Black worm: species, habitat and description with photo

Ulysses
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Ulysse August 27, 2016Specialization: road construction, finishing works.

Worm, you say?

The problem of unexpected “tenants” in an apartment, all kinds of cockroaches, is as old as the hills and is mostly taken for granted. The cause of insects is not always unsanitary living conditions. Often, sewer/ventilation systems and unprotected window and door openings allow unwanted insects to enter the secluded corners of a human home.

Introductory information

Black worms are quite large invertebrates, often reaching three meters in length. The worms living in Russia belong to the order Haplotaxida. It is interesting to note that representatives of this order live everywhere, but Antarctica is an exception. The family Lumbricidae also occurs. It includes about 200 varieties. There are 97 representatives of this family in our country.

The importance of invertebrates

The importance of black worms for the biosphere is quite difficult to overestimate. It is worth clarifying that these invertebrates eat dead tissue of plant origin and waste products of various animals. Next, they digest it all and mix the resulting mass with the soil. Humans have learned to use this feature of black worms for their own purposes. Thus, he receives the most valuable fertilizer - vermicompost, or vermicompost.

What is vermicompost?

Vermicompost should be understood as hydrophilic structures that have the ability to accumulate moisture. In other words, when there is a lack of water in the soil, humus begins to release moisture. If there is a surplus in relation to water, then we will talk about the accumulation of moisture. The phenomenon associated with the secretion of humus by black worms can be explained by studying their structure. The fact is that in the intestines of invertebrates, after the breakdown of organic compounds, molecules of humic acids are formed. In turn, they come into contact with various mineral compounds.

When should you not worry?

It is not always worth sounding the alarm and starting to panic when you notice black strings in the feces. Small inclusions of black, or rather dark color, thin or thick, long or short, are not always a cause for concern, see a doctor or take anthelmintics.

Quite often these are just inclusions of incompletely digested food. For example, similar residues in feces occur after plant products - dill, beet tops, parsley and celery, basil and many other fibrous products. Dishes such as “gray” or green cabbage soup are almost never completely digested in the stomach and intestines.

Often such food inclusions appear in a child’s feces, especially in the summer, when the diet includes a lot of fruits, herbs, berries and raw fresh vegetables. If the day before the baby ate plums, eggplants with peel, dill or berries with seeds, for example, strawberries, then there is nothing to worry about.

Particular attention should be paid only to children who have learned to walk and who are vacationing in the summer at a simple, ordinary dacha. Often parents do not carefully monitor their children, having first taken all the necessary safety measures. This position leads to people scared to death telling the doctor about “terrible parasites” noticed in the baby’s potty and in his feces.

Descriptions, as a rule, contain the following - “with a black head”, “long”, “ten centimeters”, “with antennae”, “huge and round”, “brilliant” and so on. In fact, there is no reason to panic. Helminths with heads and antennae do not exist in nature. The child, left to his own devices, simply ate a caterpillar or a beetle. Of course, without chewing, and the insects, accordingly, left the intestines without being digested in it.

However, although such situations are not a reason for panic, after discovering insects in children's feces, it is urgent to prevent helminthiasis and give the baby medicine that destroys the eggs and larvae of intestinal worms. This must be done because insects are carriers of parasites.

Fertile soil as a result of worm activity

Black worms play a big role in creating fertile soil. This fact was first noticed by Charles Darwin. He explained that invertebrates dig burrows, the depth of which varies from 60 to 80 centimeters. This is how they loosen the soil.

Currently, people use worms extremely widely for their own purposes. First of all, to obtain vermicompost. In addition, we actively use worms in livestock and poultry farming for feeding. These invertebrates are widely used by amateur fishermen as good bait.

Types of earthworms

Black worms living in Russia can be classified into two types. It is worth noting that these varieties differ in biological properties. It is advisable to include those invertebrates that feed on the soil surface as the first type. These are bedding worms. Representatives of the second group, burrow worms, feed and live directly in the soil layers.

It is important to add that the first species is constantly on the surface of the earth. Under no circumstances will his members sink deeper, that is, below 10-20 centimeters. Representatives of the second group develop their activities only at a depth of 1 meter. If necessary, they can only stick out the front part of their body from the ground. They are also called big black worms.

Prevention means

The fight against moths begins not after worms appear on the ceiling, but with preventive measures.

1. Regular periodic cleaning of kitchen cabinets. Even if everything is always in its place, in jars and packages, after a while an inventory audit is necessary. As you remember, products can be contaminated while still in the store.
2. Ventilation. Moths do not like sunlight and air movement, that is, drafts. Give her this procedure more often.
3. Store cereals, sugar, and dried fruits correctly - special jars with screwed lids are the most suitable for this. Jars can be either glass, metal or plastic, but it is better to observe the condition of the cereal through the transparent walls.
4. Lavender oil or dried aromatic herbs can be spread out without waiting for the “enemy” to appear, but as a preventive measure.
5. Try to buy cereals not in bulk, but in bags packaged by the manufacturer.

