Articles About Earthworm
Whether they live in the cool damp soil or on a white sand beach, most worms belong to the segmented worms group. There are more than 9,000 species of segmented worms in existence today.
Do Worms Eat Plants?Worms eat more than just plants. They eat dead grass and dirt too! Leaves and dead grass contain organisms that provide a steady diet of bacteria, algae, and fungi. Worms also eat fruits, and antioxidant rich vegetables.
What Do Worms Eat?Worms feast on dirt as well—especially if they live deeper inside the earth than the norm. Worms also eat plants, fruits, and antioxidant rich vegetables.
Are Caterpillar Parts Like Worm Parts?In general, worms and caterpillars move slowly, but when either creature senses danger or a predator, they move quickly.
Caterpillar or Worm?One of the most obvious differences between caterpillars and worms is caterpillars move around on three pairs of legs, while worms have no limbs at all. Worms move around by contracting their segments.
Can a Worm See?Earthworms have light-sensitive cells located throughout the outer layer of the skin. Earthworms cannot use these cells to see, but they help worms detect light and changes in light intensity. These light-sensitive cells are also sensitive to touch and chemicals.
Aggressive Earthworms?For the most part, earthworms are gentle creatures that are critical to the survival of plants, flowers, and trees. Aggressive earthworm species do exist, but they are typically not found in the average backyard or garden.
Types of Worm BitesEarthworms don’t actually bite, but their skin can cause major irritation on human skin if contact last more than a few minutes. The irritation is not a result of the actual worm skin but rather the materials that worms pick up as they writhe, wriggle, and borough inside the earth and along the ground.
How Fast Do Earthworms Travel?The speed at which earthworms travel depends on the size of the earthworm. A small earthworm travels at a rate of around 27 feet per hour (0.2 centimeters per second).
Feeding Compost WormsThere are a number of rules to follow when feeding compost worms. It is important to avoid feeding bones, meat, fat, cheese or dairy, grass, twigs or wood, banana peels, or any synthetic materials to your red worms.
What is a Flat Worm?A flat worm, also spelled “flatworm,” is native to Indo-China, but it makes its way around the world by traveling in greenhouse plants. For the most part, flat worms can survive just about anywhere, so no one region is 100% safe.
Worm Digestive System: How Does It Work?When the worm eats its food, it pulls the materials into its mouth with the help of the pharynx and its prostomium, also called “acron”.
Grubs and CompostingIf you plan to find your own worms, then you should examine the soil and the worms for grubs. Simply sift through the worms and soil to look for larvae.
What Causes Worms to Die?While worms need moisture to survive, too much moisture can be fatal. If too much water is present, it takes the place of oxygen, which will cause the worms to flee to the surface.
Mealy WormsThe mealy worm is the larva of the mealworm beetle, which is a species of the darkling beetle. Because of their high protein content, mealy worms are mostly used as a food source, but they can also be used for composting.
How to Repel (Not Kill) EarthwormsThe earthworm’s moist, sustenance rich environment plays an extremely important role in reproduction as well. Worms prefer to mate and reproduce in warm moist soil, away from the light. If the conditions are not suitable for reproduction, the worms won’t reproduce.
How to Get Rid of Grubs without Harming EarthwormsGrub worms feed on plants and the roots of turf grasses and the adult beetles feed on trees, shrubs, and other foliage. While grub worms are harmless to humans, they can be devastating to crops mainly because they feed on crop roots.
Web Worms in Pecan Trees: Can You Safely Remove them on Your Own?A professional home and garden exterminator will know exactly how to kill the pests in your pecan trees without killing the earthworms below.
What Do Inchworms Eat?Inchworms may be small, but they have a voracious appetite for healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Depending on the type of inchworm, these greedy little creatures will nosh their way through crops until there’s nothing left!
Different Types of WormsThere are literally thousands of different types of worms on the earth. Some can be found in just about any garden or backyard, while others may be found buried beneath the sand on hundreds of beaches overseas.
How to Get Rid of the Flat WormThe flat worm is usually medium-brown in color with dark markings or stripes. Some worms may appear gray to greenish/gray as well. All types feed on earthworms, so beware.
Raising Fishing WormsNot all worms thrive under identical conditions, so its best to stick to one type of worm. It is also good to stick to one type of worm if you are interested in maintaining a small scale “worm farm.”
