“Invasive Asian jumping worms got their name because of the way they thrash around,” Mac Callaham, a Forest Service researcher from the US Department of Agriculture, wrote on the website in 2022.

Another helpful distinguishing characteristic is the way they act. When disturbed, they are extremely wiggly and can even “jump” out of containers. There are three ways to report jumping worms: 1.

Frelich found the first jumping worms in Minnesota in 2006, in Minneapolis' Loring Park. Since then, they've mostly been garden pests, destroying soil and harming lawns in urban areas.