You’ve probably only ever known worms as the reddish-brown creatures that crawl through your garden or dangle at the end of a fishing line. Yet these little wrigglers do a lot more than you think! Often unnoticed, worms are a vital part of our ecosystem. Their main job is to decompose organic matter and turn it into black gold.
Want to know more about these creatures? Keep reading and let Uncle Jim tell you everything he knows. We’ll cover how earthworms eat, how they breathe and how their castings help plants grow faster and healthier. By the end of this article, you might like these creatures enough to start vermicomposting.
Common Questions & Facts About Worms – Uncle Jim Answers
Do you know everything about your wiggly friends in the bin or garden? With their simple life underground, worms can remain mysterious creatures! So let’s open a can of worms. Below, Uncle Jim answers popular questions and shares lesser-known facts about his favorite creatures.
500 Premium Super Red European Nightcrawlers Live Composting Worms.
Original price was: $59.95.$49.95Current price is: $49.95. — or subscribe to save up to 15% Add to cartDo worms have mouths?
Yes! A worm’s mouth is located in the first segment of its anterior (front) end. When the front end contracts, the mouth is covered by a small, sensitive patch of flesh called the prostomium. When the worm looks for food, the prostomium stretches out to sense suitable food particles. Then the mouth opens wide to take in a surprising quantity of food. This is why your earthworms can gobble up your food scraps in no time!
Are worms edible?
Yes, you can eat worms, either raw or cooked. It might seem unappetizing to you, but in some cultures in Western Asia, people eat worms as a source of protein. Before you try one of these wriggly creatures, read up on which ones are safe. Some worms can carry parasites and germs. Here is what Uncle Jim has to say about it!
Do worms have eyes?
No, worms do not have eyes. That doesn’t stop them from eating their weight in organic material in a day. You benefit from all that eating, because their castings are a great fertilizer that improves soil structure. So how do they find their way? Worms have receptor cells that sense light or darkness. These cells alert the worm’s brain, telling it to move up or down in the bin.
Do worms have brains?
Yes. The brain is a fundamental organ of almost any living creature, including the earthworm. A worm’s brain is much simpler than a human’s, but it’s enough for everything it needs to do to survive.
What are the types of worms used in vermicomposting?
The most common earthworms used in vermicomposting are red wrigglers and European nightcrawlers. Red wrigglers also go by other names, such as red worms, tiger worms and manure worms. Composters prefer both species because they thrive in compost rather than regular soil. A bin gives them all the nutrients they need.
Do worms need oxygen?
Yes, worms require air to live. Their moist skin absorbs oxygen through diffusion. With good aeration, worms can live for long periods of time. They also release carbon dioxide through their skin. This exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide requires excellent air circulation throughout the worm bin bedding.
How long do worms live?
The average lifespan of an earthworm is about a year. In nature, extreme weather, lack of food or water and predators all shorten the lifespan of the common earthworm. In controlled conditions, some varieties have been shown to live longer.
Worms of the Eisenia fetida species have lived for four and a half years, and Lumbricus terrestris even longer. In a healthy worm bin, worms reproduce, replacing themselves and growing the population.
Do worms die in the bin?
Worms will, of course, die wherever they happen to be. But you probably won’t see many dead worms in a well-maintained vermicomposting bin. Decomposition happens quickly, and other organisms in the bin break down dead worms before you even notice.
If you find a large number of dead worms, diagnose and fix the problem quickly. Sometimes the fix is as simple as adding fresh bedding. Other times the problem is bigger, like a temperature issue or a pH imbalance. Correct it early to keep more worms from dying.
What do worms eat?
No worm facts article would be complete without talking about food. The short answer is that worms eat only organic matter. Some organic foods are better than others, though. Raw fruits and vegetables are best. Stay away from meat, oil and dairy products, because they take too long to break down.
Fun Facts About Worms You Need to Know
How do worms sense the world?
Worms are blind and move around in the dark. And it’s not because they’re wearing dark sunglasses. They don’t even have eyes.
They’re also afraid of the light. Worms move away from it and burrow deeper into the soil. If they stay exposed for too long (around an hour), they can become paralyzed.
How fast and how big can worms get?
Worms can tunnel deep into the soil. And there can be a lot of them: one acre of land can hold up to a million. It’s like an invasion happening while you’re not watching.
Small earthworms move at about 0.2 centimeters per second. That works out to about 24 feet per hour. A medium-sized earthworm moves at about 1.5 centimeters per second, or roughly 177 feet per hour. Really big earthworms (about 8.5 grams) crawl at about 2 centimeters per second, which is around 236 feet per hour.
They’re not as fast as the Australian tiger beetle, which has been recorded at 4.2 mph (6.8 km/h), or 171 body lengths per second. On the other hand, they beat the banana slug, which averages around 32.5 feet per hour. And coral doesn’t go anywhere at all.
Some worms become giants. The largest earthworm found in South Africa was 22 feet long. One Australian earthworm weighed in at 1 1/2 pounds.
How do worms breathe, eat and help your soil?
Worms are cold-blooded. In this respect, they’re a lot like snakes.
They breathe through their skin. This makes up for the fact that they don’t have lungs or any other respiratory organs.
Earthworms have five hearts. Technically, they are five pairs of aortic arches that pump blood through the worm’s body.
Your garbage becomes their gold. Worms turn food scraps and other organic matter into what farmers call black gold, or vermicast. They can eat their body weight in food each day.
Worms huddle together. Sometimes it’s just because they’re all dining at the same restaurant. Other times, it’s because they’re mating.
Their slime works as fertilizer. Worms secrete a lubricating fluid that contains nitrogen, which makes them moving fertilizers. Their slime also binds soil into clumps called “aggregates,” which are great for soil health and plant growth.
How do worms reproduce and regenerate?
Some worms can regenerate. If an earthworm is cut, it can sometimes grow back lost segments, depending on where the cut is. In that respect, they’re like lizards regrowing a tail or starfish regrowing an arm.
A worm has both sexes in one. Earthworms have both male and female sex organs, which makes them hermaphrodites. They mate by lying together and exchanging sperm. Afterward, each worm forms an egg capsule called a cocoon, and baby worms hatch from it.
Why do worms try to escape the bin?
The odd worm likes to wander. It may hang out near the lid of your worm bin. Don’t worry, it’s just a rogue.
But if you feed your composting worms the wrong food, they may try to escape. One common trigger is too much nitrogen-rich food, like grass clippings. Too many acidic foods can do it too, including tomatoes, coffee grounds, tea bags, onions, pineapples and citrus peels. So can too much white paper, which contains bleach.
Stress is another cause. Opening the lid many times a day or leaving the light on can make them want to leave.
Keep them happy and they will stick around for a long time!
Need more information?
Think you’ve become an expert and want to dig deeper into the wonderful world of worms? The team at Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm can help with everything from buying live worms to caring for your worm bin in the summer. We’re happy to answer any questions you have!
Want to start vermicomposting but not sure how? You’re off to a great start by reading this article! Learn the step-by-step process in our Vermicomposting for Beginners guide, or browse all our other helpful articles.
