PSA on Hammerhead Flatworms from a local bug guy
Posted by bcuzimadude@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 49 comments
BricesBugs here reporting in for a fun activity with your kids. Planarian hunting. Rainy days like this draw them out of hiding and the only thing that stops them, is that ol stump and grind motion. Don't let the kiddos put their fingers in their mouths after handling them though.
Puzzleheaded_Web6540@reddit
I can’t prove it but I think the new soil I bought has them. After I did a repot of several plants in my home later I found a worm squirming on the floor in my hole UHHHH. Yep he got salt bath and a freezer stay for 48 hours.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
I wouldn't be surprised! Ship ballasts and plants brought over by settlers is how they believe they were introduced. So it's definitely in the realm of possibilities.
GrillMonkey187@reddit
https://tsusinvasives.org/home/edrr/reporting.html
You should also report the finding using the link above.
thumpcbd@reddit
I reported to the A&M extension service last year and was told something to the effect of “yea, we know they are in Dallas county. Not really doing anything more tracking this further now”
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Good call!! Done!
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
I should mention, if you decide to make an event of it and do some public unalivings of these with your children. Do explain WHY these are to be disposed of - not all bugs, just those that were introduced to our ecosystems and are actively causing problems because they don't have natural predators to keep their numbers in check.
yarmulke@reddit
This isn’t TikTok, you can say kill.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
I do in the video. Lol. It's ok. Fun fact, Instagram does in fact sensor the word "kill" in closed captions.
flomoag@reddit
Good thing we’re not on Instagram!
xanoran84@reddit
He made the one video and shared to multiple platforms. Did you want him to make a special one dedicated to Reddit?
flomoag@reddit
Well considering it’s in a typed out comment? He specifically said he says “kill” in the video, but typed out “unalived” in the Reddit comment. So that doesn’t seem to be the case here
zughzz@reddit
Copy and paste is a feature
Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaa@reddit
KAY EYE DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS.
hoshiwa1976@reddit
Maybe its because they might be sharing it across different platforms.
earthworm_fan@reddit
K@ll
CovertKestrel@reddit
Why are you out of breath?
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
As I said at the very start, this was in the middle of my morning run. Lol
OPopinions@reddit
I don’t like the way he said “They don’t belong here” 🤔
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
That bit did sound a little like a certain someone I'll admit 😆
YaGetSkeeted0n@reddit
One shudders to envisage what repulsive larvae gestate within the dirt as we speak.
TCUOilMan@reddit
Aren’t these poisonous? Be sure to poor salt and vinegar on it. If you cut them in half, you will get two…
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Yeah, if you put it in your mouth. Lol. But the good ol stomp and glide also works. Like you said, key is to not cut it up.
BigRoach@reddit
Are you sure that works to kill them? I thought I read you should throw them in a baggie in the freezer for a day.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
If an organism becomes a skid mark, it doesn't often reassemble. To your point though, if any segments remain intact, it could survive.
Wakinghours@reddit
This advice works for zombies too
nerdyguytx@reddit
So double tap err double skid mark the hammerhead flatworm?
noncongruent@reddit
They secrete a neurotoxin in their slime, and although human epidermis is pretty good at keeping it out of the bloodstream, if you have cuts or scratches that you don’t know about, it might create some issues with irritation. If you have pets, and even if you don’t, you should thoroughly wash your hands after handling one of these.
Delicious_Hand527@reddit
if you've never handled one, they are super slimy and gross to touch, like worse than something like motor oil. If you don't wash your hands after handling one of them, then you are a brave person.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Great shout!
jollytoes@reddit
“You don’t belong here!” Battle cry of the Texan.
jsu718@reddit
"That's my purse! I don't know you!"
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Not the way I was raised. I was taught "can I get you some sweet tea?"
ladyorion2021@reddit
Hammerhead flatworm have been in the United States for well over a century.The earliest records date to the late 1800s and early 1900s, when they were probably introduced accidentally through: imported plants, soil, and international trade.
In the U.S., sightings gradually became more common in: the Southeast, Gulf Coast states, and warm humid areas.
Good luck getting them all ..they shouldn't be handled with bare hands due to their toxin, especially by children.
GoreonmyGears@reddit
I wonder if you can find and kill the original worm, they all die?
hitherto_ex@reddit
Like phantom menace style?
FlatulousStanko@reddit
The fabled Sire? Shh, no, he is legend.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
LOL. That would be awesome.
ryan1700@reddit
I have them here in Longview. Killed about 8-10 in the last 2 nights. The Ag Extension office and the news says to place them in a ziploc with salt and place them in the freezer for 24-48 hours to kill them.
I decided fk that I am not putting worms in the freezer and I have a swimming pool so I have found that a little bit of muriatic acid goes a long way.
GrillMonkey187@reddit
I did the salt and freeze. Forgot about it. 6 months later found it. Deader than disco.
P0Rt1ng4Duty@reddit
Kind of pointless to do all that and not mention the proper way to kill them.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
You didn't either 🤷♂️
P0Rt1ng4Duty@reddit
Yes but I also didn't post a video about the need to identify and destroy them.
But since you asked, putting them in a zip-lock bag with either salt or rubbing alcohol and disposing of them after they're dead are two ways to combat the invasion.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Oh noo, you got me!! Why should I have ever even tried? Might as well delete my account 🤣
P0Rt1ng4Duty@reddit
Bro you need to relax.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Fair.
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Update: added to description for those that read
CTR_1852@reddit
If you skip the part about the worm this sounds like WW2 anti-Japanese propaganda.
Midnight-69@reddit
Can't even feed then to my chickens dammit
bcuzimadude@reddit (OP)
Yeah, these are deadly noodles. Please no hammerhead slurps.