How to Get Rid of Night Crawlers

Night crawlers are beneficial to soil, and should be left alone whenever possible.

Nightcrawlers, a beneficial type of worm similar to earthworms, should be tolerated whenever possible--they are beneficial to soil and provide natural fertilization for plants. In addition, the use of insecticides to kill nightcrawlers will harm or kill desirable and attractive insects such as ladybugs. If you have nightcrawlers on your golf course or athletic field, however, they can cause problematic and unattractive lumps. In this case, there are a few steps you can take to control the nightcrawler population.

Things You'll Need

• Power rake
• Liquid carbaryl or benomyl

Instructions

1. Power rake your lawn in mid-August through September, when it's cool. This will smooth out your lawn and eliminate worm egg casings. You can rent a power rake from a garden supply center.

2. Thoroughly water your lawn.

3. Apply an insecticide to your lawn in the evening, when night crawlers emerge. To control the population, use a fungicide such as benomyl. To completely eliminate the population of worms, use liquid carabaryl.

4. Wait at least three days before watering your lawn again after applying the insecticide or fungicide.

References

• Utah State: How Do I Get Rid of Nightcrawlers?
• Sports Turf: Earthworms