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-   -   Dew worms in your lawn (http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=15934)

sturgeonhound 05-29-2008 09:46 AM

Dew worms in your lawn
 
I noticed a few small mounds of dirt in one area of my lawn last night. I think they are dew worms. I would like to get rid of them before they destroy my whole lawn. Does anyone know of a way I can get rid of them?

Waxy 05-29-2008 10:05 AM

My whole neighborhood has been overrun with them. Every lawn around me looks like a mine field. It's amazing the damage they do.

I've never come across a way to get rid of them. I tired the "grub-out" stuff, it didn't work and I hate to use too many chemicals. I even dug out my entire back lawn and re-sodded. They were back again within a year.

If you can find a way, nip them in the bud ASAP.

About the only thing I can do at this point is open up a bait shop...

Waxy

artie 05-29-2008 10:14 AM

sand
 
I have heard that people have had good success by putting a thick layer of sand on top of the grass. The sand irrates the worms and they leave.

WCTHEMI 05-29-2008 10:22 AM

Interesting, might have to try the sand out, I also have a major infestation of them as well.

Waxy 05-29-2008 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by artie (Post 153127)
I have heard that people have had good success by putting a thick layer of sand on top of the grass. The sand irrates the worms and they leave.

Huh, I'll have to try that on a patch in the back yard.

Thanks for the tip...

Waxy

troller 05-29-2008 10:59 AM

Good luck guys. It doesn't sound like an easy job by a long shot.

http://www.oxfordcroquet.com/care/worms/index.asp

"Dew Worms

Dew Worms
Many people complain about the presence of dew worms in their yards, and their lumpy lawns.
Dew worms are ‘Nightcrawlers’ or Lumbricus terrestris. They live deep in the ground, with vertical burrows as long as 2.5 meters, and can live up to 9 years. They come up to the surface to eat plant litter, and also to cast off soil and waste products (resulting in the mounds on your lawn).
These are a few things you can do to reduce the damage they cause.
1. Remove the thatch on your lawn, as this disturbs the burrows.
2. Water the lawn less frequently, about every 10 days, will drive them deeper into the ground.
3. Top dressing the soil with sand, as this irritates the worms.
If you are planning an event and want a quick fix, you can roll the lawn with a heavy roller (available from rentals companies), power rake it, and let it dry."

http://prairiescapes.blogspot.com/20...dew-worms.html (bottom of page)

BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES 05-29-2008 11:07 AM

I saw gather 10 or 20 put em in a butteer tub and sell them 2.50 a tub.:lol: :lol: :lol:

Northern_Hunting_Mom 05-29-2008 11:21 AM

Just found this on a website. I haven't tried it.

There is a way to get rid of earthworms called the Hot Mustard Method. I've never had a problem with nightcrawlers, so I've never tried this method, but I hear it does work.
First you put 53 grams of hot mustard powder into a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Add 125 ml of water, 50 ml at a time stir constantly till it forms a paste which is thick, but still pourable. Add more water to get the right consistency, be sure there are no lumps, then put the lid on and let the hotness develop for at least two hours. The vapors it gives off may make your eyes burn, so mix this up in a well ventilated place.
Try using this mix in a small area first. Place a 2x2 foot square box on your lawn, then bank up soil around it so the mustard mix won't run out.
What you need next is a plastic bucket that has graduated measurements in litres. Add 3L of water. Pour in the mustard mix, cleaning out the container with a spatula. Use a whisk and stir vigorously to get rid of any lumps. Add water to the 7L mark and stir again. If left the mustard grains will settle on the bottom, so be sure to keep it stirred. Pour the mixture into a plastic sprinkling can and slowly cover the surface of the lawn with the solution and allow it to sink in. The mixture should start to work in 1-2 minutes, at which time you should begin to pick the worms and place them in a bucket, keeping them cool and damp. After 20 minutes the affect of the mustard will be gone.
Be sure you wait till the worms are totally out of the ground before you pick them or they will pull back into their hole and they will rip in half. The worms should be rinsed at least twice in clear water, then placed in a bin of ripped newspaper, vegetable scraps and a few handfuls of soil, dampened down. I would suggest putting the regular earth worms back onto another part of your lawn, so they can continue to aerate and feed it.
Good luck with those earthworms, whatever you decide to do with them. See you next week!

