I found the following method online at:
http://www.northerngarden.ca/ResultList.asp?strArticleID=200 ... scroll down to Hot mustard method.
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Some methods said to work are going out on a damp night with a flashlight and hand picking the worms, an electric prod (I don't know how it's made, nor how safe it really is. I suggest being very careful as it does deal with electricity) poked in the ground and also watering your lawn with a weak bleach solution (which should be tested first to be sure you won't kill your lawn). Of course all these methods mean you have to hand pick the worms to get rid of them.
Hot Mustard Method
There is a way to get rid of earthworms called the Hot Mustard Method. I've never had a problem with nightcrawlers, so I've never tried this method, but I hear it does work.
First you put 53 grams of hot mustard powder into a glass or plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Add 125 ml of water, 50 ml at a time stir constantly till it forms a paste which is thick, but still pourable. Add more water to get the right consistency, be sure there are no lumps, then put the lid on and let the hotness develop for at least two hours. The vapors it gives off may make your eyes burn, so mix this up in a well ventilated place.
Try using this mix in a small area first. Place a 2x2 foot square box on your lawn, then bank up soil around it so the mustard mix won't run out.
What you need next is a plastic bucket that has graduated measurements in litres. Add 3L of water. Pour in the mustard mix, cleaning out the container with a spatula. Use a whisk and stir vigorously to get rid of any lumps. Add water to the 7L mark and stir again. If left the mustard grains will settle on the bottom, so be sure to keep it stirred. Pour the mixture into a plastic sprinkling can and slowly cover the surface of the lawn with the solution and allow it to sink in. The mixture should start to work in 1-2 minutes, at which time you should begin to pick the worms and place them in a bucket, keeping them cool and damp. After 20 minutes the affect of the mustard will be gone.
Be sure you wait till the worms are totally out of the ground before you pick them or they will pull back into their hole and they will rip in half. The worms should be rinsed at least twice in clear water, then placed in a bin of ripped newspaper, vegetable scraps and a few handfuls of soil, dampened down. I would suggest putting the regular earth worms back onto another part of your lawn, so they can continue to aerate and feed it.
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http://www.ehow.com/how_2038558_organic-insect-repellant.html
This one combines garlic, mustard, and cayenne pepper - saturate soil.
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hope these help ...

Here is a link that might be useful: Hot mustard method

When they are moved out, what will she do to keep them from moving in from the neighbors'? Concrete barrier around the perimeter of her lot? What next? How to get the birds to stop flying over?

Some counter/phone requests are just silly and all you can do is your best and hope they get frustrated and quit or distracted and move on.

Dan

Dan,
You don't have a solution for birds flying over do you? They can be quite troublesome at times. If they would just fly around my property that would be great. Just kidding.
I agree with you, but still feel compelled to give this person an organic choice.

I should mention that nightcrawlers are not common in our area (central Arizona) so it is possible that she has an isolated population. They might only be surviving in her lawn because she waters it.

Borderbarb, thanks, I like the hot mustard idea. I am going to experiment with worms here in my garden just to see if it will actually bring them to the surface.

Not sure about the bleach though.

The only way to eliminate earthworms from your soil is to poison it so nothing lives in that soil. This is not something that should be discussed on an organic gardening forum, however, because eliminating earthworms from soil is anathema to us. The correct reply to your "customer" should be that there is no way to do that without destroying the environment she lives in.

Some suggestions for deterring but not killing earth worms in a lawn:

ÂAvoid leaving leaves on the surface during the autumn and winter because this warm blanket of organic matter is an ideal restaurant for the worms.
ÂDo not allow a build up of thatch as again this decaying matter is digested by the worm which leads to casting deposits.
Âkeep the grass at a reasonable height.
ÂAvoid unnecessary watering as this leads to attracting more worms. In dry weather the worms will move deeper and by aerating regularly and ensure good drainage you will discourage activity.

Unfortunately, what makes the grass happy also makes the worms happy ie organic matter and moisture.

Kimmser,

We're not talking about eliminating all of the earthworms, only the nightcrawlers. Nobody is discussing poisoning the soil on this forum. The discussion here is how to prevent this particular person from doing that. The biggest reason people reach for poisons is that they feel they have no other choice. If we tell people to just deal with the weeds in their lawn, or just let gophers devour your plants, or just except the grasshoppers devouring their entire landscape as part of nature they will be turned off of the whole organic concept. However, if we can give them an organic solution we may be able to change their way of thinking.

