Easy Ways to Catch Nightcrawlers

worm image by Ksenija Djurica from Fotolia.com

Nightcrawlers are worms commonly used as fishing bait that usually burrow into the ground during the day and surface at night. Although they are often found underneath rocks or pieces of wood, they sometimes appear on lawns, sidewalks, roads and driveways after rain storms. Nightcrawlers can be purchased from bait shops or collected from moist soil. If these worms are scarce in your yard, you can attract and collect them easily with a few common household items.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Attracting Nightcrawlers

Things You’ll Need:

Containers
Dirty dishwater
Boards
Sprinkler
Flashlight
Red cellophane
Rubber band
Soil

Step 1

Fill a large container with dirty dishwater leftover in your kitchen sink.

Step 2

Lay a few boards on your lawn.

Step 3

Pour the dishwater over the boards. You will need to use enough water to thoroughly wet the boards and the soil underneath them.

Step 4

Leave the boards on the lawn for several days. The wet ground and nutrients from the dishwater should attract nightcrawlers, and you can simply lift the boards and pick the worms out of the damp soil.

Harvesting Nightcrawlers

Step 1

Wait for a rainy day or set a sprinkler out on your lawn to moisten the ground. The moisture will bring the nightcrawlers out of their burrows so that they are easy to collect.

Step 2

Go out into the yard after dark and use a flashlight to locate the nightcrawlers. Place a piece of red cellophane over the lens of the flashlight and secure it with a rubber band. This will help dim the light to avoid scaring the nightcrawlers away.

Step 3

Pluck the nightcrawlers from the ground before they wiggle away, and place them in a container with a little soil.

Article Written By Kittie McCoy

Kittie McCoy has been a freelance writer since 2008. She is also a part-time personal trainer and licensed entertainer in Las Vegas. She enjoys sharing her love of physical fitness and experience in the entertainment industry via her writing.

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