Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Dig for worms
• Method 2 of 3: Catch worms at night
• Method 3 of 3: Attracting worms with vibrations
• Tips

Earthworms are often used as bait by fishermen, but they are also integral to healthy gardens and are good to have in a compost pile because they break down organic matter quickly and convert it into nutrient-rich soil. Worms are active at different times and for different reasons, so when looking for worms it is easy to catch some for your garden, worm farm or compost pile.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Dig for worms

1. Gather your supplies. You'll need the following: a shovel or spade and a container with moist soil and leaves.
   • An ideal time to look for earthworms is when you are already digging, for example while gardening, building fences or digging a foundation. If you dig deeper than the surface, you can find different types of earthworms, including the common earthworm.
   • Wear appropriate clothing. You're going to dig through the earth looking for worms, so you're likely to get sick. It is good to wear old clothes, knee pads, gardening gloves, and gardening boots or shoes.
2. Dig for worms. Select a patch of land in your garden or forest and start digging a small hole. As you dig up the soil, sift it for worms and collect the ones you find. A good place to dig for worms is near a stream or water source.
   • You can also try digging in a municipal garden or a forest, but avoid digging in prové fields, golf courses and public parks.
   • Be as still as possible so that the vibrations you cause don't scare the worms off.
   • Make sure to look under rocks, logs, and other items on the floor.
3. Carefully dig around worms that are struggling. Worms have setae, bristles that allow them to move around the earth. This can make it difficult to pull worms right out of the ground. Dig around a worm trying to dig back into the ground, being careful not to injure the worm. Once you've loosened the soil, you can easily lift the worm out and place it in your container.
4. Keep digging until you collect your worms. When you are done with a patch of soil, push the soil back and start digging a new hole a meter away. Repeat the dig and search process and push back the earth when you are done.

Method 2 of 3: Catch worms at night

1. Place a large piece of wet cardboard on your lawn. Do this the night before you want to catch worms. This will attract worms.
2. Gather your tools. Earthworms spend the day underground and come up at night to eat organic matter. Therefore, you can catch worms at night without digging, as you do during the day. You don't need any special tools to catch the worms, but you do need the following:
   • A flashlight with a dim or red light in it. Earthworms cannot see, but can recognize light and hide from a bright flashlight.
   • A shovel or small spade to shift or shovel the earth.
3. Prepare your retainer. You can use a styrofoam, metal, plastic, glass, or cardboard container. Fill it three-quarters with moist soil and cover the soil with dead, wet leaves. The leaves help to keep the soil moist and serve as food for the worms.
   • A butter dish, coffee pot, jar, ice pack or old bucket are all fine. Make sure your container is empty and clean before putting worms in it.
   • Worms need oxygen, so poke holes in the lid that are large enough to allow oxygen through, but not so large that the worms can escape through.
4. Wait for the sun to set. When that happens, you go to your yard. You can also try it in a forest, on a field or even a golf course. Walk softly, slowly and quietly. Worms cannot hear, but they can register the vibrations.
   • You can also catch worms during the day if it has rained. Worms need moisture to survive, so they often come to the surface to migrate during downpours or when the soil is moist. After it has rained a lot, go to and look for worms on your lawn, patio or driveway.
5. Use your flashlight to find worms. Collect the worms you find in your container. You have to act quickly because the worms will crawl back into the soil when they feel you arrive.
   • Earthworms are most active in the spring and fall, as they don't like extreme cold or heat. However, they will also be active on summer nights.
   • Look for pellets or small piles of soil on the soil surface, this is evidence of worm activity.
6. Look under the cardboard. Turn over stones, logs and leaves as well. Are attracted to the damp earth beneath things on the ground, turn over anything on the ground so you can find worms.
   • Use your spade or shovel to turn over leaves and the top soil if you have trouble finding worms.

Method 3 of 3: Attracting worms with vibrations

1. Gather your tools. Calling worms, also referred to as "worm charming", is the process of creating vibrations to lure worms out of the ground. You will need your holder, a wooden stake 60 cm long with one pointed end and one flat end, and a 1 inch thick metal file.
   • You can also use a handsaw if you don't have a metal file, but you'll likely need a hammer to push the stake into the ground.
2. Choose your location. A sheltered field or forest area with moist soil is the best location for worm charming. Somewhere near a stream or small body of water is even better.
3. Drive the pole into the ground. Use your file or hammer to drive the post about half the ground.
4. Then pull the file along the post. To create vibrations that cause the worms to come out of the ground, you have to recreate the vibrations that make burrowing moles look for worms to eat. Pull the file (or the blade of your handsaw) over the flat top of the post at medium speed.
   • When the earthworms feel the vibrations, they will surface to relax to the predator they think is present. Be ready to catch the worms when they surface and put them in the container.

Tips

• Contrary to popular belief, most earthworms do not need to be refrigerated. Keep them in their moist soil and organic matter at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. Canadian earthworms are the only worms that need a colder environment, and therefore cooling, to survive.