☢️ Invasive Earthworms? 🙃

There are no native earthworm species in North America

It is believed that native North American worms were wiped out during the last ice age, resulting in an ecosystem that has since developed without them, especially in the Northern part of the United States and Canada entirely. However, more than 300 earthworm species have been introduced in North America today, mostly from South America, Asia, and Europe via vehicles and the shipment of organic materials. 

Many of these worms threaten local ecosystems when their populations grow unchecked, with no natural predators. Notably, the Asian Jumping Worm is currently severely impacting North American forests by consuming the leaf litter that would normally nurture a diverse range of native plants, fungi, and insects.

Conversely, common garden worms such as red wigglers and nightcrawlers, though also largely non-native, have not been linked to similar ecological damage across the continent. In order to be safe, the Canadian government recommends practices like disposing of worms in locations where there are already worms present to stop the spread and cleaning your tires when you go to farms, camping locations, and other hotbeds for worms. 

 How to dispose of excess worms

If you have excess worms from a fishing trip or gardening project, there are a few safe options you could consider.

 

Send them back to us 

We love worms! We maintain the perfect homes for them and mix their food in bulk, we have a few chickens that love to take care of worm species that we can't keep with the others, but if your worms were bought in Canada, then it's likely that we have the perfect colony for them to join. 

You'll enjoy a unique discount between 5% and 15% on your next order as appreciation for protecting our country's diverse and delicate ecosystems. 

Give them to a friend

Let's bring back community! Know someone who could use your worms? Give it a think, and reach out!

Offer them to a local poultry or fish farm

We'd recommend calling ahead of time to save you a wasted trip; some farmers may be receptive to public feed, and others may not.  

Consider a worm bin

You could probably build the perfect home for your worms out of a few household and gardening materials. You could have your own colony of worms and harvest them for future projects or fishing trips. 

Learn how to take care of common worm species

Learn how to keep worms odorless, safe, and productive using worm bins.  

Last resort

Throw your worms into a sealed compost bag and leave them in the sun till they dry out. This will kill all the worms, you can then dispose of them in your compost bin. Please use this only as your final alternative to dumping them in public places. Worms are living creatures, and harming them is not something we should take for granted.