Raise your hand if you had ‘invasive jumping worms’ on your 2021 bingo card.
A species known as Amynthas spp, or ‘jumping worms’, are jumping their way across the country, spotted in several Midwestern states including Kansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
The worms, who originally come from Asia, are an invasive species that can crowd out other worm and inspect species, and damage plant roots and soil.
Adult jumping worms are 4 to 8 inches long, can move quickly, and ‘thrash wildly’ when held. If you find one, experts recommend killing it and throwing it out in a sealed plastic bag.
Despite the cold weather, they are also going to hang around. Here is what our news partner KSNT said in the article:
The University of Illinois says the worms can’t survive past frigid winters of the upper Midwest. But, they have egg casings that will persist through the cold weather.
The Missouri Department of Conservation is asking anyone who finds jumping worms to kill them.
