Invasive Jumping Worms That Leap 1 Foot Spreading In MA

MASSACHUSETTS — Earthworms are great to have in your garden because they leave the soil better than when they wriggled in — except when they destroy it instead. That's the case in Massachusetts, one of at least 34 states that have reported an invasive, soil nutrient-gobbling jumping earthworm that can leap a foot into the air.

Native to East Asia, Amynthas worms are also called Alabama jumpers, Jersey wrigglers, wood eel, jumping worms, crazy worms, snake worms and crazy snake worms.

Their common names are well earned. According a page dedicated to the invasive worms on the state of Maine's website, when handled, "they act crazy, jump and thrash about, behaving more like a threatened snake than a nightcrawler."

Jumping-worm populations grow quickly through a couple of generations a season. Like other worms, they’re hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs, but with a distinction: Jumping worms reproduce on their own, according the extension service at Iowa State.

No Friend To Forests

In New England, forests rely mainly on microorganisms such as fungi to break down organic material and keep the ecosystem running smoothly. When these invasive worms leap into the mix, "the entire ecosystem is affected," Chris Clarke reported, writing for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Amynthas worms jump in and consume the ground layer before the fungi can get to it, interrupting an age-old relationship the trees have relied on for "thousands of years," Clarke said. When that happens, the trees' roots can dry out, making nutrients even harder for the trees to absorb.

The problems these invasive worms cause hit even closer to home, too. In gardens, beneficial earthworms aerate the soil and help prep it for growth. But once jumping worms have had their way in your dirt, it will have the consistency of coffee grounds — and be about as useful for growing things as the dredges from your morning pot of joe.

Jumping worms have a distinctive smooth, white band around their bodies and are generally more uniform in color than a typical earthworm.

The MA Department of Conservation and Recreation is asking anyone who spots these worms to report the sighting by email to the UMass Turfgrass Entomology Lab: okostromytsk@umass.edu.