Waxy 05-29-2008 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIGBADJOHN (Post 153150)
I saw gather 10 or 20 put em in a butteer tub and sell them 2.50 a tub.:lol: :lol: :lol:

I could, believe me. When I re-sodded a couple years ago it was amazing, they came up at night and would bunch up under the new sod. All I had to do was roll it back and scoop them up, they were nicer than any worm I've ever bought. 7-8" long and FAT.

If I knew exactly how to trap them consistently, I'd be all over it. :D :lol:

Waxy

wallslammer 05-29-2008 11:22 AM

Beer
 
Water your lawn in the evening , then pour beer in a shallow cookie sheet, put the cookie sheet on your trouble spot overnight , in the morning your cookie sheet should be full of dead worms

Redfrog 05-29-2008 11:31 AM

So you got worms eh?:lol: :lol: :lol:

Just when I think I've seen it all, I visit AO and learn something new.:D

I've always tried to find ways to encourage worms to inhabit my yard. I have used them for fish bait all my life and had a "worm box" as a kid, in southern Ontario. I would go out in the evening after a rainstorm or heavy lawn watering and pick them using a flashlight with wax paper on the lens. It was the first night hunting I did.:lol: The worms would then go into a wooden box with a screen on it into the cellar where it was cool and damp. The box had leaves and shredded newspaper and a band of sand throught the centre, The worms would be deposited into one end of the box and taken from the other after they had crawled through the sand band. It would supposedly toughen the hide and hold to the hook better. That was a tip in Outdoor Life magazine.:D I also had a crayfishbox and a frog box.

As a young teen. I picked commercially on golf courses. $4 per thousand. On a good night I could make 15-20 dollars. that was a lot of money then for a 13 year old. Times change. Today a 13 year old likel;y wouldn't take the job and if they would as parents we wouldn't allow them out all night.

I love to garden, low impact natural as much as possible gardening, so I'm glad to provide a place for worms. It indicates a balanced garden and they work 24/7 in that garden.

Here's a couple quotes from this site.

http://www.naturenorth.com/fall/ncrawler/ncrawler2.html


"In a less direct sense worms earn a lot of other people a lot of money, too. Everyone who earns money from the fertility of the soil owes a little to worms of one sort or another. So what exactly do worms do that is so great for the soil? Well, their burrowing helps to churn the soil making it more porous and improving air and water infiltration. They eat, and help to break down organic matter of all sorts; they compost it! Worms produce copious amounts of urine containing urea, which is rapidly broken down into available nitrogen for plants. Their castings (poop) help to neutralize soil pH, make more basic minerals and nutrients available to plants and stimulate microbial populations in the soil. Worm castings can amount to as much as 30 tonnes per hectare per year! That's a lot of poop, and a lot of soil enrichment! Worms enhance this vital resource, all at no charge to the farmers and gardeners who grow our food.
There are even people out there spending money researching ways to reduce worm castings on "amenity" grasslands. Can you imagine! Trying to reduce the presence of worms in fancy-dancy lawns so "one doesn't have to see or tread on worm poop". What's the world coming to?"

Sorry I don't have any way for you get rid of them except to catch them and send them to me.:love:


I know guys that used electricity to gather them, but I never tried it.

Appletree 05-29-2008 11:32 AM

I'd always thought worms were good for your lawn; aerating the soil, accelerating decomposition and humus formation, etc. What is it that they do that's so objectionable?

Redfrog 05-29-2008 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Appletree (Post 153158)
I'd always thought worms were good for your lawn; aerating the soil, accelerating decomposition and humus formation, etc. What is it that they do that's so objectionable?



Beside the noise from the wild parties you mean????

WCTHEMI 05-29-2008 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Appletree (Post 153158)
I'd always thought worms were good for your lawn; aerating the soil, accelerating decomposition and humus formation, etc. What is it that they do that's so objectionable?

They make the ground, very, for lack of better terms, lumpy.

sturgeonhound 05-29-2008 11:41 AM

dew worms
 
Thanks for the responses......I had read about the ho mustard thing and am going to give it a try.

Cheers,
SH

Tundra Monkey 05-29-2008 12:08 PM

Gramps used electricity......two posts with the wires.....water the ground.....attach it to a battery......up they pop.......pull off the leads......pick up worms.

