Hammerhead worms, they're toxic. You can't even chop them and they reproduce.
With a wet spring so far in Ontario, worms are springing up on sidewalks and driveways across the province.
This spring, gardeners are being asked to keep watch for what’s been called a “silent assassin” that could be creeping around in the yard — it has already been spotted near London and Hamilton.
The hammerhead worm, or the shovel-headed garden worm, has been found in parts of Ontario. As spring settles in, these little predators will be slinking in your garden.
“Hammerhead worms are an invasive species that are also toxic and have been found in Hamilton since 2020,” the Hamilton Conservation Authority said, on its website.
Like other worms, they are usually found in soil, leaf litter and under logs or rocks.
They can reproduce sexually and asexually to create an egg capsule that hatches after about 23 days, with up to eight offspring inside, invasivespeciescentre.ca said.
They aren’t native to Ontario and it’s believed they came to North America in some plants shipped from Southeast Asia around 1900.
They currently have no predator, so controlling the spread is the best way to maintain them.
With a wet spring so far in Ontario, worms are springing up on sidewalks and driveways across the province.
This spring, gardeners are being asked to keep watch for what’s been called a “silent assassin” that could be creeping around in the yard — it has already been spotted near London and Hamilton.
The hammerhead worm, or the shovel-headed garden worm, has been found in parts of Ontario. As spring settles in, these little predators will be slinking in your garden.
“Hammerhead worms are an invasive species that are also toxic and have been found in Hamilton since 2020,” the Hamilton Conservation Authority said, on its website.
Like other worms, they are usually found in soil, leaf litter and under logs or rocks.
They can reproduce sexually and asexually to create an egg capsule that hatches after about 23 days, with up to eight offspring inside, invasivespeciescentre.ca said.
They aren’t native to Ontario and it’s believed they came to North America in some plants shipped from Southeast Asia around 1900.
They currently have no predator, so controlling the spread is the best way to maintain them.
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