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  • #1

    Finding worms dead on soil surface

    I've been excavating my new garden. I've got a problem with ants but am dealing with it. However, There is a lot of worm activity in my soil however since i've dug it over and added fertiliser i've noticed a lot of dead worms on the surface of the beds.

    Has anyone else experienced this? I have put down some slug pellets but not a lot.... am i doing something wrong?
    Serene she stand amid the flowers,
    And only count lifes sunny hours,
    For her dull days do not exist,
    Evermore the optimist
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  • #2
    I have seen it on the farmers fields near mine, only after very heavy rain though.

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    • #3
      Do you think the birds tried to eat them but didn't like taste cos of fertilizer. Know it sounds daft but have no other explanation.
      AKA Angie

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      • #4
        What sort of fertiliser did you use, as some is very alkaline and coming in contact with a nice moist worm could have caused their demise.

        I know how much Growmore hurts if you get it in a cut.
        I am certain that the day my boat comes in, I'll be at the airport.

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        • #5
          Hi – Are the worms diseased or infected? Do the worms look normal or have they produced mucous?
          My friend moved into a new house (new built) and he had dead worms he had a new baby and dog and was worried that there was something really nasty in the soil so had it tested and It turned out to be the builder/gardner had put so much dressing on his show house grass to keep it looking green I suppose and the build up made the clay soil toxic but not dangerous to us but the poor old worms got it very bad! All his worms looked normal and not diseased simply dead!
          I think time was the only method he counteracted the problem over the weeks with the rain etc and no new additives to the grass all was well.

          Regards
          Pat
          "Did you ever walk in a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives."

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          • #6
            Btw you haven't got a problem with ants, almost every garden is like that, if you kill them, more will just move in.
            Although I do think that the number of ants nests has increased in the last couple of years, I have no reason for this, I don't know if I am just noticing them more.
            "Orinoco was a fat lazy Womble"

            Please ignore everything I say, I make it up as I go along, not only do I generally not believe what I write, I never remember it either.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by womble View Post
              Btw you haven't got a problem with ants, almost every garden is like that, if you kill them, more will just move in.
              Although I do think that the number of ants nests has increased in the last couple of years, I have no reason for this, I don't know if I am just noticing them more.
              Hi Womble
              Is there any reason for the rise in ant numbers?

              Regards
              Pat
              "Did you ever walk in a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives."

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              • #8
                As I said, I don't know.

                It could be I am just noticing them more, but my neighbours have said the same thing to me, we've all had problems with ants getting into new places to nest, this could be normal, or it could be a result of overcrowding.
                That's if ants nests actually can be overcrowded, I'm just assuming they can be. By that, I mean the number of nests, not the size of them.
                Last edited by womble; 20-03-2009, 09:17 AM.
                "Orinoco was a fat lazy Womble"

                Please ignore everything I say, I make it up as I go along, not only do I generally not believe what I write, I never remember it either.

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                • #9
                  I don't know if this applies to gardens but when I was building my wormery I was too that soil which is too acidic will cause the worms to come to the top and die.

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                  • #10
                    OOOO I just dug in quite a bit of organic matter and compost to break up the soil a bit. I have blood, fish and bone but haven't added that yet.

                    My house is a relative new build. The last person had a pebble border (GRRRR) so i've had to dig that all up.

                    There is still a lot of worm activity in the soil but there are no birds that come to my garden curtosy of my dog. They look fine - no mucus - Just came to the surface and dried up. Maybe I'm a bit too liberal with the slug pellets. Plus I havent put down any ant powder yet.
                    Serene she stand amid the flowers,
                    And only count lifes sunny hours,
                    For her dull days do not exist,
                    Evermore the optimist

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                    • #11
                      If you've been digging....have you checked they're not 1/2 bits of long worms????

                      ( I know....I feel really guilty cos I've been digging up a large area of field and chopped into quite a few poor worms...and I only dug cos it was too compacted to get the fork in.)
                      "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

                      Location....Normandy France

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Nicos View Post
                        If you've been digging....have you checked they're not 1/2 bits of long worms????

                        ( I know....I feel really guilty cos I've been digging up a large area of field and chopped into quite a few poor worms...and I only dug cos it was too compacted to get the fork in.)


                        I know what you mean- I have chopped up a few inadvertantly myself. Definatly full worms. I think maybe theres been too much rain... Will have to get a soil testing kit!
                        Serene she stand amid the flowers,
                        And only count lifes sunny hours,
                        For her dull days do not exist,
                        Evermore the optimist

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                        • #13
                          Do half worms survive?

                          Pat
                          "Did you ever walk in a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives."

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                          • #14
                            yeh they split in 2 and both sides become a new worm.
                            Serene she stand amid the flowers,
                            And only count lifes sunny hours,
                            For her dull days do not exist,
                            Evermore the optimist

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Victoria26 View Post
                              yeh they split in 2 and both sides become a new worm.
                              Umm... doesn't that only work with plants?

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