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Posted in Centipedes and Millipedes Garden Worms

The Impact of Thin Black Worms on Plants

One of our readers asked about the impact of “thin black worms with many legs” on her plants. We believe she is probably dealing with millipedes, and that she shouldn’t worry because they are typically beneficial.

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Posted in Caterpillars Garden Worms

Clusters of Worms Found in Garden Under Stones

Today we will discuss some worm-like organisms that a reader discovered under stones in her garden. She wrote that she keeps finding large clusters of them and is curious about what they are.

red pink worm in germany
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Posted in Interesting Worms

Red, Pink Worm in Garden in Germany

A red worm was found by a reader in Northern Germany – or perhaps we should say ein roter Wurm wurde von einem Leser in Norddeutschland gefunden – and he wrote to us to see if we might be able to identify it. The worm was found in a garden, where it was mostly underground, and it is not exactly red. Its overall body is more like a pinkish color, but the bottom of the worm’s body is almost white. More precisely, the color of the worm fades as you move down its body – the top is a red or dark pink color, the middle is a light pink, and then the bottom is almost entirely white. What might our reader have found?

one-inch white worm in garden
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Posted in Garden Worms

One-Inch White Worm or Larvae in Garden

We recently received a question through the All About Worms Facebook page about a white worm in the top soil of a reader’s garden. The white worm (or potentially white larva) is about an inch long (2.5 centimeters) and is fairly skinny. The reader was only looking for an identification, so we’ve concentrated our efforts on this matter. What could a one-inch white worm or larva in the garden be?

earthworm in dirt
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Posted in Garden Worms

How to Get Rid of One Inch Brown Worms in Mulch

We received this somewhat vague and difficult to decipher question a few day ago from a reader: “how do I get rid of one inch brown worms into mulch flowers beds and patio?” The first part – about getting rid of the brown worms – is easy enough to understand, but the second part is a little harder to get a handle on. Presumably, the reader found the brown worms in (as opposed to “into”) his flower beds, but we aren’t sure what this has to do with his patio. Perhaps the one inch brown worms are in his flower bed and on his patio, and since they are a nuisance, he wants to get rid of them? This is as reasonable of an interpretation as we can come up with, so we’ll go ahead assume this is the reader’s situation and proceed accordingly.

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Posted in Garden Worms

Fat, Brown Worms in the Garden

We received an interesting, if somewhat vague, question from a reader about a brown worm he found in the garden. The worm was described as not only “brown,” but also “fat.” The fat, brown worm is about two inches (five centimeters) long, and its body dimensions resemble that of the “tomato hook worm,” by which we are fairly sure our reader meant “tomato hornworm,” the larval form of a moth (Manduca sexta), making the tomato hornworm a caterpillar. Speaking of caterpillars, it is possible our reader found a fat, brown caterpillar, as opposed to a fat, brown worm, so that is something to keep in mind as we consider some possibilities for what our reader might have found in this garden.

earthworm in dirt
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Posted in Earthworms Garden Worms Worm Castings

Worms in Your Garden

We recently received another question from a reader about worms and gardens, which is a perennial topic of concern among our readers. If you are into gardening, you have to pay attention to worms. Our reader found some worms under a dead plant near her house. A couple of the worms were somewhat long, around six inches in length, but one of them was short and plump, at least relative to the long worms. Thinking the worms would be good for the soil, the reader moved them into her garden. Upon doing this, it occurred to the reader that she might have introduced something into her garden that isn’t conducive to its health. After all, she found the worms under a dead plant, and she worried that the worms might have caused this plant’s death. More generally, the reader was wondering, what worms are suitable for one’s garden?

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Posted in Interesting Worms

What is a Jack Pine Budworm?

The jack pine budworm occurs on a regular cycle, but the budworm has only one generation each year. Jack pine eggs typically hatch within 10-14 days.