organisms. What you saw after the rain in NC, Christi, were a few worms performing just as nature intended. All is right with the world! ::grin:: Kelly S |
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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| Also, I wonder how good planarians are at digging. I'm thinkin' the earthworms are under the soil and safe unless they surface. Planarians could also eat slugs, and that would be a very good thing! Those planarians are probably food for something else....(sing) the circle, the circle of life!! |
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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| Thanks for all the info....I really appreciate it. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't increasing the planarian numbers by trying to increase my earthworm numbers in my garden and yard. I guess they just freaked me out a little....Thanks again. I guess when you think about it, frogs are just as bad and we have a lot of those here too...lol |
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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| How can I acquire some of these flatworms?? My small lawn is ruined every year by earthworms. I re-seed 3x per year, only to watch it all get eaten/ruined by the earthworms. I have millions of them, and can't find a way to get rid of them (or at least reduce their numbers). I would like to introduce some planaria to keep things in balance. Any ideas how to get some? |
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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| aeron, how do you figure the earthworms are ruining your lawn, chances are it is another pest which is feed on your sod, 99.9 percent of earthworms eat DECAYING matter, not lush green plants. |
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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| Aeron, Earthworms don't hurt lawns, they help them by aerating the soil! Earthworms don't eat grass or grass roots. If you don't believe me, Google "earthworm diet". Grass won't be anywhere on the list. Something else is killing your lawn - but it's not earthworms! |
RE: Worm preditor...How do I get rid of It???
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| Earthworms never hurt a lawn. In fact they help it. If you dont want them ship them up to me in MD Eastern shore. |
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