Another video of the Jumping Worms...
Here's a close up of the creature. I can't seem to get a real good close up picture of these things (they jump right when I get everything lined up).
Also, I think this fly may be part of the equation. I noticed it crawling around. When I got close to it , the thing just crawled. It didn't fly away. When looking at it I noticed the end of it (abdomen?) Is colored the same as the jumping worms. I think it was just like a fly that has just emerged and it's wings weren't ready to fly.
19 comments:
I found your site as I too was looking to identify these "jumping worms." They are in the cocoa bean shells around my roses, but also in the soil below the rose garden. (I have a 12" retaining wall that sets the roses above the rest of the garden.) We had a really good rainfall last night, and in the tarp we had covering the pond we are working on, there were hundreds of dead ones in the collected rain water. If you happen to identify them or come upon a way to get rid of them, please let me know! Thanks!
Staci-
Thanks for visiting my blog. Go to the link on the bottom of this post. It's a response to my question I posted at BugGuide.net. I'm not 100% sold on the identification but I can be persuaded. Your report sounds the same as mine and I think it is something in the cocoa bean shell mulch. The wood chip mulch on the other side of the sidewalk doesn't have them. I think I'll choose not to worry about them and take no action. They don't seem to be causing any problems other than creeping me out when I see them.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/123365
I posted my question at BugGuide.net and here is the response.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/123365
'Best not to disclose the location of the body:-) Seriously, the larvae of "cheese skippers" (flies in the family Piophilidae) feed on decomposing fats, so frequently are seen on carcasses in advanced stages of decomp.'
I looked up some things on wikipedia. While they don't sound like the most pleasant creatures they also don't seem to pose any threat so I'll leave them alone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_fly
thanks to rhizo 1. Your reply sent me in the right direction.
Hi, I realize this is from a while ago, but I now have the same little jumping worms all over my beds that I covered with cocoa shell mulch. Literally thousands of them....What did bug guide tell you they were? I can't find their answer from your link. I'd appreciate any info you have. MMamp@hotmail.com
This is the second year that I have used the cocoa bean mulch, and once again, the worms are back. I have seen many, many postings regarding this, but never a satisfying answer. Last year I sprayed some bug killer, but really don't want to do that if they are good. With this many questions, someone must have an answer.
I was weeding today after a rain... And low and behold I was a bit taken by these white jumping worms. Of course being a geek I googled many ways and could not get a good answer. I am going to hatch these little buggers and take them to Penn State Ag and see what they can tell me. It's sad I have no "Bug" friends... I'll Get back to you. (For Finding/Referencing my post later: Little White Jumping Worms in cocoa mulch.)
My mom called me over tonight in a panic about the same thing. She went to water her flower garden and saw the jumping larvae. Thousands and thousands of them. I took a video just because I couldn't believe it.
I've noticed though that NO-ONE seems to know an official answer regarding what they are how to get rid of them. Her garden is so close to her front door and she is afraid they will develop into adults and come into her home.
If anyone has gotten any further info, could you post it here and where you got it? I'm seriously itching all over now! :) Creepy little jumpers! Yikes!
i have these same little buggers in my cocoa bean mulch after watering today. Any idea what they are? They are very creepy, mostly because of the sheer quantities.
They're called garden symphylans, and they're nasty. They eat the roots of many plants. they look like miniature centipedes.
Actually this little worm is a cheese skipper. It is the larva of a fly that is attracted to many food products. Look up cheese skipper and you will find all that you need to know.
Ok these these are creeping my out! I too have them in my cocoa bean mulch! I just finished watering and hundreds of them are jumping around, nasty little maggots!!
yuck.
have had no luck with googling until this post....
I will look up cheese skipper (strange name for a maggot!)
callie
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the vid...
I'm not going crazy after all!
I'm not willing to admit exactly how many hours of searching I've done, before I happened across this post!
These seem to be the same
'jumping worms' that I've been trying to find info about.
I've never even noticed these 'worms' before today.
It's a cool and drizzly spring morning here. (ok it WAS morning, when I started this quest...lol)
There is a bit of difference though.
I poked around in my wood mulch...there were quite a few. But when I moved a few of my indoor/outdoor potted plants, there were a lot of the little buggers...they seemed to be hanging out around a small pile decaying leaves/ rotted mushrooms.
It's creepy the way they fling themselves!
Thanks again for the post/video.
Have a good one :)
mammabear
http://www.mcshanesnursery.com/articles/landscape-and-hardscape/cocoa-mulch/.
Took me a while but I found the answer guys.Earth worms...... feeling much better now.
I was just openning a pomegranate that my grandma gave me about a week ago from her garden in the village, one part of it seemed good but the other part seemed kind of rotten, so i started loosing the seeds from it when suddenly a tiny white worm - just like the ones in those pictures you posted - folded it itself a little and jumped! I jumped too, in horror. It's the first time that i see this type of worms.
I was just openning a pomegranate that my grandma gave me about a week ago from her garden in the village, one part of it seemed good but the other part seemed kind of rotten, so i started loosing the seeds from it when suddenly a tiny white worm - just like the ones in those pictures you posted - folded it itself a little and jumped! I jumped too, in horror. It's the first time that i see this type of worms.
Ive found these things on our garden too.. Ive been looking up for beetle larvaes because i saw many beetles in the soil too and looks like a good match.. Please message me if this sounds plausible okay? Weve got the same prob too..
Someone told me to pour boiling water on them. For me this is easy as I have no plants in the garden as yet.
I tried the link http://www.mcshanesnursery.com/articles/landscape-and-hardscape/cocoa-mulch/ but it doesn't work.
Someone told me to pour boiling water on them. For me this is easy as I have no plants in the garden as yet.
I tried the link http://www.mcshanesnursery.com/articles/landscape-and-hardscape/cocoa-mulch/ but it doesn't work.
Annette
Post a Comment