catching earthworms

Hello, I want to catch earthworms from my backyard after a big rain and when it
is dark. I go out in the back yard with a normal flashlight, the worms somehow
know there is a light on them and they go back in their hole. They don`t have
eyes....how do they know it is light? OK they must have some sensory thing
that tells them it is light......or they would come out in the daylight. Is
there some type of filter that I could put over my flashlight so they won`t see
it?, but I could see them? Thanks.......Dan.

"Mason121" wrote in message
...
Hello, I want to catch earthworms from my backyard after a big rain and
when it
is dark. I go out in the back yard with a normal flashlight, the worms
somehow
know there is a light on them and they go back in their hole. They don`t
have
eyes....how do they know it is light? OK they must have some sensory
thing
that tells them it is light......or they would come out in the daylight.
Is
there some type of filter that I could put over my flashlight so they
won`t see
it?, but I could see them? Thanks.......Dan.


Dan,
Find a red plastic lens to put over your flashlight. They'll never see
you coming. My son used to have a toy Fisher Price flashlight that we would
use. The red light didn't seem to bother them at all. Keep in mind,
though, that they probably do have exceptional vibration detection. You'll
need to step softly.
--
Andrew Kidd
http://www.amiasoft.com/ - Software for the rest of us!
http://www.rofb.net/ - ROFB Newsgroup Home

Back in the days when I used night crawlers, I used an electric probe I
picked up somewhere years ago. You stick it in the ground, any time of day,
plug it in and in a few minutes, here they came. I think they may have taken
them off the market tho. It seems someone used it in a mud puddle and
electrocuted himself. I found that hard to believe since if the amperage was
that high, it would have killed the worms.

--
Bill
Chesapeake, Va


"Mason121" wrote in message
...
Hello, I want to catch earthworms from my backyard after a big rain and
when it
is dark. I go out in the back yard with a normal flashlight, the worms
somehow
know there is a light on them and they go back in their hole. They don`t
have
eyes....how do they know it is light? OK they must have some sensory
thing
that tells them it is light......or they would come out in the daylight.
Is
there some type of filter that I could put over my flashlight so they
won`t see
it?, but I could see them? Thanks.......Dan.

Back about 35 years ago I would fill a washtub up with water and mix it with
a cup or two of Tide detergent dump it on the yard and pick up the
nightcrawlers by the hand fills..Dip them in water [ to wash off the Tide]]
,put them in fresh dirt and they'll last for ever.
Ken



"IBNFSHN" wrote in message
news:F43pc.148907$f_5.104875@lakeread01...
Back in the days when I used night crawlers, I used an electric probe I
picked up somewhere years ago. You stick it in the ground, any time of
day,
plug it in and in a few minutes, here they came. I think they may have
taken
them off the market tho. It seems someone used it in a mud puddle and
electrocuted himself. I found that hard to believe since if the amperage
was
that high, it would have killed the worms.

--
Bill
Chesapeake, Va


"Mason121" wrote in message
...
Hello, I want to catch earthworms from my backyard after a big rain and
when it
is dark. I go out in the back yard with a normal flashlight, the worms
somehow
know there is a light on them and they go back in their hole. They
don`t
have
eyes....how do they know it is light? OK they must have some sensory
thing
that tells them it is light......or they would come out in the daylight.
Is
there some type of filter that I could put over my flashlight so they
won`t see
it?, but I could see them? Thanks.......Dan.

"Ken Blevins" wrote in
:

Back about 35 years ago I would fill a washtub up with water and mix
it with a cup or two of Tide detergent dump it on the yard and pick
up the nightcrawlers by the hand fills..Dip them in water [ to wash
off the Tide]] ,put them in fresh dirt and they'll last for ever.
Ken



"IBNFSHN" wrote in message
news:F43pc.148907$f_5.104875@lakeread01...
Back in the days when I used night crawlers, I used an electric probe
I picked up somewhere years ago. You stick it in the ground, any time
of
day,
plug it in and in a few minutes, here they came. I think they may
have
taken
them off the market tho. It seems someone used it in a mud puddle and
electrocuted himself. I found that hard to believe since if the
amperage
was
that high, it would have killed the worms.

--
Bill
Chesapeake, Va


"Mason121" wrote in message
...
Hello, I want to catch earthworms from my backyard after a big rain
and
when it
is dark. I go out in the back yard with a normal flashlight, the
worms
somehow
know there is a light on them and they go back in their hole. They
don`t
have
eyes....how do they know it is light? OK they must have some
sensory
thing
that tells them it is light......or they would come out in the
daylight.
Is
there some type of filter that I could put over my flashlight so
they
won`t see
it?, but I could see them? Thanks.......Dan.






