The early worm gets to wreck ecosystems
When I returned home to my parents house in Madison, WI in March, I had my first attempt at zero waste living without the help of Macalester's infinite resources: no widespread system of composting, no supply of mostly compostable single use dishes, no bins to collect plastic bags, no Free Swap. I rolled up ready to change the household's ways, starting with re-launching our attempt at backyard composting. We quickly encountered a slimy, repulsive problem that you may someday face too: huge invasive worms.
Jumping worms are a threat facing Midwestern forests and gardens. Currently spreading throughout the Midwest, these worms have been taking over and damaging ecosystems. Almost all earthworm species are not, in fact, native to North America, and despite being lauded as a positive for soil health due to their ability to aerate soil and quickly decompose materials into compost, many worm species disrupt natural processes in ecosystems. Worms chow through the layer of dead leaves that typically cover forest floors, creating an unfamiliar environment for tree saplings evolved to thrive under a thick cover of leaf debris.
In recent years, the jumping worm, also known as the Alabama jumper, the crazy worm, and the snake worm, has proven to be an especially concerning group of species. These worms are longer and thicker than other types of worm and tend to bunch together in big piles and "jump" around. These worms originate in Asia, in contrast to the worms that originated in Europe and are smaller and less damaging. Jumping worms stay near the surface and quickly ingest and turn over leaf litter, increasing the negative impact on species that depend upon the leaf layer. Jumping worms in soil used for gardening can make it difficult for plants to thrive with less nutrients available.
Not only are they detrimental to soil, there is no clear solution for getting rid of them. Egg cases known as cocoons are small, tough and invisible; mature worms lay them at the end of summer and the cocoons overwinter and hatch in spring, looking very similar to other worm types in their youth. Their life cycle makes them difficult to target for extermination, and most experts suggest preventative measures such as avoiding bringing in plants, mulch, and other organic materials to your backyard. If the worms do invade, washing gardening equipment in between uses on different plots of land is recommended to prevent transferring the cocoons and may help contain the spread. If you think jumping worms have arrived in your backyard, report them to the DNR.
Composting in my backyard is now a dilemma: organic matter that breaks down without oxygen in a landfill releases methane, a greenhouse gas speeding the process of global warming. But feeding the compost pile is also feeding the worms and increasing their spread, and with no compost collection system in my city there aren't any other great choices. Without the help of Mac's multiple labeled bins and trash sorting options, my dreams of zero waste have been set back.
The fall semester is rapidly approaching, and Dirty Training planners are working to make a waste sorting training relevant for first years starting classes online who might not set foot on Macalester's campus for another year— what good does it do to tell someone they should bring their dead batteries to the mailing room on the lower level of the CC if they're hundreds or even thousands of miles away? As we turn the focus of trainings to the "why" of waste sorting, we hope it will inspire students to attempt to reduce waste in their own lives no matter where they are and what options are available to them. In the absence of a good composting system, my family has instead begun a more concerted effort to waste less food. Zero waste is not a milestone that can be hit and checked off; it's a constant attempt to improve our habits as consumers, regardless of where we are.
Sources and links to learn more:
https://www.discovery.com/nature/Earthworms-Arent-Good-for-the-Soil-You-Think
https://arboretum.wisc.edu/news/arboretum-news/research-update-jumping-worms-and-sleeping-cocoons/
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/jumping-worm/index.html
https://extension.unh.edu/blog/invasive-spotlight-jumping-worms
Jumping worms are a threat facing Midwestern forests and gardens. Currently spreading throughout the Midwest, these worms have been taking over and damaging ecosystems. Almost all earthworm species are not, in fact, native to North America, and despite being lauded as a positive for soil health due to their ability to aerate soil and quickly decompose materials into compost, many worm species disrupt natural processes in ecosystems. Worms chow through the layer of dead leaves that typically cover forest floors, creating an unfamiliar environment for tree saplings evolved to thrive under a thick cover of leaf debris.
In recent years, the jumping worm, also known as the Alabama jumper, the crazy worm, and the snake worm, has proven to be an especially concerning group of species. These worms are longer and thicker than other types of worm and tend to bunch together in big piles and "jump" around. These worms originate in Asia, in contrast to the worms that originated in Europe and are smaller and less damaging. Jumping worms stay near the surface and quickly ingest and turn over leaf litter, increasing the negative impact on species that depend upon the leaf layer. Jumping worms in soil used for gardening can make it difficult for plants to thrive with less nutrients available.
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| The image shows a pile of worms in someone's palm |
Not only are they detrimental to soil, there is no clear solution for getting rid of them. Egg cases known as cocoons are small, tough and invisible; mature worms lay them at the end of summer and the cocoons overwinter and hatch in spring, looking very similar to other worm types in their youth. Their life cycle makes them difficult to target for extermination, and most experts suggest preventative measures such as avoiding bringing in plants, mulch, and other organic materials to your backyard. If the worms do invade, washing gardening equipment in between uses on different plots of land is recommended to prevent transferring the cocoons and may help contain the spread. If you think jumping worms have arrived in your backyard, report them to the DNR.
Composting in my backyard is now a dilemma: organic matter that breaks down without oxygen in a landfill releases methane, a greenhouse gas speeding the process of global warming. But feeding the compost pile is also feeding the worms and increasing their spread, and with no compost collection system in my city there aren't any other great choices. Without the help of Mac's multiple labeled bins and trash sorting options, my dreams of zero waste have been set back.
The fall semester is rapidly approaching, and Dirty Training planners are working to make a waste sorting training relevant for first years starting classes online who might not set foot on Macalester's campus for another year— what good does it do to tell someone they should bring their dead batteries to the mailing room on the lower level of the CC if they're hundreds or even thousands of miles away? As we turn the focus of trainings to the "why" of waste sorting, we hope it will inspire students to attempt to reduce waste in their own lives no matter where they are and what options are available to them. In the absence of a good composting system, my family has instead begun a more concerted effort to waste less food. Zero waste is not a milestone that can be hit and checked off; it's a constant attempt to improve our habits as consumers, regardless of where we are.
Sources and links to learn more:
https://www.discovery.com/nature/Earthworms-Arent-Good-for-the-Soil-You-Think
https://arboretum.wisc.edu/news/arboretum-news/research-update-jumping-worms-and-sleeping-cocoons/
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/jumping-worm/index.html
https://extension.unh.edu/blog/invasive-spotlight-jumping-worms
Written by Sustainability Office student worker Sally Herman
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