Worm help please!

Hi

I wonder if anyone can help.

We live in an area with lots of trees ( oak and silver birch etc) and having raked the leaves off the lawn and onto the flower beds during the winter I have started to collect them all up and tidy up the borders for spring.

While removing a deep and damp pile of leaves from one area I noticed three or four clumps of white/grey "worms" between the leaves layer and the soil. The amount in each clump was just under a handful! The worms were segmented and about an inch long. They werent vine weevil larva as i know them well.

Has anyone any idea what these are and if I should be concerned - I did collect them up and dispose of them but I expect I will find more as I carry on clearing up!

 

Just sound like young earthworms to me. Don't get rid of them, they'll eat the leaves & turn them into plant food.

 

Thanks for that - i have found little clumps of earthworms before but these were different.

I have never seen young earthworms that are segmented (They looked a bit like mealworms to me! ) and they were very pale in colour........

 

http://www.google.co.uk/images?rlz=...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1345&bih=470

http://www.google.co.uk/images?rlz=...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1345&bih=470

Does that help ?

 

Thanks. I did sarch google images as well. To be honest, they do look like mealworms!

I hope to get in the garden again this weekend. Rain permitting! If i find any more i will take some pictures to show you.

 

Ok, might just be leather jackets, beetle grubs that feed on grass roots, garden debris etc., no cause for alarm, all just part of natures free recycling service/ecosystem.

You are not under attack so don't panic

 

Im so glad you mentioned leatherjackets ziggy, twice now I have read this thread and leatherjackets were my first thought considering '1 inch' and 'greyish'... however my only doubt was the time of year and the fact that there were 'clumps'... which Is why I waited for someone else to mention them first :WINK1:

 

I'm with you luke, everything thinks spring is here after that cold snap, saw a butterfly 3 days ago & ladybirds are crawling about.

Could have been in clumps because they'd not long hatched out, you are right, they are usually solitary.

Has everyone else noticed the amount of autumn leaves still around ? They've normally rotted or been dragged under by the worms by now. Decembers snow just preserved them. I've just made a leafmould enclosure, normally something I would do in November.:DOH:

 

Thanks everyone - you are right, there are loads of leaves about now-but it was a lovely day in the garden tidying up. Followed by five large bags of "stuff" for the local dump. ( my compost heaps are full!)

I didnt see any more of these worms today -they do look like leatherjackets though. I will keep an eye out for them and take a picture if and when i find more. Watch this space!

 

I think what you have Brandling worms. These are a gardeners really, REALLY best friend.:thumb::D