Where have all the earthworms gone????

[J. Morrow]

Hmmm... some people lose their house keys, I lose all the earth worms. They
seem to have completely disappeared from my garden.

I turned over my compost - they aren't there. I've been digging around my
garden for several weeks now and no sign of the little buggers.

Is it a cause of the drought? Has anyone else noticed this in their garden?

[Trevor Woods]

On Sat, 19 Apr 2003 08:50:38 GMT, "J. Morrow"
> wrote:

>Hmmm... some people lose their house keys, I lose all the earth worms. They
>seem to have completely disappeared from my garden.
>
>I turned over my compost - they aren't there. I've been digging around my
>garden for several weeks now and no sign of the little buggers.
>
>Is it a cause of the drought? Has anyone else noticed this in their garden?

I've noticed the same thing in my vegetable garden for some time now.
I just moved some material I have in a heap for mulching today, and
expected to see worms at the bottom of the heap where there was a
layer of compost from the last heap, but no. I also havn't seen many
bees in the garden this year.


Trevor

[Andrew G]

"J. Morrow" > wrote in message
...
> Hmmm... some people lose their house keys, I lose all the earth worms.
They
> seem to have completely disappeared from my garden.
>
> I turned over my compost - they aren't there. I've been digging around my
> garden for several weeks now and no sign of the little buggers.
>
> Is it a cause of the drought? Has anyone else noticed this in their
garden?
>
>
I noticed the same, both here (sandy soil) and at work (heavy clay at
worst). A lack of worms and even a lack of black beetle larvae. Both were
common.
This was last year, but since plenty of rain they are back in abundance.
My only guess is that they go deeper when the ground is dry, therefore out
of our normal reach.

--
Remove "not" from start of email address to reply

[Woofie]

"Andrew G" > wrote in message >...
> "J. Morrow" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hmmm... some people lose their house keys, I lose all the earth worms.
> They
> > seem to have completely disappeared from my garden.
> >
> > I turned over my compost - they aren't there. I've been digging around my
> > garden for several weeks now and no sign of the little buggers.
> >
> > Is it a cause of the drought? Has anyone else noticed this in their
> garden?
> >
> >
> I noticed the same, both here (sandy soil) and at work (heavy clay at
> worst). A lack of worms and even a lack of black beetle larvae. Both were
> common.
> This was last year, but since plenty of rain they are back in abundance.
> My only guess is that they go deeper when the ground is dry, therefore out
> of our normal reach.

I think that is what happens. If the drought is more severe they would
probably die but their eggs left behind would hatch when the grond
moisture levels reach the appropriate level.

[Geodyne]

On 20 Apr 2003 20:26:10 -0700,
(Woofie) wrote:
>> >
>> I noticed the same, both here (sandy soil) and at work (heavy clay at
>> worst). A lack of worms and even a lack of black beetle larvae. Both were
>> common.
>> This was last year, but since plenty of rain they are back in abundance.
>> My only guess is that they go deeper when the ground is dry, therefore out
>> of our normal reach.
>
>I think that is what happens. If the drought is more severe they would
>probably die but their eggs left behind would hatch when the grond
>moisture levels reach the appropriate level.

We've noticed the same, in suburban Sydney. My husband has been
removing some garden beds I had pulled all the plants from and allowed
to dry out completely over the Summer (I was away for work all summer,
it seemed the best bet, considering the drought). He has reported
earthworms galore while removing the dirt from the empty garden beds.

Tara

[rapdor]

the comment about eggs sent me to google for a bit more info here is an
interesting summary for anyone intrested:

"Reproduction in Earthworms

Oligochaetes are hermaphrodites, with separate testis and ovaries. The
sexual organs, and the ducts that to and from them are situated in the
anterior (front) part of the animal, normally between segments 7 and 15. The
actual placement of the reproductive organs, including the openings of the
ducts, which are nnormallyaly on the same segments are important in
classification. In Lumbricuscus terrestris, a common worm in Western Europe,
the testis are in segments 10 and 11, the seminal vesicles in segments 9,11,
and 12, while the vas deferens opens on segment 15. The ovaries are found in
segments 13 and the oviduct opens on segment 14. The sexual organs and their
ducts are paired, one on each side of the worms body. Sperm travels from the
opening of the vas deferens to the clitellum, segments 32-36, along two
seminal grooves.

Copulation occurs on warm damp nights. the worms lie had to tail and side by
side. In this way the clitellum segments of each animal are opposite the
segments containing the sexual organs of the other. The clitella secrete a
mucous tube that surrounds the worm from before the first reproductive
segment to the clitella segments (segments 8 to 36 in L. terrestris). Sperm
received from the partner worm is stored in the spermathecal openings
(segment 9 in L. terrestris) and then the two worms separate.

Each worm now secretes a new mucous tube, one that is enriched with albumin
from the clitellum and wrapped in membranene. The eggs (5 - 16 in L.
terrestris) are shed into this tube along with some sperm. the worm then
backs out of the tube which now becomes an egg cocoon. Fertilisation occurs
inside the cocoon. The cocoon is left under the ground, or attached to
plants under the water and often changes shape, becoming darker, smaller and
harder. In L. terrestris only one egg survives the juvenile stage to emerge
from the cocoon, but in other species more than one will survive. The exact
detail vary from species to species but the general pattern remains the
same. "


taken from: http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/oligochaeta.html

[J. Morrow]

Actually come to think about it. When I moved into my current home back in
1990, we couldn't find any worms anywhere for 3 years. We blamed it on the
heavy clay soil and the black plastic covering that was placed deep inside
the soil when the house was built in 1980.

We bought worms from the local gardening shop, I even transplanted a white
earthworm I found in another friend's home, and things seem to improve.

Last year I dug an irrigation trench (to drain off water in the courtyard)
and found to my happiness that I had earthworms were deep inside my garden
soil, despite the clay. Hope the silly buggers don't get caught in the
trench.

If I don't find any worms, I'll go and buy some at the gardeningshop again.

[Linda]

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 16:51:04 GMT, "J. Morrow"
> wrote:

<snip>>
>If I don't find any worms, I'll go and buy some at the gardeningshop again.
>
Something in the back of my mind says that composting worms (eg
tigers) cannot survive in garden soil, and earthworms cannot survive
in compost unless there is a certain amount of soil to go through
their gut.

I just throw everything I can find, and a bit of soil into cut off
corrugated iron tanks, and I seem to have plenty of both sorts in
there - but I have never found a tiger in the actual garden.

[J. Morrow]

Linda, This sounds weird but I've foudn tiger compost worms burrowing into
logs that have been sitting on the ground.

[Alan Stearn]

Hi!
There are wormlike slimy predators that eat earth worms. They can really
reduce worm numbers. Also tiger worms don't thrive in the cold!
Alan
you said:-
snip------
> Something in the back of my mind says that composting worms (eg
> tigers) cannot survive in garden soil, and earthworms cannot survive
> in compost unless there is a certain amount of soil to go through
> their gut.
>
> I just throw everything I can find, and a bit of soil into cut off
> corrugated iron tanks, and I seem to have plenty of both sorts in
> there - but I have never found a tiger in the actual garden.