This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Australian flatworms
Rubytoo
Posts: 1,630
I am very sad and upset to discover Australian flatworms in our garden recently.
I have for many years tried to check bought in plants and potted plants with a mini quarantine for various things. Vine weevils being the main problem although they are at least more controllable.
I guess really this is more a warning to be vigilant, as far as I can see, at the moment there is no way to solve this problem. Posting in the problem solving section seems daft.
I did not know about flatworms other than the New Zealand ones. Also a few years back a member here posted about one of the other black ones that eat slugs or snails.
I am not sure if I should have put this in the wildlife section. Knowing these non natives seem such a threat to our native earthworms.
Warning if you do not like looking at slimy things, it might put you off.
This site links from the Earthworm organization I can't make their link work but this one below is linked by them.
https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2019/07/UK-land-flatworms-complete_0.pdf
I am really upset that we now have these, I keep going around the garden to pick up and destroy what I find under pots, bags, stones. Large and small ones. I feel guilt at having probably introduced them onto our plot, our poor earth worms.
My conscience wont let me give away plants from our garden anymore.
These worms are now widespread in various areas in the country. I have given up trying to figure out or guess which plants they may have come in on or what area from.
Maybe they have come in from another nearby garden.
As an amateur hobby gardener should I have known?
I do not want lay blame but should the places we buy plants from have a duty to warn us if the are prevalent on a nursery or area.
Once you recognize what they are, you can't miss them.
I have for many years tried to check bought in plants and potted plants with a mini quarantine for various things. Vine weevils being the main problem although they are at least more controllable.
I guess really this is more a warning to be vigilant, as far as I can see, at the moment there is no way to solve this problem. Posting in the problem solving section seems daft.
I did not know about flatworms other than the New Zealand ones. Also a few years back a member here posted about one of the other black ones that eat slugs or snails.
I am not sure if I should have put this in the wildlife section. Knowing these non natives seem such a threat to our native earthworms.
Warning if you do not like looking at slimy things, it might put you off.
This site links from the Earthworm organization I can't make their link work but this one below is linked by them.
https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2019/07/UK-land-flatworms-complete_0.pdf
I am really upset that we now have these, I keep going around the garden to pick up and destroy what I find under pots, bags, stones. Large and small ones. I feel guilt at having probably introduced them onto our plot, our poor earth worms.
My conscience wont let me give away plants from our garden anymore.
These worms are now widespread in various areas in the country. I have given up trying to figure out or guess which plants they may have come in on or what area from.
Maybe they have come in from another nearby garden.
As an amateur hobby gardener should I have known?
I do not want lay blame but should the places we buy plants from have a duty to warn us if the are prevalent on a nursery or area.
Once you recognize what they are, you can't miss them.
0
Posts
There are the NZ ones in a garden about a mile from here so I'm wary now about accepting plants.
But I have just found more info and maps by a gentleman who studies them, Hugh Jones and low and behold they are fairly widespread in our area.
https://www.record-lrc.co.uk/Downloads/5-2005 - jones - british land flatworms[16012014].pdf
So although I still feel bad, not quite so much as the last few days.
@GardenerSuze Thank you they know and understandably as I now know this species is quite widely spread in our area, RHS members can get free info/ help, but it is really just the same general information already available on the RHS site.
All we can do is keep vigilant and I will certainly do my best to eradicate them, and hope maybe researchers will find a way to control them in the near future.
I just hope the above links and information and posting helps other gardeners who may not be aware to help lower numbers or to some degree help stop the spread.