Limb Boring WormThe limb boring worm tunnels into hard materials such as rocks and shells. While you may never witness a boring worm in action, you may notice their bodies sticking out of mollusk shells and rock cracks after they have tunneled through.
Identifying WormsThere are three broad ecological groups that have been identified for earthworms including: epigeic, endogeic, and anecic. The groups are based on what the earthworms eat and where they tend to live in the soil.
“Sand Case” Carrying Worm?Worms called gastrotrichs have bodies covered with tiny tubes that secrete a cement. The cement tubes make it appear as though the worm is carrying a case filled with sand!
How to Raise Earth WormsWhen raising earth worms, you won’t have to “turn” your worm system. When composting, it is essential to turn your worm system to encourage aeration.
Facts About WormsWorms eat so much that they typically produce excrement equal to their own weight every 24 hours.
Garden WormsGarden worms come in all shapes and sizes and believe it or not, they play a major role in the survival of our fruits, vegetables, trees, and plants. There are so many worms living inside the earth that it would be impossible to list them all here. Fortunately, there are some worm groups that are larger than others.
Worm Holes (Not the Ones in Space – the Ones Made by Worms)When worms create worm holes, this activity aerates and mixes the soil and it is constructive to mineralization and nutrient uptake by vegetation. This is crucial to the health of the earth and soil for gardening and farming.
Pictures of WormsIf you are searching for a large number of pictures of worms in one place, there are several excellent websites to choose from. Just a few include: Photo Vault and Pic Search. If you have a specific worm or worms in mind, MSN Encarta is also an excellent resource.
Earth WormEarth worms belong to one of several different types of ecological groups. There are three broad ecological groups that have been identified for earth worms including: epigeic, endogeic, and anecic.
Do Worms Live Alone or In Groups?Rarely will you find a lone worm writhing around in the soil with no other worms to be found. Worms must live in the soil, but not just any soil. Due to certain ideal conditions, large numbers of worms will gravitate towards certain areas. This means that you will find worms living in large groups, [...]
How to Get Rid of Hammerhead FlatwormsIf you attempt to chop up a hammerhead flatworm or even smash it, the pieces will only regenerate into new hammerhead flatworms.
Can Earthworms Live in Mulch?Worms can be found at just about every corner of the earth. They live in trees, in bark, and under rocks as well as along rivers and near springs, and ponds. Their favorite place to live, however, is in the earth’s rich soil.
Segmented WormsThe earthworm is by far the most vast and varied group of segmented worms on the planet. Just think, there are more than 2,700 different types or earthworm living in every corner of the earth today.
Worm PicturesIf you’re interested in worm pictures, you can always find them online, of course. However, some online resources for worm pictures are much better than others. Many online resources offer only a few worm pictures while others may offer hundreds. If you’re looking for a large number of worm pictures all in one place, there [...]
Worm BinsWorm bins are used for worm composting. Depending on the scale of your composting project, the size of the worm bin will vary. Some systems are “small scale” while others may be “large scale.” Small scale worm bins may be homemade or purchased from a retailer. Small scale worm bins are made of wood, plastic, [...]
Worm HoleWorm hole is defined as a hypothetical passage in space-time connecting widely separated parts of the universe. Worm hole has a second definition as well. It is also defined as a hole made by a burrowing worm. There are many different types of burrowing worms. Some are considered deep burrowing worms while others are considered [...]
What Do Worms Eat?They say flies are the filthiest insects on earth. Flies will feast on just about anything, including feces, dead animals, and even blood. They also eat nectar, plant sap, and other insects. At the opposite end of the spectrum are worms. Worms are among the “cleanest” insects on earth. They don’t dine on blood or [...]
Raising WormsThe process for raising worms is much like the process for worm composting. The same materials used for composting worms are the same for raising worms. The reasons for using these materials are the same in both cases as well. The only difference between raising worms and composting worms using the same method is that [...]
Why are Worms Slimy?Worms have the ability to coat themselves in mucus. Worms must coat themselves in mucus in order to absorb oxygen. By coating themselves in mucus, dissolved oxygen is free to pass into the worms bloodstream.
About Worms
There are more than 4,400 species of worms, with more than 2,700 species of earthworms alone. Earthworms can be [...]
