No, it doesn't kill earthworms. GMO'd corn only targets certain specific corn pest, like corn borers and corn ear worms

You feed your worms cornmeal?? Why?

Thanks gardengal.

When I moved into this place, the earth was rock hard and still is. It was a railroad union hall. The entire 3/4 acres around the 'building' was a compacted gravel parking lot. When I dig, it has to be with a pick axe to begin the holes to plant anything.

I needed the worms to help me where they could. So, I started adding moistened newspaper, later came some leaves, bunny poop, and lastly, I sprinkled non-GMO cornmeal - it's the only bed that I can work at the moment.

After months, the worms have multiplied incredibly so that when I get some other ares started, I'll get a scoop or two for other areas. At the moment, I've planned to plant some Kale, albeit late. It should do very well there.

Worm castings are incredibly good both in the soil and for your plants.

What got me to thinking about it was the first paragraph in the link below.

I'm not sure the worms were after the cornmeal....more likely it was the leaves and bunny poop that got them going. And yes, we all know the advantages of a healthy worm population :-))

No link was attached ot your last post............??

No link, oh drats. It was the first paragraph in the link below that caused me to question what I fed the worms.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/28986/nongmo-foods

Hmm, it's my understanding that they like cornmeal. However, I might have created a worm bed instead. There are many more than I anticipated.

From the link: "The have genetically modified for example, corn so that the worms that eat the corn will die after eating the roots or kernel."

It means corn earworms and borers which are moth larva, not worms.

Rodney

The link refers to corn worms, not earthworms. Entirely different creatures and not really worms at all. They are the larval stage (caterpillars) of a couple of different moths and are affected by the insecticidal properties of GMO'd corn to which earthworms are not. So no worries :-))

Corn meal IS organic matter, which is what worms eat, but it is not their first choice of diet. And they are not particularly attracted to it. If it is very coarsely ground, they'll probably ignore it altogther and if used excessively it could actually be harmful by disrupting fungal organisms they DO like to eat and by excessively acidifying the soil. But you would have to apply a lot of corm meal for that to happen.