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Sticker of Brandling worm
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Brandling worm

Eisenia fetida
Name means: “fetida means foul-smelling”
Eats: Leftovers and dead thingsSnails, slugs and wormsGardens and meadowsNo legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The brandling worm is a reddish brown worm with little rings around its body and a yellowish tail. Unlike most earthworms, it does not live deep in the soil. It loves compost heaps and manure, where it munches rotting leftovers.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect at all, it has no legs! But kids find it on every bug hunt, so it lives in Bug Wiki too.
Lives in
First from Europe, now on every continent except Antarctica, in compost heaps and manure
Top speed
about 0.03 km/h (0.02 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. If you handle it roughly it lets out a smelly liquid, so be gentle and wash your hands afterwards.
What does it eat?
It eats rotting plants, compost and manure, and turns them into rich soil.
For real!Photo of Brandling worm
Picture by Rob Hille. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

People keep these worms in special bins to turn kitchen scraps into compost. This is called worm composting.

2

Every worm is both a mum and a dad at the same time, but two worms usually team up to make babies.

3

It lays tiny lemon-shaped cocoons, up to about three a week, each with 1 to 9 eggs inside.

4

Little bristles on each ring of its body help it grip the ground as it wriggles along.

5

It does not like heat. In summer it digs deeper to find a cooler spot.

you asked

Most asked questions about Brandling worm

?What is the difference between a brandling worm and an earthworm?

The brandling worm lives in compost and manure near the surface, while many other earthworms dig deep in the soil.

?How long does a brandling worm live?

Between one and five years when it is cared for.

?Why are brandling worms used for fishing?

Fish love them. They are one of the best baits for fish like tench, bream and roach.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Eisenia fetida
Group
Snails, slugs and worms
Family
Lumbricidae
Classification
Clitellata > Opisthopora > Lumbricidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia and Oceania
Also known as
Manure worm, Redworm, Tiger worm, Red wiggler

Where the facts come from

  1. Eisenia fetida (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Rob Hille. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

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