If you have ever come out only to set your eyes on dead worms all over the sidewalk and the driveway, firstly, you will probably ask yourself where they came from and how they found their way there.
It would be best if you cleared them immediately.
So, Why Are There So Many Dead Worms On the Sidewalk and Driveway?
Worms die for many reasons, including rain, exhaustion of food reserves, and predation by other small animals like ants. If you do not act immediately and remove them, your compound will soon smell awful.
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This guide will help you understand possible sources of worms in your compound, why they die, and how to rid your sidewalks and driveways of these creatures. And there’s more.
Is It Normal for Dead Worms to Litter Your Compound?
Yes. There will almost always be dead worms in your compound. Be it the yards, patio, driveway, or sidewalk. Worms build and live in the ground beneath the soil. They often come out of their homes during the onset and after the rains. As soon as the surface, predators come to have their fill. Others die when you step or drive over them.
So if you wonder whether it is a peculiar scenario, you do not have to bother yourself anymore.
The presence of worms is more of a natural phenomenon.
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What Causes the Presence of Many Worms in The Yard?
The presence of worms in the yards is nothing to worry about. Rain is what makes them come out on most occasions.
Another thing that is forced to surface is predators that ambush them beneath the soil.
There is another theory that explains the surfacing of worms on the yards.
Their sound is more like that of oncoming moles when the rain starts to fall.
For fear of impending danger, worms run for their lives. They will eventually find themselves on the surface.
Worms dread moles since they are their primary predators. It is an attempt to escape to safer ground.
They eventually find their way to the yard, the driveway, the walkways, and even your porch.
If you find bodies of worms on the walkways, porch, and driveway, it is because they have covered a long distance in an attempt to seek safety.
Another reason worms come out to cover such long distances is a spirited search for mates.
It may look like a miracle to find worms coming as far as the porch. Worms travel quicker on the ground.
Only after they come out of the ground do worms realize that they have nothing to eat. Lack of food and nutrients will ultimately lead to their death.
Additionally, they become more exposed and vulnerable to predation and extreme weather elements.
Too much sunlight kills them. Also, if they cannot find something to eat, they suffer the same fate-death.
The sun’s heat is another element that eliminates most of those worms that surface.
The walkways and driveways are where they meet their death, mostly because of the often hot concrete pavements.
These places are often radiating a lot of heat.
Worms do not tolerate such extremes of heat. For these reasons, you will most likely find worms on the walkways and driveways.
Another reason why you are likely to find surfacing worms on walkways and driveways is that some of them are over-fertilized.
These conditions are toxic to worms, who, in the event of escaping, find themselves in intolerable conditions.
They will eventually die here because of such unfavorable conditions.
What Will Happen If You Leave Dead Worms On Your Walkways and Driveways?
Your compound will start smelling horrible if you leave dead worms on the walkways and driveways.
Besides, if you leave dead worms to litter your compound, other small creatures who feast on such dead bodies will soon flood your home.
Ants are the first to swim the compound in numbers.
Rodents and birds are naturally attracted to these feasting sites as well.
These new guests will not leave without creating more mess around the home.
They will leave their droppings and litter the place with a lot of waste. As you can see, the situation will go from worse to worse if you do not take the necessary action.
How Can You Deal with Dead Worms?
You should thoroughly clean every part of the compound to rid them of these little creatures.
Once done with the cleaning, you should dispose of them properly to avoid creating nasty scenarios around the home.
Do Worms Play Dead?
If you have paid closer attention to ‘dead’ worms on your driveways and walkways, you must have noted that some appear dead while they are not in the real sense.
So, worms know how to fake death, especially when they sense approaching danger.
Worms are experts in suspended animation.
They do so during dry seasons by switching to mild dormancy.
Worms have special genes that are found in certain plants and animals. These genes give them the dormancy trait as a survival tactic during harsh conditions.
What Kills Worms?
There are many ways in which worms die. As mentioned, extreme weather conditions such as high temperatures are the number one cause of their deaths.
Even extremely cold temperatures kill them.
Another chief cause of death among worms is predation. As soon as they surface, they prey on anticipating animals like birds, moles, and ants.
Excessive moisture can also cause the death of worms. If you have been keen on observing your gardens and yards, you must have noted that some worms die because of excess moisture.
Toxic products such as fertilizers and chemicals also poison worms to death. If you use toxic chemicals on the lawns, there is every chance that you eliminate worms.
Lastly, diseases and parasites can kill worms in massive numbers. There are seasons when parasites attacking worms exist in millions. During these seasons, death takes its toll on worms.
What Can You Do If There Many Worms in Your Compound?
A clinical procedure to deal with worms is to root out for their cause and source. Soil is a primary factor to put into consideration.
It is because worms love to build their homes in healthy soils. It is organic material and nutrient that worms seek in the soils. And they thrive very well where they find it.
Certain worms, such as earthworms, live in soft loam soils. Such soils are neither too sandy nor dry.
Fertile soils also attract earthworms. It is for this reason that you will find a lot of earthworms on loamy soils around your home.
Even though they can cause many problems when they surface, worms create a healthy environment in the soil. They aerate the soil.
There is no soil devoid of living organisms such as worms.
You can only deal with them by clearing them when they surface during and after the rains. They are part of nature, and we must learn to live with them.
Final words
Worms are creatures living in the soil and only come out at certain times.
As discussed, many things can cause them to move out of their homes in the soil.
You must deal with them to avoid creating a huge mess in your walkways and driveways.
You must discard them appropriately to avoid creating horrible conditions around the home.