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Fun Worm Facts
 There are over a million earthworms in just one acre of soil. Together, these worms can eat 10 tons of leaves, stems, and dead roots a year, and turn over 40 tons of soil. Just imagine how much waste would pile up if all the earthworms in the world went on strike.
The largest earthworm ever found in the world measured in at 22 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail, and it was found in South Africa.
A beef tapeworm can be 30 feet long and have up to 2000 segments on it body. These are not actually worms. They are members of the phylum Platyhelminthes.
In 20 minutes, a leech can absorb five times its weight in blood.
Many famous people have been interested in worms for a long time. Cleopatra declared
earthworms as sacred, and forbade Egyptian farmers from removing them from the land. The Greek Aristotle called earthworms the "intestines of the soil". Charles Darwin studied earthworms for 39 years. Darwin said "It may be doubted whether there are many other animals in the world which have played so important a part in the history of the world then the earthworm".
Moles, which eat three times there weight a day, and shrews, which eat every hour, feed
primarily on earthworms. In Europe moles will hold earthworms hostage by biting off the first four or five segments of the earthworms head. This prevents the worm from escaping because it can no longer feel its way around or "see" its environment. By keeping earthworms hostage, the mole ensures that it has a food source.
Nightcrawlers feed at night. They keep their tails in their burrows and reach as far as they can around their burrow, looking for something to eat. They leave their tail in their burrow so that they can quickly escape any dangers which may arise.
Earthworms are 82 % protein.
Many people around the world feed on earthworms, such as the Aborigines in Australia, the Maoris of new Zealand, and some people in China.
Research has shown that eating earthworms can reduce cholesterol. The basic essential oil of earthworms is Omega 3.
Earthworm tunnels are 3 to 10 mm in diameter, and serve as channels for plant roots and water infiltration.
Earthworm castings (dung) contain 5 times more nitrogen, 7 times more phosphorus, 11 times more potassium, and 1000 times more beneficial bacterial than the material the earthworm initially ingested.
Gardening stores sell earthworm castings as fertilizer for about $12-25 per pound.
There are no labelled insecticides made to eliminate pesky earthworms which leave bumpy middens on your lawn. One way you can get rid of your earthworms is to water your lawn deeply and infrequently, allowing the top inch of soil to dry out before watering again. This forces the earthworms to stay deeper down in your soil, thus reducing the amount of soil middens they make. This method is also beneficial to your plants, because it results in deeper root systems.
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