“Is it sanitary or good for earthworms to be in the driveway?” asks this reader from Georgia. She sends in a picture of the “tremendous” number of earthworms in her driveway, which is pictured below. Now, although it may be somewhat unnerving to have so many earthworms near one’s driveway, it is not unsanitary for them to be there. It is very common for large numbers of earthworms to show up in one place, especially after heavy rainfall. This is because rain fills the dens of the earthworms underground, and since they are not aquatic worms, they have to come to the surface to breathe.

With all of that said, having an excess number of earthworms in a given ecosystem can prove harmful to the soil, as they may ‘over-fertilize it’. To clarify, earthworms fertilize soil through eating decomposing organic matter and then excreting it as a natural, nutrient rich fertilizer. However, their faeces come out as pellets, which still take a little bit of time to break down in soil, and so when there is an excess number of earthworms, there will be an excess number of faecal pellets. As such, they can actually disrupt the structure of the soil: not to mention that over-fertilization actually undermines the ‘healthiness’ of the soil.

Moving on, whether or not it is “good” to have a “tremendous” number of earthworms in one’s driveway is a matter of debate. In our opinion, it probably is not the best location for earthworms to congregate, as they will get squashed when a car pulls in or out of that driveway. So, if possible, our reader may want to move the worms away from the driveway and over to some grass. Likewise, if our reader has any dogs or cats, make sure to not let them eat any of the earthworms. Although earthworms are otherwise harmless, they can carry pathogens, disease and parasites: consumption of them is not safe.

In conclusion, it is not necessarily unsanitary to have a large number of earthworms in one’s driveway, but it is not completely safe if one has a pet that likes to munch on worms. Similarly, it is not necessarily bad to have said earthworms in one’s driveway either, but if the driveway is actively used, then it definitely is not good for the earthworms. We hope this article answers her question to a satisfactory degree, and we wish her the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Tremendous Numbers of Earthworms Show Up in This Woman's Driveway

Description

"Is it sanitary or good for earthworms to be in the driveway?" asks this reader from Georgia. She sends in a picture of the "tremendous" number of earthworms in her driveway, which is pictured below.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton