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Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

fwi.co.uk

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Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#21

Post by maxerickson »

pilsetnieks wrote: post #19
maxerickson wrote: post #14

In the US, invasive worms are converting forests from fungal decomposition regimes to bacterial decomposition regimes. Not a great development for mushroom foragers. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/invasive-earthwor... Fun stuff.

> Not all foreign earthworms are destructive. Of the 5,000 species around the globe, only about 16 of the European and Asian varieties do the real damage. One of them is the night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris), a popular fish bait that can measure up to 15 to 20 centimeters (six to eight inches). Another is the Alabama jumper (Amynthas agrestis)—also known as the snake worm or crazy worm—an aggressive Asian worm tha…

Sure. It's pretty much too late though.

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#22

Post by randcraw »

fouc wrote: post #12

Probably a result of tiling the soil. Disturbing the natural ecosystem of it. And pesticides too presumably. Something like permaculture could help. Chop and drop. Mulching on the spot.

True only if tilling has increased recently. The question is, what has changed since the last time the dead fields had earthworms? That's the cause. Reversing or neutralizing that change is the cure.

Let's figure out how to fix this the right way, and now, before the remaining fields die off too.

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#23

Post by optimuspaul »

photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

I noticed some worms this past fall after a downpour, it was just a few and it gave me pause. I do recall as well when I was a kid (30ish years ago) that there were a lot more worms. But I lived in the suburbs then, now I'm in the city, but near a large lake and large wooded area.

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#24

Post by markdown »

photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

Where were you a kid?

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#25

Post by photoguy112 »

twtw wrote: post #18
photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

When were you a kid?

Late 80's into 90's.

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#26

Post by duxup »

photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

My driveway gets covered with them.

They love cooking on that black top.

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#27

Post by kakarot »

photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

How were you a kid?

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#28

Post by BurningFrog »

photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

Are these the same roads?

If you moved from a farm to Manhattan, we need to talk about the setup of this study :)

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#29

Post by dorchadas »

photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

Now that you mention this, I've noticed it too. It's getting rarer and rarer to see them on the roads and driveways after a rain.

Re: Major survey finds worms are rare or absent in 20% of fields in England

#30

Post by wil421 »

photoguy112 wrote: post #13

Back when I was a kid, after a heavy downpour the roads would be crowded with earthworms. You really had to watch where you step to avoid stepping on one of those suckers. Fast forward today and I RARELY see a single worm out on the road after a similar downpour.

I still see tons of worms in the US. It’s been raining like crazy in Georgia and I’ve had to dodge a few worms. During the summer my driveway is a worm death trap. I do a lot of gardening in pots and worms always find their way inside.
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