Is the earthworm a beneficial insect or a pest? You'll understand after reading this article

The earthworm is a representative animal of the phylum Annelida, class Oligochaeta, also known as dilong, qushan, jiancan, and other names. It lives in moist environments and feeds on decaying organic matter. Although its living environment is full of large amounts of microorganisms, it rarely gets sick, which is related to the unique antibacterial immune system in the earthworm's body. Now let's take a look together at whether the earthworm is a beneficial insect or a pest!

Is the earthworm a beneficial insect or a pest?

The earthworm is a beneficial insect. The earthworm is called an “ecosystem engineer”. Through activities such as feeding, digesting, excreting, and burrowing, it forms numerous reaction zones inside and outside its body, thereby affecting the biological, chemical, and physical processes of the ecosystem. In the ecosystem, it is both a consumer and a decomposer, and also a regulator. Earthworms swallow large amounts of soil every day, absorb the decaying leaves and very small organisms in the soil, and then excrete the soil, making the soil loose and fertile, which is very beneficial to the growth of crops.

What food do earthworms eat?

The earthworm is an omnivorous animal. Except for glass, plastic, and rubber, it eats everything else, such as humus, animal feces, soil bacteria, fungi, and the decomposition products of these substances. It has a sensitive sense of taste, likes sweet foods and sour flavors, dislikes bitter flavors, prefers softened and fine feed, and is especially greedy for animal-based food. Its monthly food intake is equivalent to its own body weight, and about half of the food is excreted as feces after passing through the digestive tract.

What is the earthworm afraid of?

1. Afraid of strong light: Earthworms are negatively phototactic, especially avoiding strong sunlight and blue light, but they are not afraid of red light and tend toward weak light.

2. Afraid of soaking: If earthworms are submerged in water, most immediately flee. Those that cannot escape show a swollen body and reduced vitality.

3. Afraid of vibration: Earthworms like a quiet environment, require low noise and no vibration, and show restlessness and escape behavior after being subjected to vibration.

4. Afraid of stuffy air: Earthworms need good ventilation in order to supplement oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, and are especially sensitive to ammonia, smoke, and similar substances.

5. Afraid of pesticides: Earthworms are afraid of pesticides. In farmland or orchards where pesticides have been used, especially highly toxic pesticides, the number of earthworms is small.

6. Afraid of acids and alkalis: Earthworms are very sensitive to acidic substances. It is best to adjust the feed to weakly acidic, as this is beneficial for the digestion of proteins and other substances.