Red Worms — Definition, Characteristics, Importance 2. Nightcrawlers — Definition, Characteristics, Importance 3. Red worms or Eisenia fetida represent a species of earthworms mainly used in vermicomposting.
Some of the other names for the red worms are compost worms, red wiggler worms, brandling worm, panfish worm, trout worm, tiger worm, and red Californian earthworm. One of the main features of these worms is their adaption to live in decaying organic material including rotting vegetation, compost, and manure. Furthermore, two significant features of red worms make them more suitable for use in compost making.
They are their surface-dwelling nature and high rates of reproduction. Usually, red worms continuously bring their food on to the surface. This reduces the requirement of turning the organic material continuously. In addition, red worms show higher rates of reproduction, which is usually seven times higher than the rate of reproduction of night crawlers. After a rainstorm, you may notice that your yard is filled with common earthworms.
Also known as nightcrawlers, this species of reddish-brown worms Lumbricus terrestris is well-known for being able diggers and eating dirt as they go along. Their deep tunnels also bring air down into the soil, oxygenating plant roots and the microorganism that help to keep your soil healthy.
They tend to be more solitary and burrow up to half a foot underground. These segmented worms can appear very similar to earthworms, but are usually smaller and have a red-purple hue to their skin. The diet and behavior of red wigglers Eisenia fetida make them a great addition to a compost pile. Unlike nightcrawlers, they prefer to eat manure and decaying plant matter and will literally eat all your kitchens scraps. Red wigglers can tolerate higher temperatures and tend to live closer to the surface in larger groups.
While both red wigglers and nightcrawlers are invaluable to gardeners everywhere, only red wigglers really belong in a compost pile. What this means for you is that if you stock a compost bid with red wigglers, you can simply put all your kitchen scraps and other plant matter right on the surface and the worms will come up to eat it.
Earthworms will, unfortunately, die in a worm compost bin from lack of food. However, in the wild where there are many predators the average lifespan for a worm is 1 - 2 years. If an earthworm is split in two, it will not become two new worms. The head of the worm may survive and regenerate its tail if the animal is cut behind the clitellum. But the original tail of the worm will not be able to grow a new head or the rest of its vital organs , and will instead die. This is why worms rapidly escape the ground and you see them crawling and dying on driveways during a steady rainstorm.
Sparse populations of worms may be slow to reproduce , but as a general rule, a worm at least 60 days old can find a mate and produce a cocoon that contains an average of four babies. Typically, a population of composting worms doubles every three to six months. It usually takes between 10 and 55 weeks for baby worms to mature into their full adult size. Once earthworms have reached adulthood — which can can be at four to six weeks — they're mature enough to reproduce and the cycle begins all over.
Also because their skin is very moist and has to stay that way for them to live. They are quite sensitive to heat and sunlight. It's usually quite a bit cooler at night and usually more humid near the ground too. They don't risk being dried out by the sun exposure in daytime. Pinworms: They only come out at night. The female adult worms leave the anus in the middle of the night while the person is sleeping to deposit her eggs around the skin of the perianal region.
The eggs become infectious within a couple of hours after being deposited and can survive for about 2 weeks outside the host. They burrow during the day—typically keeping close to the surface—capable of digging down as deep as 6. The worm's first segment contains its mouth.
As they burrow, they consume soil, extracting nutrients from decomposing organic matter like leaves and roots. There are many types of nightcrawler worms also referred to as grunt worms, garden worms, and leaf worms. They are the perfect worms for live fish bait; and are a good food source for different kinds of reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Dew worms or night crawlers are common names for a species of earthworm that is active at night but also surface and crawl about during wet or rainy weather.
Earthworm castings, or excrement, are richer in minerals than the soil which the earthworm has swallowed. If you need to use a control, try: gypsum calcium sulphate ; sprinkle it on the lumpy areas and water in.
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