Though earthworms provide many benefits for soil, experts have issued a warning about a highly invasive type of worm. They're called jumping worms, aka "crazy worms," and though they come from Asia, they're actually found in at least 37 states.
They don't have any predators, they multiply very quickly, they're very active, and they pose a major threat to the North American ecosystem.
An ecologist named Brad Herrick recently spoke with Inside Edition. He says these jumping worms, which can grow up to 8 inches long, can also jump at least an inch off the ground. This can look "pretty creepy" when a group of disturbed jumping worms are jumping all together.
But the real problem with jumping worms is that they're known to devour leaves and roots and ultimately destroy a garden and/or forest, leaving bare soil in its wake.
“That really changes the whole, what we call ecosystem. It changes the soil, it changes the plant, it changes what can live there," Brad says. "And it's usually things like the native species that are supposed to be here that really get harmed the most.”
Brad advises to get rid of jumping worms found in the garden. Watch the video below to see a particularly helpful clearing technique called "the mustard pour."