Borderbarb,

I wonder if sprinkling the surface with something like hot mustard,garlic, or pepper would actually makes the worms vacate the area. Even if it is temporary, it may be enough to disrupt the breeding cycle of the worms (I believe they come to the surface for reproduction purposes) Being as they are not native to our area and most likely only survive here because of her watering her lawn, it is possible they will relocate and die off naturally because of inhospitable conditions in their new home.

Just brainstorming here. Any worm experts out there?

Kimmsr .... the mustard thing sound like it might work. I know that we are told to use care not to get it in our eyes or nostrils ... burns tender tissues ... a worm is ALL tender tissue ... seems like it would indeed drive them away .... certainly worth a try, even in just one part of the lawn.

That mustard idea i's certainly organic enough to give to the citizen, with a phrase about the chance of it working and such. And recommending changing the landscaping away from irrigated to something that matches the climate (and hope for proper water pricing to speed this along).

Dan

call 1-800-pyd-pypr and press "7" for worms and night crawlers. I should be home ;)

I too am looking for a solution.. Dan I don't think it's a silly request.
our lawn is so overrun with nightcrawlers that you can't walk barefoot on the grass because it's painful..like walking on rocks. Plus now the snow is melting I see we have gophers and/or moles which we never had a problem with until the worms exploded.
I introduced them because when we bought our home we had none but I bought night crawlers instead of red earth worms. Big mistake!

You cannot "get rid" of one species of earthworms without adversly affecting all the other species and adversly impacting your environment. Nightcrawlers are one species of earthworms and one small part of the Soil Food Web that helps create a good, healthy soil that helps create a good, healthy environment for us to live in.

I just wish I had too many worms in my soil even if they were night-crawlers, When I lived in Michigan we went fishing with them..

Please send me some! There aren't any in Georgia. Tell her she can sell them for bait!!

We have a shadier area that the nite crawlers are completely killing our zoysia. In the morning the area is riddled with casting mounds and over the past year, the grass has gotten very sparse. I don't want to use a chemical but I also want my grass. Has anyone tried the mustard trick?

Nightcrawlers [sic] are one species of earthworms and one small part of the
Soil Food Web that helps create a good, healthy soil that helps create a
good, healthy environment for us to live in.

They might be good in your garden, but earthworms can be very destructive to the native ecosystems in which they were introduced.

Earthworms are notorious disturbers of soil.

Earthworm invasions also decrease the abundance and diversity of bacteria, fungi, mites

...when earthworms invade they actually increase the compaction of hardwood forest soils.

...potential widespread loss of native understory plant species that could result from expanding earthworm invasion...

I know that this is an older thread but let me just make clear, this isn't about some nice little earthworms. As was mentioned before, it's not about not liking a bug in the yard that is making it a little less than perfect. These things will kill all the grass. In my yard even where the grass is still growing the lawn hurts to walk on because of the hard lumps. I don't like killing anything anymore than anyone else, I don't even kill the slugs and snails in my yard but when it comes to the point that we can't enjoy playing yard games because it just hurts too much to walk on the lawn that isn't just some petty issue.

If you have this problem, you're probably over-fertilizing your lawn. You should stop fertilizing your lawn. Mow it regularly, bag and discard the clippings, or use them elsewhere. The worms will run out of food, stop reproducing, and start dying or moving out. Feed them and they'll come. Stop feeding them and they'll leave.

Theres obviously a ton of people on here who have never experienced what it's like to live with nightcrawlers on there grass. Sometimes it's not about over fertilizing or not mowing enough. It's just that they are there. In my area the whole town is over run with them and I mean every single lawn in my area of town. I have walked on many and they are all the same. Big lumpy hard uneven soil. It's a nightmare. I have tried almost everything. I tild up my entire back yard and started from scratch and regrew all my grass again. Within 2 years it was back to the way it was before. I worked for a landscaping company for 2 years and this guy has been fighting them for 10 years with no success. I'm all for saving the planet and life but these things make my life a living hell. My sister broke her ankle last year just walking on my garden and my 2 year old hates running around outside and I don't blame her. If anyone has any solution that actually works I would love to hear it. I tried the mustard thing twice. It doesn't work. I've tried all the natural methods. Frequent mowing cutting back on fertilizer. Taking the mounds into the soil. Top dressing and leveling. Adding sand. You name it I've tried it.