But after a rain, the soil pores and the worm burrows fill with water. Oxygen diffuses about a thousand times slower through water than through air, she says. “The worms can't get enough oxygen when the soil is flooded, so they come to the surface to breathe.”
When the soil is too dry, they burrow deeper to find moisture. When the soil is wet, they move closer to the surface. When there is adequate surface moisture or humidity, they venture out aboveground and look for new places to burrow. The wet weather of spring and fall seems to bring them out in droves.
When the rain hits the ground it creates vibrations on the soil surface. This causes earthworms to come out of their burrows to the surface. Earthworms find it easier to travel across the surface of the soil when it is wet, as they need a moist environment to survive.
In most cases worm casts can be broken up and dispersed with a wire rake, using it with the teeth facing upwards and moving the rake from side to side over the lawn surface. On paths removal with a trowel can be a simple solution. This is only possible when the casts are dry.
Salt is, in essence, worm kryptonite. Due to the acidity, salt is a great way to kill off worms and to repel them from reaching certain areas. Of course, the issue is that in heavy rains, salt can quickly dissolve. Consider using coarse or rock salt as it's slightly larger and will likely not wash away as quickly.
Preventing Earthworms From Coming Out After Rain
To prevent this scenario, you can try using landscaping bricks, a shovel, garden fabric, a leaf sweeper and/or a rake. Landscaping bricks can be used to edge sidewalks and patios, blocking off the earthworms' access. They add a nice decorative touch as well.
Many scientists agree that worms tend to use soaked soil days as migration days. They can't travel as fast while burrowing tunnels under the ground, and it's too dry above ground on rain-free days for them to survive. So, a soaking rain allows them to slither to the surface and move gracefully on the wet ground.
Mustard mixed with water and sprayed makes an effective vermifuge as earthworms dislike the pungency of mustard. Mustard is not harmful to the grass, other plants or human beings. Mustard therefore makes an environmentally friendly earthworm repellent.
Horsehair worms are often seen in puddles and other pools of fresh water, swimming pools, water tanks and on plants. They are especially noticeable after a rainfall. Horsehair worms may be found inside homes in toilets causing people to be concerned that it is a human parasite.
But after a rain, the soil pores and the worm burrows fill with water. Oxygen diffuses about a thousand times slower through water than through air, she says. “The worms can't get enough oxygen when the soil is flooded, so they come to the surface to breathe.”
One of the easiest ways to gather worms is by leaving a wet piece of flattened cardboard in your garden or lawn overnight. Worms are attracted to wet cardboard so that they will crawl up to the surface in no time. Once you remove the cardboard, you'll have countless worms to place into your worm bin.
Maggots are fly larvae, usually of the common house fly. Attracted to food and other rubbish, you will only have a problem with maggots if flies have easy access to your waste and dustbins. If flies settle on your rubbish, they may lay eggs which can hatch as maggots within 24 hours.
Worms do this to cover the entrances to their burrows, but they can leave a lawn looking uneven. That's an aesthetic concern, but excessive worms can attract a bigger problem – pests. Burrowing animals, like moles, can destroy swaths of soil looking for a meal.
Apple Cider Vinegar
It works because unlike other vinegar it increases the alkaline levels in the dog's intestines making it inhospitable for parasites and worms.
Worms hate: meat or fish, cheese, butter, greasy food, animal waste, spicy and salty foods, citrus.”
Worms love to eat coffee grounds, and that's great news for your garden. Add coffee grounds to your compost pile to help attract worms, which help speed up the process of turning food scraps into compost. You can also add coffee grounds directly to the soil, but you'll have to be careful not to overdo it.
You can help a worm or two after it rains by moving them off the pavement or sidewalk and onto the nearest patch of dirt or grass. This will allow them to more quickly burrow back underground. We benefit from having earthworms hard at work under our feet.
Water makes up more than 75% of the earthworm's body weight, so moist soils are preferred to prevent dehydration. Earthworms acclimate quickly by moving to humid sites or by entering a resting state.
Baby worms develop in cocoons. They are babies for 60 to 90 days and it takes them about a year to become an adult. Worms can live for up to 10 years. Worms don't have a stomach.
There are certain pesticide families that are considered as harmful to earthworms i.e. neonicotinoids, strobilurins, sulfonylureas, triazoles, carbamates and organophosphates (Pelosi et al., 2014).
Treatment to get rid of worms
If you have worms, a GP will prescribe medicine to kill them. You take this for 1 to 3 days. The people you live with may also need to be treated. Any worms in your gut will eventually pass out in your poo.