Posted by Laurel Zorn on April 26, 2003

Q: I would like to know what the outside temperature needs to be for Nightcrawlers to come out. Two nights ago, after a rain I found quite a few BIG ONES just crawling across the ground, but last night (it had rained ALOT since the night before) I couldn't find any. The outside temperature was cooler by about five degrees (abt. 50) than the night before.

Was it the excessive rain or the outdoor temperature or something else that prevented them from coming out? Maybe they just got wise to me.

A: No, I don't think the worms "got wise to you". My best guess, and it's only that, is that the lower temperature was what reduced their activities. Rain usually encourages their activities and it's on rainy evenings that nightcrawler hunting is so productive. It might be fun for you to correlate the worms' activities with temperature over several days and see what you get. Keep in mind that during dry times, there will be few if any moving about on the surface of the ground. Good luck!

John Wiessinger ( April 28, 2003)