warning for worms
- Subject: warning for worms
- From: G* A* <e*@kkeka.ericsson.se>
- Date: Thu, 29 Feb 96 07:13:47 MST
Hi everyone!
This is a extract from an article in our garden magazine,
The garden amateurs.
Recently I saw an broschyre from the Royal Horticultural Society.
There they describe The worm (flatworm), Artioposthia triangulata
THE EARTHWORM KILLER
The worm is purple brown with yellow underside. It can be 17 cm.
Under the day you can find it om moisty places under a stone, wood,
or plastic sheets on the ground.
It was first found on the Northern Irland 1963.
1965 it was found near Carlisle and in Edinburgh botanic garden.
Now it exist over the whole Irland and Scotland. The second report from
England came1992.
1994 it was found on 20 new placesin england, mainly in the north, and Isle of man,
Faerisland, and possibly Island. On New Zeeland it is limited to gardens and
older woodareas in southern and central parts of the southern island.
what does it eats:
so far you can say It only eats Eartworm
How:
When it meets a eartworm it seems like it stunn it, and then it produce some
enzymes that dissolve the earthworm from the outside. And can after that
have a good earthworm soup.
lifecycel:
It produces eggcapsels with 6-10 young ones. when they hatch they are white.
Probably it is spread with eggcapsels in earth in the 1950.
It seems prefere moisty cool sourrounding, like these in Irland, in western
scottland. There it prefer agricultural land.
Most report comes ev. from home gardens and garden centras and botanical
gardens. It is harde to find it when the ground is frosty or when it
is warm and dry ground.
What effect on the eartworm population:
In agricultural areas in Irland and some home gardens it have exterminated the
Eartworm.
The effect on long time:
In agricultural land and in home gardens where the earthworm have a very
important role in the ekological system, it maintain the structure of the earth
and drainage, its absence is going to get economical and ecological
effects.
The effect on wildlife is also disastrous because many animals is partly
living on the earthworm.
Can we control it:
we dont know any natural enemy or predator that lives on the flatworm
NO chemicals known can be recommended.
It is forbidden in law to spread the flatworm.
what do we have to do :
To lower the risk:
Use seeds instead or cuttings, plant only bare roted plants(no earth)
or inspect every pot with plants you get or buy very carefully.
Lower them in water over the night, it can chase up youngsters and adults.
but not their eggs.
So every part of the world with similar climat to Scottland is in danger
to receive the flatworm.
The scottish Crop Research Institute has been mapping the spreading on the UK
and the possible future areas for spreading.
They have with the computerprogram CLIMEX compared the meteorological
data for the three places where the worm is well established,
Edinburgh and Rothesay in scottland and Alexandra on the New Zeeland.
with data from the rest of the world. The conclusion is that is going to
survive in the most of Europe (and half of sweden).
And probably in the US asvell.
Be very careful when you are importing material from the places that
have these flatworms.
Gunnar Andersson, Sw
ps. I hope you can read my lousy English ds.
