# Basement Invaded by Black Worms



## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

mrniceguy321 said:


> We have these worms that keep crawling out from under the moulding at the bottom of the drywall.
> 
> My landlord won't do anythiung about it, so I've tried taping around the bottom with duct tape but they seem to get through/under it somehow. I don't think my tape job was that "solid", I'll admit;  I was trying to do anything I could in the limited time I had at the time to try to stop them from coming in.
> 
> ...


Nice to meet you!

Yike a Rooney! You have a lot of moisture somewhere, which I think, shouldn't be there. How about pictures of the exterior? Looks like dirt is piled up, maybe where it shouldn't be, or you're getting a lot of water and the worms are looking to avoid drowning.


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## mrniceguy321 (8 mo ago)

DoomsDave said:


> Nice to meet you!
> 
> Yike a Rooney! You have a lot of moisture somewhere, which I think, shouldn't be there. How about pictures of the exterior? Looks like dirt is piled up, maybe where it shouldn't be, or you're getting a lot of water and the worms are looking to avoid drowning.


Here's what it looks like on the outside of the wall. Every time it rains, water pools right there along the bottom of the wall. I think you may be able to see all of the dirt that accumulates as a result.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

mrniceguy321 said:


> Here's what it looks like on the outside of the wall. Every time it rains, water pools right there along the bottom of the wall. I think you may be able to see all of the dirt that accumulates as a result.


Okay, I know a lot more about critters than construction. Hopefully one of our experts in that regard will come along soon. They usually do.

Where are you located? City/State is enough, or county. What works in MN may not work in Texas.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

I love earthworms! Great for soil. They're just lost. Pick them up gently & put them outside, but, not in water. They won't hurt you.


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## Thom Paine (Nov 24, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> I love earthworms! Great for soil. They're just lost. Pick them up gently & put them outside, but, not in water. They won't hurt you.


Or... open a live bait store ... 

Seriously... You may need to get behind the drywall to investigate.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

While I concur with @Nik333 and @Thom Paine there's a real problem with that much moisture. Worms want moist but not wet, and when they're drowning, you need to find out why.

Let us know what you find, @mrniceguy321 .


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## mrniceguy321 (8 mo ago)

DoomsDave said:


> Okay, I know a lot more about critters than construction. Hopefully one of our experts in that regard will come along soon. They usually do.
> 
> Where are you located? City/State is enough, or county. What works in MN may not work in Texas.


I'm in Michigan


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## mrniceguy321 (8 mo ago)

Thom Paine said:


> Or... open a live bait store ...
> 
> Seriously... You may need to get behind the drywall to investigate.


I figured as such, however I feel limited in what I can do since I'm renting this place. Are there any other things I can do that aren't as intrusive? Would it help at all if I kept the dirt swept up outside (as shown in the pics above) from where the water pools along the wall when it rains?


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## Thom Paine (Nov 24, 2021)

mrniceguy321 said:


> I figured as such, however I feel limited in what I can do since I'm renting this place. Are there any other things I can do that aren't as intrusive? Would it help at all if I kept the dirt swept up outside (as shown in the pics above) from where the water pools along the wall when it rains?


It may help. Anything might help... but one shouldn't expect much from it.

It hasn't been directly stated here...

There's very real probability that the worms are entering through the foundation along with an amount of water that the worms are escaping when they appear in the open.
The entrance of water and worm needs locating in order to stop the penetration. 

There are solutions to hasten the worm demise ... vinegar/water, boron... etal; if you don't locate the source it'll
be like a band-aid on a compound fracture.


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