No one is safe from the appearance of moths in the house. New furniture, double-glazed windows and the latest air conditioners will not save you from “raid.” A sneaky worm may be waiting in the store's grocery package. Only regular inspection of the kitchen, cleaning and proper storage of food can protect your home from these uninvited guests. Worms on the ceiling in the kitchen are a nuisance that can be dealt with effectively.

Burrowing and burrowing

It is worth keeping in mind that the second type of invertebrates, in turn, is classified into burrowing and burrowing worms. The latter live in the deepest layers of the soil, but they do not have permanent burrows. Burrow worms develop their activities in the same burrows. Typically these are small black worms.

Littering and burrowing invertebrates live only in moist soils, for example, in places near water bodies. It should be added that burrowing worms are able to live in relatively dry soils. These are long black worms, which are much easier to adapt to conditions unusual for invertebrates.

Symptoms for anxiety

Important!

If there is a suspicion of the presence of worms, it is necessary to undergo tests: scraping, feces for analysis of worms, blood for the presence of antibodies to helminths, the level of eosinophils and immunoglobulins.

These tests should also be taken if a person exhibits the following symptoms:

• weight loss with normal appetite;
• causeless low-grade fever;
• constant lethargy, unprovoked fatigue;
• periodic abdominal pain;
• itching in the perianal area.

Frequent itching in the anal area may indicate the presence of parasites

Lifestyle of invertebrates underground

Black thin worms are nocturnal. The fact is that it is at night that they can get a large amount of food. So, you can observe their maximum activity. Some worms crawl to the surface of the earth in order to consume food, however, they rarely emerge completely from their burrows. Especially black small worms prefer to always leave their tails underground. During the day, invertebrates are accustomed to plugging their own holes with various objects, for example, tree leaves. They often drag small particles of food into their home.

Silent occupation

A bathroom is a specific room with a high level of humidity, located in the dark most of the day.
Such conditions are ideal for small crawling and running animals, for which everyone often creates favorable conditions with their own hands. Dragons will soon live here

If you Google it, you will be surprised to learn that crustaceans and even animals may also be scurrying around under your feet! Let's look at the most typical bathroom troublemakers:

• silverfish are primarily wingless insects from the bristletail order;
• woodlice - a class of higher crayfish of the order of isopods;
• nods - invertebrates from the order Centipedes;
• centipedes are arthropods considered to be the closest relatives of insects;
• mosquitoes are insects from the order Diptera;
• Tubifex - class zonalis, subclass oligochaetes.

Silverfish

Small white worms in the bathroom, at first glance, turn out to be elegant insects up close - sugar silverfish up to 2 cm long, with a characteristic teardrop-shaped body and three tail processes. Not being predators by nature, they can cause significant damage to wallpaper, linen, and books (think about it, fans of newspaper racks in the bathroom).

It also feeds on mold and fungi that grow only in a humid environment, so the appearance of sugar silverfish should alert you . The insect does not hibernate, but diligently reproduces, laying about 70 eggs in June-July.

The habit of hiding in the natural environment under stones, sticks, and in the leaves of a sugar bowl is also retained in the bathroom, cleverly being buried:

• in crevices;
• under peeling paint;
• under the bathtub, basins;
• in caked underwear.

Preferring darkness, silverfish rush in different directions as soon as a bright light comes on. However, on glazed tiles their speed decreases sharply, and if they get into a puddle or even a drop of water, they stop altogether.

Kivsyaki

Living in natural conditions, mostly underground, it appears by chance in the fallen leaves in the bathroom. Thanks to their smooth body, they look like worms in the bathroom, although specimens up to several centimeters in length make them look like snakes.

Demo version of kivsyak

The body of the centipede is covered with a chitinous layer, which does not prevent it from curling up smartly in case of danger. The “worms” move quite slowly, you can simply pick them up with your hand and take them outside, especially since they process plant residues well.

Woodlice and mosquitoes

These creatures, as a rule, appear by chance - woodlice, usually rise from the basement or ventilation ducts and quickly leave if the humidity is low. If these crustaceans stubbornly refuse to leave, most likely a pipe is leaking somewhere, creating favorable conditions for their residence.

Woodlice look like miniature armadillos - they curl up into a tight ball when touched; they are gray on top (juveniles are light-colored) and have a whitish belly. May cause harm:

• indoor plants;
• to humans, because they are carriers of fungal pathogens, depriving.

