ust as North Americans became used seeing the lanternfly insect, there is another invasive animal population on the rise: the Asian jumping worm.
正如北美人习惯于看到灯笼蝇一样，另一种入侵性动物种群也在增加：亚洲跳虫。
 
Its scientific name is Amynthas agrestis. But it is also known as "Alabama jumper," "Jersey wriggler," and "crazy worm." Unlike other usual North American earthworms, these highly active worms eat large amounts of humus.
腐殖质是土壤的丰富、有机和重要的顶部部分。它对许多生态系统至关重要。各种土壤生命都需要腐殖质。
 
Humus is the rich, organic, and important top part of soil. It is critical to many ecosystems. All kinds of soil life need humus.
腐殖质是土壤的丰富、有机和重要的顶部部分。它对许多生态系统至关重要。各种土壤生命都需要腐殖质。
 
Plants and other soil life cannot survive without humus. It is also, however, a favorite food of the Asian jumping worm. And the insects "can eat all of it," wrote Susan Farmer of the United States Forest Service in a report published in May.
没有腐殖质，植物和其他土壤生命就无法生存。然而，它也是亚洲跳虫最喜欢的食物。美国林务局的苏珊·法默 (Susan Farmer) 在 5 月发表的一份报告中写道，这些昆虫“可以吃掉所有的食物”。
 
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依赖生活在土壤中的昆虫为食的动物。
 
The worms are native to east-central Asia. They are believed to have been introduced to the United States in the late 1800s, likely arriving in transported plants. Their existence went largely unnoticed – or possibly underreported. But in the past ten years, scientists started to describe the Asian jumping worm as a problem, says Dr. Timothy McCay. He is a biology and environment professor at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.
这些蠕虫原产于中亚东部。据信它们是在 1800 年代后期引入美国的，很可能是通过运输植物到达的。他们的存在在很大程度上被忽视了——或者可能被低估了。但蒂莫西·麦凯博士说，在过去的十年里，科学家们开始将亚洲跳虫描述为一个问题。他是纽约汉密尔顿科尔盖特大学的生物学和环境教授。
 
 
Asian jumping worm populations are confirmed to be in 35 states across the U.S.
亚洲跳线虫种群被证实分布在美国的 35 个州
 
Although its yearly life cycle ends in winter, the animal cocoons survive to produce a new generation in spring. McCay said their tiny eggs are nearly impossible to see in soil. But adult worms, which are about 8 to 20 centimeters long, are easy to see close to the surface.
虽然它每年的生命周期在冬天结束，但动物茧在春天存活下来并产生新一代。麦凯说，在土壤中几乎不可能看到它们的小卵。但长约 8 至 20 厘米的成虫在靠近地表时很容易看到。
 
As they eat their way through the soil, the worms leave behind two things: cocoons and castings, or waste. The cocoons are very small and soil-colored, so they are easy to miss. However, the castings have a coffee-ground look that will let you know they are present.
当它们在土壤中觅食时，蠕虫会留下两件事：茧和铸件，或废物。茧很小，而且是土色的，所以很容易错过。然而，铸件具有咖啡渣外观，让您知道它们的存在。
 
The shiny worm can be either gray or brown. A thick line of white or light gray circles part of its long body. When touched, the worms quickly move from side to side, jump, and they may even move back and forth like the reptile the snake. McCay said that behavior, along with their ability to reproduce without mating, helps the species out populate its predators.
闪亮的蠕虫可以是灰色或棕色。一条白色或浅灰色的粗线环绕着它长长的身体的一部分。当被触摸时，蠕虫会迅速左右移动，跳跃，甚至可能像爬行动物蛇一样来回移动。麦凯说，这种行为，以及它们无需交配即可繁殖的能力，有助于该物种在其捕食者中繁殖。
 
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，像“知更鸟和其他鸟类、鼩鼱、吊袜带蛇和蟾蜍等两栖动物可能无法有效抑制其种群的捕食者。”
 
McCay said "gardeners should do what they can to avoid spreading jumping worms to new areas." 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.
麦凯说：“园丁应该尽其所能避免将跳虫传播到新的区域。” 他说，由于蠕虫通常从附近的花园进入森林，因此有必要对家庭和社区花园进行控制，以减缓它们对自然区域的入侵。
 
So during this season of plant dividing and changing plants, gardeners must pay attention. Look often for the worms' waste droppings. Look in the soil that stays on plant roots and in the ground surrounding them. In addition, McCay advises, do not place waste from infected gardens into nearby forests. Share only plants cleaned of soil only.
所以在这个分株换草的季节，园丁们一定要注意了。经常寻找蠕虫的粪便。查看留在植物根部和它们周围的土壤中的土壤。此外，麦凯建议，不要将受感染花园的废物放入附近的森林中。只分享清洁过土壤的植物。
 
There are no good control measures available for established populations of jumping worms. But McCay said removing them by hand and dropping them into containers of vinegar will reduce their numbers. He knows of one gardener in Pennsylvania who removed 51,000 worms that way in 2021.
对于已建立的跳虫种群，没有良好的控制措施。但麦凯说，用手将它们取出并将它们放入醋容器中会减少它们的数量。他知道宾夕法尼亚州的一位园丁在 2021 年以这种方式清除了 51,000 条蠕虫。