8-Inch Worms That Jump Up to a Foot High Are Back for the Summer

Asian jumping worms destroy gardens and landscaping.

They're also called Alabama jumpers, Jersey wrigglers, and crazy snake worms. They hatch in time to cause havoc each summer, also damaging forests and the overall ecosystem.

Yes, Hollywood could certainly turn this into a horror movie.

Now you don't have to worry about these creepy crawlers being a danger to you, so at least there's that.

Anyway, according to the USDA, their destructive nature is largely due to their voracious appetites, which can ruin your garden and bushes. Leaping into the air is their thing and all of that jumping makes them hungry. So, where do they fuel up, so to speak? From the soil in your gardens and forests.

According to Cornell University, these guys are originally from East Asia, thus their name. They've spread across the entire country, and humans are a significant part of that spread, albeit inadvertently from moving mulch, potting mixes, plants, raking, using blowers, and so forth.

According to the CT Insider, when they jump, there's nothing smooth about it; rather, they thrash around. This is a method to escape predators while they slither around like snakes, growing up to eight inches long.

These jumping worms also have a prominent cream-colored band around their body that you can't miss.

HOW YOU KNOW YOU HAVE AN INFESTATION AND WHAT TO DO

They tend to jump the most when they're disturbed or feel threatened, so when some jump up and startle you, that's one way to know if you have them.

You also know if you have an infestation if your soil looks like coffee grounds or Grape Nuts cereal.

You can kill them with 1-2 drops of dish soap dissolved in a gallon of water. This is the only way to slow them down, since there are no chemical or pesticide treatments for jumping worms.

While adults die each winter, according to Cornell, this happens after they've laid up to 60 tiny cocoons. Those cocoons can start hatching once we reach 50 degrees.