How Do I Catch a Bunch of Nightcrawlers?

Catch a bunch of nightcrawlers to use for your planned activities.

Finding nightcrawlers, whether for fishing or studying, can be a challenge because they easily detect vibrations as you dig and they burrow deep into the soil to escape. For this reason, when you seek nightcrawlers, you must get creative in your hunting tactics. By making and using a special solution to flush the night crawlers to the soil surface, you can more easily catch a bunch of nightcrawlers to use for your planned activities.

Things You'll Need

• 1 gallon warm water
• 1/3 cup ground mustard powder
• Bucket
• Small container

Instructions

1. Pour the warm water and the ground mustard into the bucket. Stir the ingredients well to dissolve the ground mustard.

2. Find an area on the ground where the soil is rich in organic matter. Clear away debris such as leaves and sticks from the soil surface.

3. Pour approximately half of the mustard solution over a 12-inch square area of soil and wait about two minutes for the nightcrawlers to surface.

4. Grab the nightcrawlers with your fingers as soon as they come to the top of the soil and place them in the small container. If you try to grab them while they are still partially in the soil, you will likely rip them into pieces.

5. Pour the remaining mustard water over the soil after you gather all of the nightcrawlers that surface from the first pour. Pouring the mustard water over the soil in the same spot should produce more nightcrawlers from deeper in the soil as the mustard water penetrates more deeply.

6. Repeat the same gathering process to catch the nightcrawlers as they surface.

Tips & Warnings

• The mustard water irritates nightcrawler skin and makes them surface as they try to escape.

• If the soil is especially dry or compacted, nightcrawlers may not surface readily. Select a moist and aerated soil for best results.

• Nightcrawlers usually become less active during temperature extremes (both warm and cold) and during periods of dry weather. You may catch fewer nightcrawlers during these conditions.

References

• Great Lakes Worm Watch: Earthworm Sampling Methods