night crawlers

[PrairieGhost]

I bought apples from a local nursery. I didn't have nightcrawlers until then. I planted two then it got dark. Started the third in the morning and when the dirt broke away it was full of nightcrawlers. Now my yard is full of them. I bought a 70 gallon tank with an axle through the middle. Fill it with water and after a rain tow it around the yard. It will flatten most of them for a few weeks.

When picking nightcrawlers I use a red head lamp. It gives me another second to grab before they go down.

 

[Brian Renville]

I don't have any crawler mounds but have lots of crawlers out and about when it rains. By out an about I mean fornicating by the dozens. I'm ashamed to admit but I am sort of bashful about picking them up when that's going on. I hope that doesn't mean I'm only getting unattractive worms. ;:;barf
Mole hills on the other hand I do have, I was about to destroy everything living in my yard just to finally get rid of that a-hole. The buzzing solar powered stakes finally seem to have done the trick. For $20 a pop they better work.

 

[Radar13]

I get my night crawlers from the park across from the elks pool, the one with the eagle, its best to wait about a hour after dark that way they are all stretched out waiting to get picked

 

[Davey Crockett]

Out of curiosity, with all of the focus on half worms, slow death and single hook presentations, has anyone ever tried european nightcrawlers? 3" or so in length and don't need refrigeration. Kind of curious if they are too small in diameter or if they may be the real ticket.

They are a little on the smallish size, I got a batch last year and had to sort through them for fishing worms but they did catch fish. I put the small ones in a compost pile and I haven't found any yet this spring. I ordered again this year and they were supposed to ship last monday but with the snow storm we postponed, they will ship next Monday.

Hoping others will chime in too, Is it at all possible for Canadian Night crawlers and earth worms to cross ? I have an old compost pile that I started Canadian crawlers in, There were earth worms there before but now besides Canadian crawlers I find shorter worms like european size. I was finding these before I ever had any european crawlers on the farm.

 

[cpete00]

I hate mopping my yard

 

[gr8outdoors]

U w many are in a flat? I have tons in my garden n catch them n sell them, mostly to my neighbor for about half of what u pay at gas stations. Let me know if you are interested. Sorry, I was responding to dirty mike, or anyone else.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Has anyone tried shocking worm out of the ground ? I didn't think it would work very good but it does. It only takes 30 seconds or so they jump right out of the ground .

 

[Lycanthrope]

Ive tried to keep euro crawlers for composting but they are escape artists, didnt use them for fishing but they are SUPER active, I think they would work well...

 

[Davey Crockett]

Lycan, Those sound like red wigglers you had , European crawlers just lay around as long as they are happy unless there is something they don't like in the soil they will try to get out. I have mentioned Larry Hall from Brainard MN before , He is about as good as they get for tinkering and tweeking stuff then sharing his information, He truly is an amazing guy that I have learned more from than anybody else on the internet. Check out his other videos on grow bags , I have been doing some of that and it works like you will never believe.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Has anyone tried shocking worm out of the ground ? I didn't think it would work very good but it does. It only takes 30 seconds or so they jump right out of the ground .

Shocking works, but you gotta be careful, I heard someone died doing that once, electrocuted himself. Also the crawlers come up, but they die a few days later, so its not good if you wanna keep crawlers.

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Lycan, Those sound like red wigglers you had , European crawlers just lay around as long as they are happy unless there is something they don't like in the soil they will try to get out. I have mentioned Larry Hall from Brainard MN before , He is about as good as they get for tinkering and tweeking stuff then sharing his information, He truly is an amazing guy that I have learned more from than anybody else on the internet. Check out his other videos on grow bags , I have been doing some of that and it works like you will never believe.

Im pretty sure they were euros, they were big like in the video and had an irridescent shine to them in the light, kind of neat. They were ok ususally, but I kept them outside and every time it would rain, I would find them all over the place, couldnt keep them in the tub, I had a lid but they would figure out how to get out. How do you keep yours? BTW were do you get yours from? I might try them again sometime....

 

[Davey Crockett]

Shocking works, but you gotta be careful, I heard someone died doing that once, electrocuted himself. Also the crawlers come up, but they die a few days later, so its not good if you wanna keep crawlers.

I had no clue that they die later , I'll have to pay attention to that, I have a little inverter that is pretty safe if you pay any attention at all. I hook it up to a 12 volt battery or my jump starter.

 

[Lycanthrope]

12v might not kill them, Ive used line power in the past, 120v and you can feel it in your shoes when you get too close to the rods. Also it zings your hand a little when you grab crawlers too close to the rods in the ground!

 

[Davey Crockett]

I still use 110v with two utility marker flags for probes but I stand back and hook the inverter to my battery or portable 12 volt jump starter.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Did you have peat for make up soil ? What were you feeding them ? If they like the conditions they will stay home but if there is something they don't like about heir home they will leave. Last batch of euros were from MN , They will have to grow before the will be any good for fishing. They look like angle worms. I ordered from Ebay Don't order from this guy , They look like angle worms to me. He must be running low ,I ordered a pound and now he only sells them by 1/4 pound.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/European-NI...702?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2d5b960e



Im pretty sure they were euros, they were big like in the video and had an irridescent shine to them in the light, kind of neat. They were ok ususally, but I kept them outside and every time it would rain, I would find them all over the place, couldnt keep them in the tub, I had a lid but they would figure out how to get out. How do you keep yours? BTW were do you get yours from? I might try them again sometime....[/QUOTE]