Dew worm advice / strategy
 

Hi all,

I'm sure there have been posts on this forum before but I can't find anything recent. I've had increasing problems with dew worms in my back yard over the last few years. Grass is getting more sparse and mounds are getting more prevalent every year. It's a mess. We have a kid on the way and I'd really like to have a lawn they could walk on without breaking their ankles...

From what I've been able to determine via online research so far..

1. They are very difficult to get rid of
2. Resodding will not help as they will just invade the new sod
3. Thatch should be removed to disturb the burrows (non factor as I have little thatch).
4. Watering the lawn less frequently will drive them deeper into the ground but watering the ground with hot soapy water will irritate their skin and bring them to the surface. Some say they will vacate the lawn.
5. Top dressing the soil with lots of sand will irritate the worms and they will take the sand back down into the ground with them as they burrow, minimizing effects.
6. If you are planning an event and want a quick fix, you can roll the lawn with a heavy roller and power rake it. Again i don't have much grass there so power rake isn't recommended.
7. Someone said they put some kind of powered windmill on the lawn and it helped as the worms didn't like the vibrations.

Longer ideas..

8. Apply carbolic at the recommended rate (mixing it with water), using a watering can to prevent chemical drift. Water your lawn and surrounding area thoroughly for 1-2 hours in the early evening, then apply the chemical. Remember to read the directions first before you apply the carbolic soap. Remove any dead worms seen, as they are poisonous to birds. Repeat this treatment several times at 2 week intervals and have your neighbors treat their lawns as well to lessen the chance of recurrence. This is only a temporary solution.

9. Hot Mustard Method. First you put 50 grams of hot mustard powder into a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Add 125 ml of water, 50 ml at a time stir constantly till it forms a paste which is thick, but still pourable. Add more water to get the right consistency, be sure there are no lumps, then put the lid on and let the hotness develop for at least two hours. The vapors it gives off may make your eyes burn, so mix this up in a well ventilated place.
Try using this mix in a small area first. Place a 2x2 foot square box on your lawn, then bank up soil around it so the mustard mix won't run out.
What you need next is a plastic bucket that has graduated measurements in litres. Add 3L of water. Pour in the mustard mix, cleaning out the container with a spatula. Use a whisk and stir vigorously to get rid of any lumps. Add water to the 7L mark and stir again. If left the mustard grains will settle on the bottom, so be sure to keep it stirred. Pour the mixture into a plastic sprinkling can and slowly cover the surface of the lawn with the solution and allow it to sink in. The mixture should start to work in 1-2 minutes, at which time you should begin to pick the worms and place them in a bucket, keeping them cool and damp. After 20 minutes the affect of the mustard will be gone.
Be sure you wait till the worms are totally out of the ground before you pick them or they will pull back into their hole and they will rip in half. The worms should be rinsed at least twice in clear water, then placed in a bin of ripped newspaper, vegetable scraps and a few handfuls of soil, dampened down. I would suggest putting the regular earth worms back onto another part of your lawn, so they can continue to aerate and feed it.


So, TLDR.... I wonder if anyone has actually successfully been able to rid themselves of these things?

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Well l don't know who told you that thatch should be removed , that's your most important mistake , due worms hate nitrogen , thatch is full of it ,LEAVE THATCH ON , that's the cure , l used to have hundreds of due worms when l collected the thatch , now l leave it on , my mower chops it up fine , result worms are gone

Post an ad on kijiji asking a fisherman to come collect them.

From Penn State Center for Turfgrass Science:

Thatch can have either beneficial or detrimental effects on turf depending on the amount present. For example, a thin layer of thatch in lawns (½ inch or less) provides insulation against temperature extremes and fluctuations in soil moisture. Some thatch on sports turf (about ½ inch) provides much needed resiliency, softens players’ impact on the surface, and improves footing. However, if your lawn has more than an inch of thatch, turf problems will likely result.

Excess thatch can increase pest problems by harboring large populations of disease-causing organisms and insects.

From an article by Rob Sproule:

The Damage They Do

Dew worms thrive in old lawns, especially those with decades of accumulated thatch.

I will be keeping an eye this topic, as my front lawn is a mess from these things. Almost break an ankle when you mow the lawn:angry3:

Glad they are not in the back YET

My front was always terrible. All new turf in the back. Took about two years till they were back there too. If someone comes up with a solution for dew worms, they'll be rich!

Seriously, post an ad, dew worms are ridiculously expensive to buy. Even some kid will come pick them to make pocket money. Golf courses use pickers all the time.

Old Hungarian FIL long since passed away still has homemade Dew Worm Collection system hanging on garage wall.
Car Battery on home made cart with battery terminal connectors attached to anode rods.
Water the lawn then thrusts the anode rods into damp grass and apparently worms between the two rods come flying out. :)

mine is made out of 4' agricultural rakes from a JD (big green) wired and plug into the house... do not hold both at the same time when in use or KAPOW 2U... but you can move one around when plugged in... a watered lawn or after the a soaking rain and those dew worms come fly'n out

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nope , sorry to say , your university book info is WRONG

Exactly. I do not dethatch my lawn or even rake the leaves. Everything gets mulched up with the lawnmower.

No problem with excess nightcrawlers, bugs or anything else.
Hardly any weeds and uses way less water and fertilizer.

So when it says that thatch can either be beneficial or detrimental depending on the thickness of the layer, that's incorrect? Please elaborate. Not arguing, but curious as to why they would post incorrect info. Goes against everything I learned in college as well. Here's the link. http://plantscience.psu.edu/research...tsheets/thatch

There was a product called Crawler Caller, think it was formaldehyde, supposed to clean out a lawn quick.

Pikergolf has it.. Set up some dew worm traps collect and sell / trade for beer / give away. someone will take them..

I second this method as I havenwatched my nephew do this very effectively to collect t b em for fishing.

Go fishing more often. :sign0161:

Ultimate Electric Worm Catcher
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2-kfbjxKLc

:bad_boys_20:

I agree. Dosent get much easier than that

Nothing but money in that bucket!! :sHa_shakeshout:

Worms
 

Except I never, ever see them above ground.

This youtube video is pretty slick. I think I'll give that a try.

Mow the grass short. Go out at night during the rain or use a sprinkler first. Dewies are light sensitive, put green or red plastic bag over flashlight and use the edge of the beam to illuminate them, then grab them real quick. Broken ones, throw on your neighbor's lawn as they will rot your bait stash in short order. May and June you'll get some two fers as they are breeding, roll your lawn after to get rid of the bumps, they'll come back but are cheap fertilizer.

How much are they now, like 5 or 10 cents a piece ?

Years ago when I first found out people actually paid money for worms, they were a penny each I think...

:character0053:

yup

Dew worms are really spendy, especially the Jumbos. Can't find a link but somewhere in the $8.00 range for the smallest tub they have at Wholesale. Not cheap at all. If anyone's digging em up in E-town, I'm buyin

A good dew worm picker can make good money. 25 cents a worm wholesale. Pick a thousand a night and you are making good money. A lot of retailers sell a dozen dew worms for 5 bucks.

My Boss uses a product called Sevin. Works well.