If you happen to’ve ever walked out to your backyard or compost pile late at night time, you may need caught a fast, furtive look of those slimy, slithering, creatures within the undergrowth.
Over a foot lengthy, with a shovel-shaped head and highly effective secreted toxin, hammerhead worms are invasive, persistent, and just about indestructible predators that may wipe out helpful organisms in and round your backyard and the ecosystem at massive.
However, all creatures nice and small have their half to play in nature, even the scary predators. So, must you kill a hammerhead worm?
Sure, positively kill them. Hammerhead worms are a extremely damaging, and will at all times be taken care of ASAP (and, in some jurisdictions, reported to the right authorities).
It seems that hammerhead worms actually don’t have a spot in your backyard or anyplace else in america for that matter.
This stuff are just about aliens proper right here on earth, being very tough to kill and consuming voraciously for his or her complete lives, generally depleting complete ecosystems of necessary organisms.
If you happen to see one, you’ll must kill it, however that isn’t as simple as you could be pondering regardless of their small dimension. Preserve studying and I’ll let you know extra about these surprisingly horrifying worms.
What’s a Hammerhead Worm Precisely?
Hammerhead worms usually are not like widespread earthworms that we discover in our lawns, or the crimson wrigglers that take up residence in our compost piles.
As a substitute, these creatures belong to a gaggle of animals known as land planarians, flatworms.
There are various, many species discovered everywhere in the globe, however within the U.S. the most typical species belong to the genus Bipalium.
It seems that hammerhead worms have been slowly migrating from different areas of the world, possible as hitchhikers in soil or as stowaways on shipments.
Scientific primer apart, I let you know really that these worms are the stuff of nightmares.
Rising over to a foot in size and digesting prey alive with poisonous saliva, there isn’t any doubt that these critters are predators.
The worms get their identify from the distinctive arrow or shovel formed head on the finish of their slender our bodies.
Colours range tremendously, with some being purple or yellow, generally with daring patterns, and others coming in typical muted earth tones.
Their dimension is commonly spectacular, even just a little intimidating, and they are often mistaken for small snakes, so it pays to maintain a watch out when working within the backyard.
When you see one, you gained’t overlook it!
Why Ought to I Kill a Hammerhead Worm?
So, why the urgency to kill these critters, particularly if we tolerate slugs, snails and different worms?
Easy! These slimy monsters are ceaseless killers of necessary indigenous creatures, together with helpful earthworms, snails, slugs and even small amphibians.
Left to their very own units, hammerhead worms can utterly get rid of impacted wildlife from a neighborhood space, and unfold out additional after doing so.
Hammerhead Worms are a Harmful Invasive Species!
Whereas their presence might appear to be a blessing to gardeners who need their slug downside taken care of, the wholesale elimination of those necessary organisms additionally disrupts complete ecosystems time beyond regulation and might have far-reaching penalties for the setting.
It’s important to grasp that these creatures usually are not simply annoying pests; they’re a critical menace to nature in america as they’ve exactly zero pure predators!
Mix the shortage of predators with immense urge for food, excessive reproductive charge and their total resiliency and you can begin to see these critters for what they’re: a scourge.
It’s your obligation to assist purge them!
Killing Them Is Simpler Mentioned than Performed, Nonetheless
Now we get to the really freakish half: hammerhead worms, mainly, can’t be killed by regular means! I’m not kidding.
Let’s say that upon seeing it you cleave a hammerhead worm in two along with your shovel or trowel. Performed deal, proper? Nope!
Hammerhead worms not solely regenerate harm rapidly, however severed items will regrow into fully separate and wholesome worms!
Ghastly, I do know, like one thing from a horror film. You’ll be able to’t even lower off their heads to do the job, because the physique will develop a brand new head and the pinnacle, possible, a brand new physique.
“That’s effective,” I hear you say, “I’ll simply use poison on them!” Not so quick, my buddies!
Hammerhead worms have confirmed alarmingly resilient to commonest chemical controls used for the aim, and what toxins do work successfully normally produce other vital environmental repercussions.
Now take into account that they haven’t any predators of their very own (within the U.S.) and so they additionally breed rapidly.
Botching the job of killing these worms may result in an exponential inhabitants explosion and subsequent main disruption of the native setting. What a nightmare! However what can we do?
Haven’t any concern. There’s a resolution, although it’s pretty concerned. However first, it’s worthwhile to know that these worms can probably damage you, too…
Be Cautious: Hammerhead Worms are Toxic
And to crown all of it off, hammerhead worms are additionally dangerously toxic.
As you would possibly count on, these toxics serve to guard the worm in opposition to any and all predators, and so they do an excellent job of it: the poison, tetrodotoxin, is identical terrible stuff produced by the infamous fugu pufferfish.
Significantly, these items is dangerous information, and might simply trigger pores and skin irritation or extra critical wounds, and might probably trigger paralysis or anaphylactic shock, a probably lethal response in some folks.
Fortunately, the concentrations of the toxin in these worms are small, however repeated dealing with with naked arms is a recipe for catastrophe, and you could by no means, ever contact your mouth or face when coping with them.
Use warning when catching and disposing of those terrible worms. Gloves and lengthy sleeves are really useful.
It may also be sensible to contemplate carrying closed sneakers or boots, for added safety from accidents in addition to potential contact with their toxic secretions.
It ought to go with out saying that these worms are a critical menace to inquisitive youngsters or pets that may attempt to eat them.
Learn how to Completely and Safely Get rid of Hammerhead Worms
So we’ve got a seemingly un-killable zombie worm that secretes toxin and has no pure predators. What on earth can we do about it?
There’s however one alternative: whole obliteration. That isn’t hyperbole and I’m not joking.
The one option to reliably kill these worms with out them splitting and multiplying is by dissolving them in acid. Discuss visiting evil on evil, eh?
One of the best process includes catching the worm and dropping it in a sealed container holding an answer of very soapy salt water, vinegar and boric acid with just a little citrus oil.
Over time, this can utterly dissolve the worm, and stop replication.
When you catch the worm, merely drop it within the container, be certain that it’s sealed up tight, after which place the container in a cold spot (at the least out of direct daylight) to assist decelerate the worm’s metabolism and provides the brew time to kill it.
I warn you, the method is ugly. The worms will thrash like mad whenever you dunk them, and merely splashing the answer on them is just not sufficient.
It’s a dangerous option to go, however no worse than what they do to numerous different poor critters, paralyzed and eaten alive.
Report Hammerhead Worm Sightings
In lots of jurisdictions native universities, agricultural companies or Fish and Wildlife Service workplaces might want any and all sightings reported in order that they might examine the scope of the problem.
Hammerhead worms have gotten a extremely significant issue in some areas and it is very important maintain monitor of them in order that countermeasures could be employed.
With just a little bit of data and warning you possibly can assist on this battle in opposition to these hideously damaging worms.