My cousin told me to mix up some mustard powder in water, and pour it
over the clumps they seem to dig when they start a hole.

Scott

I make a solution witha little mustard powder in water, fill my garden
sprayer and spray it over the ground in broad daylight. I only cover a
smalla area abouta 10 feets by ten feets. I then wetta the ground with my
sprinkling hose, waita a few minutes and pika up the worms, washa them off
and put em in clean soils.

ken


"Mason121" wrote in message
...
Hello, I want to catch earthworms from my backyard after a big rain and
when it
is dark. I go out in the back yard with a normal flashlight, the worms
somehow
know there is a light on them and they go back in their hole. They don`t
have
eyes....how do they know it is light? OK they must have some sensory
thing
that tells them it is light......or they would come out in the daylight.
Is
there some type of filter that I could put over my flashlight so they
won`t see
it?, but I could see them? Thanks.......Dan.

I've heard the red light suggestion before, but there's a much simpler
solution. Just wrap your fingers over the lens of your flashlight. The light
filtered through flesh will produce a dim, reddish glow. Once your eyes have
adjusted to the dark, you won't need much more than that. If you do need
more light, just relax your fingers to let a bit more escape through the
cracks between them, and then clench your fingers tightly to reduce the
light.

When you spot a nightcrawler, don't let the light spill out onto it. Rather,
point your filtered light off to the side.

I haven't seen anyone suggest vibration for driving worms to the surface. As
has been mentioned, worms are very sensitive to vibration, which is why you
must tread slowly and softly when gathering them. And that explains why
you're wasting your time if you search for them around your air-conditioner
compressor or other vibration source. However, we can use that sensitivity
to our advantage.

My uncle had an old truck leafspring that he would drive into the untilled
earth beside his compost heap. He would then start sawing the edge with a
piece of rough-cut oak tomato stake, like he was playing a base fiddle, and
nightcrawlers would poke their heads out of the ground for easy harvest.

He had another source, too -- a trick he picked up from some magazine, and
which worked great. He had dragged an old mattress out into the edge of the
woods behind his house, and every time he watered his garden, he directed
the hose toward the mattress and soaked it down. Then, whenever he wanted
worms for bream fishing (not necessarily nightcrawlers), he just flipped
the mattress over, quickly gathered a few dozen, and then dropped the
mattress back in place. All you need for that is an old tick mattress, some
privacy so the neighbors won't object to your trashy ways, and a tolerant
wife.

Incidentally, I've figured out that plowed garden soil doesn't produce
nearly as many worms as the undisturbed earth around the edges, and the
sections around compost heaps that remain damp but not drenched were the
best. Since nightcrawlers skin must remain moist and, yet, they can survive
underwater for only an hour or so, they prefer well-drained humus that holds
moisture. I can rake back leaves that have piled for years in the old
drainage in the woods beside my house and find them on the surface most of
the year. Regularly-watered lawns, like office parks, golf courses, and
municipal buildings, are good places to check, too, since the worms thrive
in the constantly-moist conditions.
--
Joe Haubenreich
www.secretweaponlures.com
First real spinnerbait innovation in decades
__________________
"Mason121" wrote in message
...
Hello, I want to catch earthworms from my backyard after a big rain and when
it
is dark. I go out in the back yard with a normal flashlight, the worms
somehow
know there is a light on them and they go back in their hole. They don`t
have
eyes....how do they know it is light? OK they must have some sensory thing
that tells them it is light......or they would come out in the daylight. Is
there some type of filter that I could put over my flashlight so they won`t
see
it?, but I could see them? Thanks.......Dan.

Hey Joe -- Don't tell me you learned to play bluegrass fiddle watching your
uncle "fiddle" for worms?

Thanks for the worm tips -- I know I'll need them as soon as my 9-month-old
grand daughter gets big enough to hold a cane pole. And one of these days I'll
bring my guitar and french harp and you and I'll make some music.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.com

And I'll bring my fiddle. Although I have to warn you.... now that you
mention it, the music a I make does closely resemble the tunes Uncle Al
played to attract nightcrawlers.... :-(

Joe
_____________
"Rob Storm" wrote in message
...
Hey Joe -- Don't tell me you learned to play bluegrass fiddle watching your
uncle "fiddle" for worms?

Thanks for the worm tips -- I know I'll need them as soon as my 9-month-old
grand daughter gets big enough to hold a cane pole. And one of these days
I'll
bring my guitar and french harp and you and I'll make some music.

Family, Friends, Fishing,
Rob Storm
http://stormsrestaurants.com

old cardboard left on the ground when it rains will hold worms also...they love
crawling inside it and you can get some big ones also