# Catching earthworms



## fishyfishyfish (May 8, 2008)

Can anyone help???

When i was a kid i used to remember a method to catch lot's of worms by getting them to surface - it went along the lines of pouring soapy water on the lawn and covering with plastic or something

Does anyone know what the method is?

I want to have a plentifull suppy of worms for my GT's but i don't want to dig or have them in a bucket because my partner will probably throw me out if she finds a bucket full of worms!!!

So if i could get them to surface in one area of the lawn then i could collect a few every day without breaking a sweat???

Thanks :drooling:


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

start a compost, in a back corner of your yard, and feed it with kitchen waste. no meats, pasta, or dairy of any kind. no acidic fruits. no flavored waste (eg. salad dressing). apple cores, banana peels, potato waste, veggie stems and leaf, crushed egg shell, etc.. are all good. a large tupperware would make an excellent compost bin. add 6-8 inches of damp, shredded paper over the top of your discard, to make it easy to bury the next new offerings. keep a lid (with small drill holes to vent air) on it, to keep out pests, and to control humidity. you can cycle it quickly with the import of a few dozen bait shop worms. bait shops are a good source for worms in the summer. common north american variants of earthworm prefer to go deep to avoid the heat. 
the soap idea works to kill worms, because the soap causes them to suffocate. they intake oxygen through their skin. i suppose some 'lucky' ones could make it to the surface...it might be better odds to hunt for them in the cool of night. use a flashlight and walk softly. HTH.


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## fishyfishyfish (May 8, 2008)

Thanks for the reply however i'm going to take the lazy option - i've just been to the tackle shop & bought a tub of red worms.

The compost idea sounds a bit too much like hard work for my liking. :zz:


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## dogofwar (Apr 5, 2004)

Local bait shop to buy red worms is my technique as well


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## Alleycat (Dec 2, 2006)

Buying them at the local wholesaler is my favorite way too. 
But lloyd, your composting idea is an excellent way to go too :thumb: I notice when buying earthworms / Dew worms down here all the containers say imported from Canada. Must be a gold mine up there in worms !!


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## TheeMon (May 11, 2004)

the trick is to get your hose and "water your yard" all the rain/water will drive them to the surface. no soap, no plastic. also go out when it rains there everywhere


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## CHBGator (Oct 5, 2006)

TheeMon said:


> the trick is to get your hose and "water your yard" all the rain/water will drive them to the surface. no soap, no plastic. also go out when it rains there everywhere


My Father and I use to do that the night before we went fishing. trick is to cut the grass a day or so before so its easier to to grab them, water the ground down real well at dusk and go out at night with a flashlight. when you see one pin them with a finger right where they come out of the ground then with the other hand grab what you can but dont just yank them out of the ground tho you'll rip them in half. Just hold on to them and wait for them to relax and pull them up slowly.


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## aussieafricans (Dec 19, 2007)

i got the laziest way
its not gauranteed to be safe it invlolves a 240 volt power point and a screw driver very efficcient worms emerge within 30 seconds my uncle showed me. its so cool :lol: get like 100 worms in 30 second but you could easily get lots lots more.

hes an electrician who knows what hes doin so i dont recommend trying it. has a potential to be dangerous. on the level of life threatening.


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## spotmonster (Nov 23, 2006)

I used to use the soap method the night before going fishing. It works great. I used any kind of detergent in a 5 gal bucket. Dump it on the lawn and in a few minutes they come out. You just have to rinse them in clean water before going to your container. Of course I didn't plan on using them as food for my fish, not sure if I'd try it just in case soap was still in or on them.

I think I'd buy em.


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## joeyballz (Jul 1, 2008)

You have to be carefull havesting them from your yard. If you or your neighbors have used pesticides you could kill your fish.


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## Joephish (Oct 28, 2005)

when i was a kid, we used to use coffee grounds. Guess it's like the compost idea, but not as hard. Just keep dumping your used coffee grounds in the same place for a week or so and then you'll have worms galore feeding on them. Leave a few in there and keep dumping more grounds, you'll have worms all summer.
We also had rabbitts and their pellet turds are like crack for worms. So if you have a bunny, you'll have loads of worms.


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## Alleycat (Dec 2, 2006)

Joephish said:


> We also had rabbitts and their pellet turds are like crack for worms. So if you have a bunny, you'll have loads of worms.


Crack for worms .... :thumb: :lol:


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## lloyd (Aug 24, 2005)

Joephish said:


> when i was a kid, we used to use coffee grounds.


 coffee grounds is the 'secret food', that local bait shops sprinkle into each package of worms, to keep them looking lively. :lol:


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