What This Story Is About
- How to identify and remove hammerhead worms from your yard.
Why It Matters
- Hammerhead worms are an invasive species that kill bugs essential to healthy soil.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Protect Tennessee Forests, a campaign of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry, said they’ve been receiving more reports of hammerhead worms across Tennessee.
What is a hammerhead worm?
According to Protect Tennessee Forests, these invasive flatworms are native to Southeast Asia and are believed to have been brought to the United States in the early 1900s through nursery plant soil.
The hammerhead worms prey on earthworms, which, according to Protect Tennessee Forests, are essential for healthy soil.
“Fewer earthworms means less aeration, less decomposition and less nutrient cycling for your garden and surrounding ecosystems,” Protect Tennessee Forests said in a Facebook post.
What does a hammerhead worm look like?
Hammerhead worms are easy to identify, Protect Tennessee Forests said…