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Posted in Earthworms Garden Worms

How to Repel (Not Kill) Earthworms

The 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.

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Posted in Earthworms

Worms That Appear After Rain Are Probably Earthworms

one of our readers discovered hundreds (or maybe even thousands!) of long, red worms outside of her home after experiencing some rain. We think these are earthworms.

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Posted in Earthworms

Pink Worm in Toilet is an Earthworm

We just heard from a reader who found a worm swimming in her toilet bowl at work. She sent us some great photos and requests answers to the following two questions: What kind of worm is it and how did it end up in the toilet? Finally, she added that her work building is in an older part of town where there is some standing water around the building.

earthworm in dirt
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Posted in Earthworms Interesting Worms

How to Get Rid of Worms in Your House Using Natural and Non-Toxic Methods

Although our site is called “All About Worms” we deal with a variety of different creatures that aren’t technically worms. Often, when people reach out to us about a specimen they have discovered in their home, it is actually larvae of a moth or fly. However, on occasion, our readers do in fact discover worms. Most often, these are earthworms, and so this is what we will focus on. This post will inform readers of the simple way to remove earthworms from their homes using natural and non-toxic methods.

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Posted in Segmented Worms Annelida

Segmented Worms – Phylum Annelida

Segmented worms are placed in the phylum Annelida, which consists of over 12,000 species of segmented worms grouped into three classes comprising freshwater worms and earthworms, marine worms, and leeches.

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Posted in Bristle Worms Marine Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Bristle Worms

There are nearly 10,000 species of bristle worm. Bristle worms can be tiny or large. Bristle worms can be benign or predatory. In fact, the bristle worm family is as diverse a worm family as one could hope to find.

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Posted in Leeches Marine Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Leeches – Medical Friend or Deadly Predator?

What do you know about leeches? Once valued, then reviled, the leech has never been completely understood. To some, it is a lifesaving tool of medicine; to others, leeches are deadly predators. Who’s right?

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Posted in Earthworms Garden Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Earthworms

So you think all earthworms are the same? Think again! There are 4400 known species of earthworms on our planet!

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Posted in Segmented Worms Annelida

Segmented Worms

Do you know how many species of segmented worms there are? Did you know that segmented worms are highly evolved, with a circulatory system and complex nervous system? There are over 12,000 species of segmented worm – how many segmented worms can you name?

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Posted in Earthworms Garden Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

10 Great Earth Worm Facts

These 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!

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Posted in Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Facts Worms Generally

Do Worms Have Feet?

“Do worms have feet?” asks Max in his submission. He does not include any photos, or any more context behind his question, but we will do our best to answer it nonetheless. The short answer is ‘no’. But if we take this a step further and ask why worms do not have feet, we get to the root of what worms really are to begin with. It would probably take studying the evolutionary history of worms to fully understand where this creature came from and to explain its footless state. Funnily enough, “a fossilized worm found” only a few years ago had scientists speculating that this creature may have been “key to the evolution of much of the animal kingdom”. So maybe we were all footless, legless worms at some point in time.

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Found in the House

Long Black Worm in Toilet is an Earthworm

“Tonight I went to use the bathroom to urinate but when I looked down I noticed a living worm there”, writes Alberto in his submission regarding the dark, long, worm-like creature pictured below. “My first thought was that the worm came from me, and that it was a parasite (I did use the bathroom in the morning, but I didn’t use the bathroom until the night when I saw the worm), but when I started researching in Google it didn’t seem like the worm looked like the typical parasite that infects humans. Those seem to be white or cream, while this worm looks black with a bit of red and some transparent parts when it stretches. Also I didn’t have any symptoms the days before, like itching, however I did have some light digestive looseness the day before, but I think I’m pretty sure it was something I ate the same day, but I’m not sure though. I did take a dewormer just in case, but I would like to be sure if that worm could be a parasite that came from me. I’d leave a video and some other pics of the worm, thank you very much! I live in Monterrey, Mexico.”

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Found in the House

Worms in Basement Toilet are Likely Earthworms

“I found the worms in the attached photo in the toilet in my basement which is not frequently used”, writes Emma in her submission regarding the mass of worms pictured below. “This is the second time we have found worms in this toilet in the past six months. Would you be able to identify them for me? Thank you!” Unfortunately, Emma’s photo is taken so far away from the worms that when we zoom in, the details become too blurry for us to give a confident and accurate identification. That said, we will still give an educated guess based on the general shape and coloration of the worms.