Red worms have so many different names and spellings, that it would be tough to list them all here, but just a few of the other names and spellings for red worms include: Red Wigglers, Red Wiggler, Brandlings, Earthworms, Earth Worms, Redworms, Manure Worms, Red Wiggler Worms, Trout Worms, Compost Worms, and Tiger Worms.
Red [...]
Worm identification falls under the branch of zoology dealing with insects called, entomology. According to the MSN Encarta Encyclopedia:
“Although insects were studied as early as the 4th century bc, particularly by Aristotle, the modern science did not begin to develop until the 17th century ad. The science of entomology received great impetus in the [...]
There are so many worms living inside the earth that it’s impossible to list them all here. That said, there are some worm groups that are larger than others such as the earthworm and the inch worm. While there are more than 4,400 different types of worms, there are 2,700 different types or earthworm alone [...]
Anatomy of a WormWhile a lizard will lose its tail as a means of protection, if a worm loses either end (the anterior or the posterior) it’s usually at the hands of a predator, an unfortunate accident or a curious human that believes the worm will regenerate if they chop it in half. Unlike lizards, the worm protects [...]
Worms and “Coiling”There are literally hundreds of thousands of worm species in the world today and roughly 2,700 are earthworms. Although there are thousands of different species of worms around the world, worms share a number of common characteristics. Their physical characteristics are similar as well as their diet, reproduction, where they live, and defense mechanisms.
Worm [...]
There are more than 2,700 species of earthworms in existence today and they can be found in just about every corner of the earth. They live in trees, in bark, and under rocks as well as along rivers and near springs, and ponds. Their favorite place to live, however, is in the earth’s rich soil. [...]
How do worms survive in the soil?Did you know that worms are 1,000 times stronger than humans? Did you know that worms are hemaphrodites? This means they have both male and female sex organs! Worms are amazing creatures, so these are just a few interesting facts about our cold-blooded friends. Another interesting characteristic of the worm is its habitat. Worms live [...]
The Hammerhead FlatwormThe hammerhead flatworm can reach up to 20 inches long and its body is very slimy, which allows it to move along the ground in a gliding motion. The body secretes mucus from glands on its belly or underside. The hammerhead is native to Indo-China, but it makes its way around the world by traveling in greenhouse plants.
Where do earthworms live?Besides the Sahara Desert, it is unlikely that you will find large numbers of worms living in “sandy” areas, especially sandy beaches. You see, the vast majority of worms on our planet can only survive under certain conditions.
Methods to Treat Flatworms in Your SystemWhile the flatworm is considered the simplest of the worm groups, there is nothing simple about getting rid of them if you have an infestation. These pesky creatures reproduce at an alarming rate by simply splitting in two. There are no mating rituals and no eggs to hatch. When the flatworm splits, it immediately forms a new flatworm, and so on and so on, until you have thousands of flatworms in your system. This means that the flatworms may be feeding off of your fishes’ skin and eyes, so all of the fish in your system will eventually die.
Worm BitesWhether you live in the city or the country, chances are you have experienced an itchy bump on your skin from a spider bite or more commonly, an insect bite. For the most part, insect bites are hardly ever serious and very rarely are they fatal. If an insect such as a fly has bitten you or a mosquito or even a worm, you can relax — chances are you won’t die from these types of bites.
Worm Anatomy: Tube Within a TubeIn worm anatomy, the tube-within-a tube digestive system is efficient and sometimes complex. The term is a reference to the one-way food consumption process that’s common in all annelids.
Earthworms & Other Peaceful Inhabitants in the BinEarthworm bins are alive with activity. Many beneficial creatures, along with bacteria, molds, and fungi make it a comfortable and healthy environment.
Pot Worms: Classic Soil InhabitantsPot worms commonly share space in earthworm farms and compost piles. They can greatly outnumber their segmented relatives without causing any harm.
EarthwormsSo you think all earthworms are the same? Think again! There are 2700 known species of earthworms on our planet!
10 Great Earth Worm FactsThese ten great earthworm facts will convince you that the earthworm is an amazing creature. Test your own knowledge against these 10 great earth worm facts!
Want more about this topic? Check out our Forums→→ Writers and worm enthusiasts! Do you want to contribute an article to our collection? If so, send us an email here.
Like Our Site? Link to All About Worms!
Just copy this code, and put it wherever you'd like on your website!: