The clitellum is the worms’ reproductive structure and is located close to the head. In June, mature Jumping worms are found within the leaf litter and are easy to identify by their distinct milky-white band called the clitellum that wraps fully around their body.
How do I identify them? And what to do if I find them? Jumping worms cocoons are small, and spread very easily by sticking to shoes, garden equipment, and material such as mulch, top soil, pots, rootstocks and even mixed in with vermicompost worms or fishing bait. Adults dies in late fall and the cocoons survive over winter and hatch in spring. They have a lifespan of one year, with adults maturing in June and producing egg cocoons from later summer into early fall. Jumping worms don’t need a mate to reproduce, therefore, one jumping worm can start a new population. They live and feed in the top layer of the soil and typically cannot survive cold winters.
In the natural environment, the European Nightcrawler shares similar negative impacts as the jumping worm but at a slower pace. This earthworm pulls organic material from the surface, deep into the soil and makes nutrients available for plants. These burrows create pore space, aeration and water infiltration. European Nightcrawler ( Lumbricus terrestris) is a deep borrowing earthworm that creates vertical burrows, roughly 6-8 inches deep.Lack of vegetation due to Jumping worms presence and their castings in the open areas. This prevents native trees from growing and leads to a loss of ecological integrity. As a result, habitat and food are lost, and non-native plant species can quickly establish themselves. Eating the organic material removes the soils moisture and nutrients, and leaves behind loose, bare soil that is mostly castings (earthworm feces) resembling coarse coffee grounds. Jumping worms consume the duff, and are able to move and eat much more quickly than other worms. A healthy forest develops a layer of leaf litter called duff, that slowly decomposes over time and provides habitat and food for fungi, amphibians, birds, insects and native plants and trees. Jumping worms are epi-endogeic, meaning they live primarily in organic matter in the top layer of soil. While they have been around for a while, Jumping Worms are causing new concern for our natural environment because of how quickly they are taking over. Therefore, earthworms are non-native to Canada. During early colonization, earthworms were brought over by European settlers for agriculture, garden and baiting use. Earthworms were wiped out in North America after the last ice age.
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