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Tiger Worm

Big Purple Worm in Puddle is an Earthworm

“I found this worm in a puddle of water on top of a tarp”, writes Donna in her submission regarding the long, thick, purple worm pictured below. “It appears to not like to dry out. It seems happiest just laying in the water. The mouth has this white tongue it sticks out. When disturbed it does jump a little like the Asian jumping worms, but not as extreme. It also can crawl backwards as well as forwards. Pics attached. I am a returning reader.” Firstly, welcome back to Donna. Secondly, we think the connection she made to the Asian jumping worm is very appropriate, because just like the Asian jumping worm, we think the critter Donna found is an earthworm.

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Posted in Centipedes and Millipedes Composting Worms Earthworms

White and Brown Worm-like Organisms with Antennae in Compost Bin are Millipedes

“In addition to, thankfully, lots of earthworms, I often find small worm-like creatures in my (UK) home-made compost (see picture, which I will hopefully be able to attach)”, writes John in his submission regarding the tiny, cream-white and brown, worm-like creatures pictured below. “These are about three quarters to one inch long. What are they, and will they harm plants? Many thanks if you’re able to reply.” Upon zooming in on these critters, we can see that their bodies are segmented and that tiny antennae sprout from their heads. This fact, coupled with the shape of their bodies and the location in which they were found tells us that John has found millipedes.

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms in Humans

Long Pink Worm in Toilet is an Earthworm

“I found it in my stool/poop”, writes Shagufta in her submission regarding the long, pink worm pictured below. “The picture attached, in fact, [was taken] before [my] stool. What should I do?” Typically, we cannot respond to these types of submissions with much information regarding the identity of the worms, meaning those submissions which have to do with worms that come from people’s bodies. Given the potential health-related implications of finding an organism in one’s body, we are neither qualified or legally able to identify such an organism. Only a medical professional is. Of course, that is not really what Shagufta is asking: she asks what she should do. But, it is important that we note the second thing Shagufta writes in her submission; the photo was taken before she used the bathroom. This completely contradicts what she writes in the beginning, so we still want to tread with caution here.

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Posted in Earthworms Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Long Red Worm in Toilet is an Earthworm

“Dear All About Worms Community, could you please let me know what kind of worm is this one that I have found in my toilet?” asks HC in their submission regarding the long, brown/red worm-like organism pictured below. “Does it look like a parasite to you? Thanks and kind regards.” To answer HC’s first question right off the bat, the worm they found is an earthworm. Earthworms are not parasites, so HC needs not worry about that. With that said, we actually cannot answer their second question directly, as only a medical professional is qualified and legally able to confirm the identity of parasites (which we are not), given the medical implications of their discovery. So, we will not be able to state whether or not this worm looks like a parasite, but we will say that it looks like an earthworm.

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Generally

The Various Species of Earthworms and Their Differences – Part 3: The Giants

Welcome to the third and potentially final installment of a series of articles we have written on the various earthworms and their differences. If you have not read the first two articles, we covered the common earthworm, the Asian jumping worm, and more. In this installment, we will be focusing on some particularly fantastic earthworms, mainly those of the giant variety. We use the term ‘giant’ loosely. Our readers need not fear running into a worm the size of those in ‘Dune’, but relative to other earthworms (and worms in general) these guys are nonetheless pretty big.

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Facts

The Various Species of Earthworms and Their Differences – Part 2: Pheretima and Jumping Worms

Welcome to the next installment in the earthworm series. This is the second in a set of three, which aims to provide a brief overview of some of the most notable and often-discussed species of earthworms. If you have not read the first article, we covered the common earthworm and the tiger worm in that one. In this sequel, we will be looking at pheretima earthworms and the Asian jumping worm. These two species are pretty well-established in the helminthology world, though sources on the pheretima earthworm seem to provide conflicting accounts about their physical characteristics.

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Posted in Composting Worms Red Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Pile of Hundreds of Worms in Crevice are Red Worms

“I was blowing debris by the front door and I blew some pink stuff I thought was fungus from one crack, then when I was about to blow more of it from the other side of the porch, I noticed they were moving”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the mass of red worms pictured below. “There were hundreds of these worms in piles. If they are earth worms, which we do have around here, I will leave them be since they are good for the soil, despite the fact that I am very grossed out by this strange phenomenon and I would prefer they not be on our porch. If they are something invasive or going to turn into bugs, I would like to eradicate them. We have a lot of frogs and toads around so maybe they will take care of it for me tonight. I live in the Central Florida area. Thanks in advance.”