They posts were 6 feet or so apart

tm

troller 05-29-2008 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tundra Monkey (Post 153177)
Gramps used electricity......two posts with the wires.....water the ground.....attach it to a battery......up they pop.......pull off the leads......pick up worms.

They posts were 6 feet or so apart

tm

I was reading about that in my search. I was wondering if it worked :lol:

Trail Blazer 05-29-2008 01:53 PM

Troller it really works...

If you can catch them buggers bring them to my house and dump them on my lawn...I can use them for fishing and my garden...why fight a loosing battle.

Northern_Hunting_Mom 05-29-2008 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troller (Post 153202)
I was reading about that in my search. I was wondering if it worked :lol:

Didn't you watch Godzilla, that Tatopaulus worm guy brought them up by the handful ;)

BUD 05-29-2008 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sturgeonhound (Post 153120)
I noticed a few small mounds of dirt in one area of my lawn last night. I think they are dew worms. I would like to get rid of them before they destroy my whole lawn. Does anyone know of a way I can get rid of them?

LEAVE THE GRASS CLIPPINGS ON THE LAWN , THEY HATE TO MUCH NITOGIN , after a while they will leave.

Kelly & Beth 05-29-2008 08:27 PM

we have dew worms bad as well. Makes it hard to mow the lawn. We never had a mower that bagged the grass clippings so they were on the ground, they still came. Got a new lawnmower this year with a bag and no difference. We had to get a new mower with bigger wheels cause our 10 year old mower with little wheels made it hard to mow the lawn with the big lumps.
Beth

font270 05-29-2008 08:35 PM

Dew Worms
 
Belive me when i tell you guys you do not want hese in your lawn. 3 years ago i noticed a few lumps in my back yard. I enquired and found out they were dew worms. perfect free fishing bait.3 years later I can not take one step in the yard without stepping on at least 2 mounds.lawn mowing is a pain in the *****,lawn mower bouncing up and down. I have 2 kids under 4 and they can barely walk on it without twisting an ankle. My back yard is over 4000 square feet. Only good thing about is that it is not my problem anymore. Sold the house, will be out on the 15 of june. Moving to a bigger and better home.DEWWORM FREE

Ticdoc 05-29-2008 08:38 PM

earthworms not native to Alberta
 
As some of you might know, earthworms are not native to Alberta and all have been introduced. In the boreal forest they tend to occur along roads and near lakes that get fished. They are not necessarily good for the litter layer in the boreal.

Kelly & Beth 05-29-2008 08:40 PM

font270 is absoultey right. You cant walk on the lawn without shoes, the lumps just hurt. our little guys as well are under 3 and ya, they have a hard time. Just a nighmare having the dreaded DEW worms.

Unregistered user 05-29-2008 11:54 PM

Get a bud with a Lincoln mobile and launch the buggers into your bait-can.

BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES 05-30-2008 01:01 AM

Ok here folk all ya people with dew worm issues give me your address ill bring me and my 5 gal bucket and spade and take care of them for you , but keep in mind your not getting any profits :lol: :lol: :lol: just because i use half and sell the other half on Ebay , and youll get a friendly welcome , still cant beleave people complaining about free worms , man us fishing guys pay good money for them things.

Northern_Hunting_Mom 05-30-2008 01:24 AM

Heck, I'll put them in my garden and if they migrate to my lawn, so much the better, I'll plant an orchard. Dig up a few for fishing. Nirvana.

600twin 05-30-2008 03:47 AM

I'm with BBJ on this one with the price of woems these days this would be a goldmine for someone. As a kid we would collect these just about every night and use them ourselves or sell them, kept them in a square box filled with dirt and fed them,, well i can't tell what we fed them it's a family secret.

Tundra Monkey 05-30-2008 08:18 AM

Attention Tree Guy
 
Tree Guy,

Could you please go over to this guys house with the largest alternator/generator/inverty/battery bank that your "ingenius" mind can conjur up.....soak his lawn and hook er' up!!!

BBJ might be able to make you some cash if you don't singe them too bad :evilgrin:

tm

claas 05-30-2008 03:05 PM

A friend of mine put one of those ornamental windmills on his yard and it seemed to have worked. He figured if it work for moles in the garden why not try it on worms in his lawn. Has something to do with the vibrations???


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