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Just as North Americans became used seeing the lanternfly insect, there is another invasive animal population on the rise: the Asian jumping worm.
就在北美人习惯了看到灯笼蝇的时候，另一种入侵动物的数量也在上升：亚洲蚯蚓。
Its scientific name is Amynthas agrestis.
它的学名是亚拉巴马跳蚯蚓。
But it is also known as “Alabama jumper,” “Jersey wriggler,” and “crazy worm.”
但它也被称为“阿拉巴马跳蚯蚓”、“泽西蠕虫”和“疯狂的蠕虫”。
Unlike other usual North American earthworms, these highly active worms eat large amounts of humus.
与其他常见的北美蚯蚓不同，这些高度活跃的蚯蚓吃大量腐殖质。
Humus is the rich, organic, and important top part of soil.
腐殖质指的是肥沃的、有机的和重要的表层土壤。
It is critical to many ecosystems.
它对许多生态系统都至关重要。
All kinds of soil life need humus.
各种土壤生物都需要腐殖质。
Plants and other soil life cannot survive without humus.
植物和其他土壤生物离开腐殖质就无法生存。
It is also, however, a favorite food of the Asian jumping worm.
然而，它也是亚洲蚯蚓最喜欢的食物。
And the insects “can eat all of it,” wrote Susan Farmer of the United States Forest Service in a report published in May.
美国林业局的苏珊·法默在5月份发表的一份报告中写道，该昆虫“可以吃掉所有腐殖质”。
A decrease in humus would also threaten birds and other animals that depend on insects that live in soil for food.
腐殖质的减少也会威胁到鸟类和其他以生活在土壤中的昆虫为食的动物。
The worms are native to east-central Asia.
这种蠕虫原产于亚洲中东部。
They are believed to have been introduced to the United States in the late 1800s, likely arriving in transported plants.
据信，它们是在19世纪末被引入美国的，很可能是通过运输的植物到达美国的。
Their existence went largely unnoticed – or possibly underreported.
它们的存在在很大程度上被人们忽视了——或者可能被低估了。
But in the past ten years, scientists started to describe the Asian jumping worm as a problem, says Dr. Timothy McCay.
但在过去的十年里，科学家开始将亚洲蚯蚓当作一个问题，蒂莫西·麦凯博士说。
He is a biology and environment professor at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.
他是纽约汉密尔顿科尔盖特大学的生物学和环境学教授。
Asian jumping worm populations are confirmed to be in 35 states across the U.S.
据证实，美国35个州都有亚洲蚯蚓。
Although its yearly life cycle ends in winter, the animal cocoons survive to produce a new generation in spring.
尽管它的一年的生命周期在冬天结束，但这种动物的茧会存活下来，从而在春天产生新的一代。
McCay said their tiny eggs are nearly impossible to see in soil.
麦凯说，在土壤中几乎看不到它们的微小的卵。
But adult worms, which are about 8 to 20 centimeters long, are easy to see close to the surface.
但成年蚯蚓大约有8到20厘米长，可以在靠近土壤表面的地方很容易被看到。
As they eat their way through the soil, the worms leave behind two things: cocoons and castings, or waste.
当它们在土壤中觅食时，它们会留下两样东西：蚓茧和粪便。
The cocoons are very small and soil-colored, so they are easy to miss.
蚓茧很小，呈土色，所以人们很难看到。
However, the castings have a coffee-ground look that will let you know they are present.
然而，粪便看起来像咖啡渣，你很容易就能看到。
The shiny worm can be either gray or brown.
这种光滑发亮的蠕虫可能是灰色的，也可能是棕色的。
A thick line of white or light gray circles part of its long body.
一条白色或浅灰色的粗线环绕着它长长的身体。
When touched, the worms quickly move from side to side, jump, and they may even move back and forth like the reptile the snake.
当被触碰时，这种蠕虫会迅速从一边跳到另一边，它们甚至可能会像爬行动物蛇一样来回移动。
McCay said that behavior, along with their ability to reproduce without mating, helps the species out populate its predators.
麦凯说，这种行为加上它们不交配就可以繁殖的能力帮助该物种摆脱了捕食者，从而使其数量不断增长。
McCay said predators like “Robins and other birds, shrews, garter snakes, and amphibians like toads may not be able to effectively suppress their populations.”
麦凯说，诸如“知更鸟等鸟类、鼩鼱、花纹蛇和蟾蜍等两栖动物之类的捕食者可能无法有效地抑制它们的种群数量。”
McCay said “gardeners should do what they can to avoid spreading jumping worms to new areas.”
麦凯说：“园丁应该尽其所能避免把这种蚯蚓传播到新的区域。”
Because the worms usually move into forests from nearby gardens, he said, control in home and community gardens is necessary to slow their invasion into natural areas.
他说，因为这种蠕虫通常会从附近的花园进入森林，所以有必要在家庭花园和社区花园进行控制，以减缓它们入侵自然区域的速度。
So during this season of plant dividing and changing plants, gardeners must pay attention.
所以在这个植物分离和更换植物的季节，园丁们一定要注意。
Look often for the worms’ waste droppings.
经常寻找这种蠕虫的排泄物。
Look in the soil that stays on plant roots and in the ground surrounding them.
观察植物根部的土壤和植物根部周围的土壤。
In addition, McCay advises, do not place waste from infected gardens into nearby forests.
此外，麦凯建议，不要将受感染花园的垃圾放入附近的森林中。
Share only plants cleaned of soil only.
只分享清理过土壤的植物。
There are no good control measures available for established populations of jumping worms.
对于已经存在的蚯蚓，目前还没有很好的控制措施。
But McCay said removing them by hand and dropping them into containers of vinegar will reduce their numbers.
但麦凯说，用手把它们清除，然后把它们扔进装有醋的容器里，会减少它们的数量。
He knows of one gardener in Pennsylvania who removed 51,000 worms that way in 2021.
据他所知，宾夕法尼亚州的一名园丁在2021年用这种方法清除了5.1万只蚯蚓。
I’m Gregory Stachel.
格雷戈里·施塔赫尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