Mosquitoes fly into the bathroom, mainly if there is stagnant water in some container or there is no mosquito protection on the windows. They cannot reproduce here because the larvae must develop in stagnant water.

flycatcher

What is capable of inspiring horror is this fast-moving (40 cm/sec), silent arthropod, appearing out of nowhere and smoothly “flowing around” obstacles. The abundance of long legs and the longest mustaches are frightening, which can be confused with the same long hind legs - just pull and push.

If you remain neutral, the centipede can thoroughly clean your apartment and destroy:

European scolopendra species are not poisonous, although the bite (if it is strong enough to bite through the skin) will be akin to a wasp sting. If the very thought of such a neighbor is unpleasant to you, you can, of course, use a slipper, or else you can catch it in a jar and take it out of the house.

In the photo there is an insect flycatcher and a cat flycatcher

Real worm

The real little worms in the bathroom are tubifex worms, also from the category of random visitors and can appear in the bathroom, the water for which is pumped from a pond. The tubifex looks like a thin thread of dark pink color and is familiar in everyday life as food for fish.

In ponds, worms accumulate in huge colonies in polluted places, in silt, so the chance of getting into the water supply system is one in a thousand. If a worm appears in the sink, it can be fed to aquarium fish or washed off quietly.

Find the good in the bad

Since you have to coexist (temporarily, of course!) with boogers, you are still lucky, because these creatures:

• not aggressive;
• not poisonous;
• in some cases it is beneficial (flycatchers, remember?);
• does not form large colonies;
• signals that your bathtub needs a major “technical inspection”.

Nutrition

Black worms are invertebrates that are omnivorous. They have a very characteristic diet. First, they swallow a lot of soil inside themselves, after which they absorb only useful substances of organic origin from it. Worms can even digest animal food, such as meat, in small quantities.

It must be borne in mind that food is eaten in burrows. First, the invertebrate gropes for the piece it likes from the outside, and then drags it into its home. This is where the meal takes place. It is interesting to know that in order to capture a food object, the worm seriously attaches itself to it. Then he pulls back with all his might in the opposite direction.

Moreover, invertebrates store food for themselves. They put it in their homes with the utmost care. Worms sometimes deliberately dig another hole just to store food. It is sealed with damp soil and opened only when absolutely necessary.

Black worms feed in a certain order. First, the soil is swallowed, after which the digestion of substances of organic origin occurs inside the invertebrate. Next, the worm crawls into the upper layers of the soil and excretes excrement. It is worth noting that it stores waste products in one specific place. So, before entering a hole, as a rule, a kind of heap is formed, consisting of worm excrement.

Life

Black worms have quite a long history. They played a significant role in soil formation. It is worth noting that it is thanks to these invertebrates that we see the earth as it is today. Worms constantly carry out digging activities, as a result of which the layer of earth is always in motion. Invertebrates have a very good appetite. In just one day, they can eat a volume of food comparable to their weight, in other words, 3-5 grams of food.

As a result of their own activity, black worms promote maximum plant growth, without taking into account the fertilizer they produce. Invertebrates loosen the soil, allowing water and oxygen to enter it much better. Plant roots develop much faster in their burrows.

It should be noted that the result of constant loosening of the soil is that large objects constantly sink deep into the ground. Small particles of foreign origin are gradually ground by the stomachs of invertebrates and turn into sand.

Unfortunately, the number of black worms in our country is decreasing every year. This situation is facilitated by the irrational use of chemicals to fertilize the soil. Currently, eleven varieties of such worms are already listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. It’s logical: why buy chemicals for fertilizer when there is such a natural miracle as vermicompost?

Are food moths and their larvae harmful?

The flying butterfly itself is an adult moth and does no harm, except that it may accidentally fall into a cup of aromatic tea. The harmful thing is that it lays eggs in products, rendering them unusable. The most harmful are white worms in the kitchen. During their active life they:

1. Destroying food supplies.
2. They contaminate products with the remains of their vital activity, and spoil their taste and appearance.
3. Once in the body, these feces, eggs, corpses of larvae, and their husks cause intoxication.

The structure of worms

The structure of black worms is extremely simple. The length of individuals distributed on the territory of the Russian Federation varies from 2 to 30 centimeters. Their body is divided into segments, which can be from 80 to 300. It should be noted that the black worm moves with the help of small bristles located on each of the body segments. The exception in this case is the very first part. There are from 8 to 20 bristles on one segment.

The peculiarity of these invertebrates is their closed circulatory system, which is very well developed. It is important to know that it includes one vein and one artery. The worm breathes through skin cells, which are very sensitive. The skin has protective mucus, which contains an impressive number of antiseptic enzymes. However, the worm's brain is poorly developed. This organ consists of nerve nodes, of which there are only two. Invertebrates are characterized by the manifestation of the possibility of regeneration. For example, if you cut off their tail, then after some time part of the body will grow back.